A beauty expert has shared the dos and don’ts for Australians conducting work meetings on Zoom or Skype from the comfort of their own homes during the coronavirus.
With thousands of office workers currently balancing their careers with home schooling children and ensuring there is dinner on the table each night, trying to figure out how to appear professional in a video call is just one more hassle they could do without.
So YouTube beauty blogger Tina Yong, 29, from Sydney, outlined exactly how to set up your workspace in five minutes or less, in the event that you have a last-minute online meeting in her latest video.
So Sydney-based makeup artist Tina Yong, 29, kept things simple in her latest YouTube video by outlining exactly how to set up your workspace in five minutes or less
Do set up your laptop or phone in front of natural lighting
Walk around the house with your devices to find the most pleasant lighting.
Avoid back lighting or top down lights because these tend to be unflattering on the face. Instead look for a large window that you can sit in front of.
Just ensure the sun isn’t shining directly on your face as you won’t be able to see the screen in front of you.
Walk around the house with your devices to find the most pleasant lighting (pictured)
Do use the ‘plain white background’ on YouTube
If you don’t have natural lighting at your disposal, you can use a lamp or even the light from the TV.
If you have a TV that has access to YouTube, search for the video ‘plain white background’ and have it playing in front of you, this will instantly cast a light glow to your face.
It should run for a few hours at a time so you’ll be able to finish your meeting before the white background needs to be reset.
Do use a study chair to prop up your device
Ideally you could sit in front of a table to conduct the Zoom meeting, but this might mean you’re in a large living space with people coming and going.
Instead you can use a study chair and sit a box on top of it to create height, meaning the laptop or phone will be at your eye level and can be set up anywhere.
Ensure the camera isn’t looking up from under your chin, as this tends to be an unflattering angle.
Don’t change your trousers
One of the best parts about working from home is that you can wear whatever you like into the ‘office’.
But when you’re needed for a video call, you’ll need to find a work-appropriate shirt to wear at the very least.
Because the camera won’t show your bottom half you can wear something more comfortable below the waistline.
One of the best parts about working from home is that you can wear whatever you like into the ‘office’
Don’t apply foundation before a Zoom meeting
If you’ve only got a limited time before the meeting begins, avoid trying to put on foundation, because it can take awhile to buff in.
Instead just conceal any problem areas like dark spots or blemishes.
Fill in your eyebrows, curl your lashes and apply mascara to open up your eyes. Put a natural shade like pink on your lips.
Use the same lipstick to double as a blush to add some colour to the cheeks.
If you’ve only got a limited time before the meeting begins, avoid trying to put on foundation, because it can take awhile to buff in
Don’t jump on a call before checking your background
If something is behind you that might grab your colleague’s attention, avoid any embarrassment by removing it from sight.
If you’re in your bedroom ensure the wardrobe doors are closed over and things look fairly neutral behind you.
White walls are ideal for a conference call so try to position yourself in front of one if you can.
If you’re in your bedroom ensure the wardrobe doors are closed over and things look fairly neutral behind you
If you live with your partner or friends, tell them you’re having an important video call so they don’t burst into the space midway through
Don’t forget to tell your housemates about the meeting
If you live with your partner or friends, tell them you’re having an important video call so they don’t burst into the space midway through.
You don’t want your boyfriend walking into the bedroom after taking a shower or your mother calling for you from the kitchen while you’re trying to listen carefully.
If there is a lock on the room you’re in, this might be the right time to use it.