Plants and bookcases in, living rooms and blank walls out: how your Zoom background can make you seem more competent

By Paddy Ross, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Durham University

Working from home has made job interviews and starting a new role easier in many ways. You don’t have to worry about a missed train or spilt coffee derailing a job interview if it’s on Zoom – but you still need to impress your interviewer.

Your home surroundings help show off your personality to the person on the other end of the Zoom call. Anyone who judged the bookcases of politicians and celebrities during the early days of lockdown will be familiar with this.

My…

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