Looking professional on video calls comes down to three things: lighting, framing, and audio. For lighting, face a window or place a lamp directly in front of you — avoid overhead-only lighting which creates unflattering shadows. For framing, position your camera at eye level (use a laptop stand or stack of books), keep your head in the upper third of the frame with some space above, and use a clean, uncluttered background. For audio, use headphones to eliminate echo and a headset mic for clearer voice. Test your setup: run a webcam test to check your framing and lighting, and a mic test to check your audio quality. Dress professionally from the waist up. Make sure your internet is stable with a pre-call speed check. Turn off phone notifications and close distracting apps. Look at the camera (not the screen) when speaking to simulate eye contact.
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