3 Recent Features That May Get You Using Skype Again

You can either love Skype or hate Skype, but you can’t ignore it. The video conferencing tool from Microsoft has been a staple of many remote meetings since 2003.

Last year, Skype was redesigned for the new generation. Since then, it has made incremental improvements that may keep you coming back to it. Here are three recent Skype features that may be indispensable in some situations like an interview.

1. The Skype Code Editor

The web version of Skype can be run on Chrome or Edge. The built-in code editor is useful when you need to have a collaborative coding session while discussing it over a video chat. The main purpose is to have richer technical interviews. Here’s how it works:

1. Go to Skype.com/interviews.
2. Click Start interview. A unique one-time link is generated.
3. Share the link with your team member who needs to just click on it and join the session.

The code editor comes with syntax highlighting and support for 13 popular programming languages like C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Python, and Ruby. Participants can run the language within the browser and also switch programming languages anytime in the editor.

2. The Shared Whiteboard in Skype

The real-time digital whiteboard enhances collaboration by allowing you to visualize a problem or an idea. Here’s how it works:

1. Log into Skype.com/interviews.
2. Click the Whiteboard icon in the left sidebar.
3. Use the Skype whiteboard tools like Text, Pencil, Line, and Shapes tools to draw and annotate your ideas.
4. In the end, you can save and archive your whiteboard session as an SVG file on any computer.

3. The Skype Interview Smart Scheduler

Skype Interviews as explained is meant to ease the process of recruiting programmers. But that task won’t get off the ground if you don’t schedule the interview in the first place. The Skype Interviews Scheduler does it in three small steps:

1. Sign into Skype Interviews and click Schedule new Interview.
2. Choose the type of interview: a coding interview with the code editor, a video call, or a Skype phone call.
3. Enter the candidate and interviewer’s name and email address.
4. Use a set time and date or use the Smart Scheduler to select the ideal time slot.

The Smart Scheduler matches the candidate and the interviewer with an email that has available time slots for both. Once time slots are decided, each participant is automatically sent an email invite. They can click to join the interview directly from the email.

These three features have improved the shared experience on Skype. They are not only tools for recruiters but can be re-purposed for education and other team activities as well.