Thalamus Virtual Interview is a web based video platform integrated into the Thalamus scheduler. Programs may choose to use Thalamus Virtual Interview for their interview days. This guide provides instructions on accessing and joining any interview sessions hosted on the Thalamus Virtual Interview platform.
We strongly encourage all users to test out the video system at any time prior to their scheduled day. Instructions can be found here on Testing the Video platform prior to your interview day.
Note: Camera, microphone, and virtual background settings are saved locally. The settings will only be saved and automatically applied if meetings are joined from the same device and browser.
Access Your Interview Day Itinerary
- Log into Thalamus.
- Select the "Schedule" and then "My Schedule" to view the scheduled interview sessions.
- Navigate to the correct interview session by selecting the interview session on the left navigation menu or by using the arrows at the top of the page
- If you are scheduled for multiple interview sessions on the same day, you will see multiple rows within the page. The following is accessible within each row:
- Itinerary session information including name, time, and date
- Program and Itinerary Attendee information will include Program Name, Specialty, Interviewer Name
- If a Thalamus virtual interview session has been scheduled, you will see the "Join Meeting" button. Click "Join Meeting" to enter the virtual interview session.
If a 3rd party Video Chat Software (Zoom, Teams, or WebEx) is being used instead, the link will appear here and you will be taken to the appropriate 3rd party software site. - Applicants will have the option to view the Program Profile and the Interview Day Description (from Calendar). Attachments may also be available to view and download.
- Applicants also have the option to print their itinerary from the print icon in the upper right hand corner of their My Schedule page.
Access the Thalamus Video Platform
Thalamus video is accessible through Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari browsers. For the best optimal experience using Thalamus Video, we suggest using the most updated browser version of Chrome or Edge.
Important note: Internet Explorer is not a supported browser for Thalamus Video.
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Select “Join Meeting” to enter the virtual interview session.
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A new tab will open in the browser, you will be taken to the Join Meeting page where you will be asked to allow Thalamus Video to access to your camera and microphone.
- A camera and microphone must be selected and saved. These settings will be saved locally on the device and browser, and subsequent meetings can be joined without re-selecting camera and microphone settings.
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From this screen a user can choose to mirror the video, blur background, or select apply a background image (this is an optional setting).
Watch the snippet below to walk you through this process:
Note: The camera, microphone, and virtual background settings are saved locally. The settings will only be saved and automatically applied if meetings are joined from the same device and browser.
- For Mac device users see Allow Thalamus Video to Access your Camera, Microphone and Screenshare on Mac
Setting Background Effects
Set a Background Effect at the time of joining the meeting or while in the Video session. There are two types of background effects Thalamus Video supports:
- Blur: when enabled, the background of the user will be blurred.
- Image: a custom image can be uploaded to be used
To add or change a background effect while in a video session, click on the "Settings" button (gear icon) and select the Background Effects settings at any time.
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While on the Join Meeting page, the Background Effects field will be available for users.
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From the available options, users may select between three background effects, listed below. Upon making a selection, your video preview will update in real time to reflect the selected background effect:
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None: no background effect will be added
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Blur: when enabled, the background of the user will be blurred
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Image: a custom image can be uploaded to be used
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When selecting “Image," click “Upload Image". This will open a file folder window, where you are able to select an image from your computer to upload as a background.
Note: The file size should be no more than 10MB and the supported file types are .jpeg, .jpg, .png and .gif -
Once the image has been selected it should now show in the box to the right. If you are currently in a meeting room, the background image will also update in your video preview, visible to all participants in the meeting.
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If you have uploaded an incorrect image or would no longer like that image to appear as a background, select the "X" icon in the upper right hand corner of the image preview. The image should no longer show in the image box to the left.
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Once settings have updated, the “Save Settings” button will now be enabled, and you will now be able to join your meeting. Note that the selection of your virtual background settings will be saved on both your local device and user account, meaning that if you join a meeting using the same account but a different device, the updated settings will be reflected.
Navigating the Thalamus Video Chat
- Once in the Virtual Interview room, you have access to the following features at the top of the screen:
- Session Type: Provides the interview session type name to all attendees.
- Chat: A public text chat box that you can use to chat publicly with other attendees.
- Participants: This allows you to see the list of participants currently in the room. It will be divided into to sections, Interviewers and Applicants
- Along the bottom of the screen, you have access to the following features:
- View Meeting Details: Confirm which session you have joined, how much time is remaining in the room, the video chat link, and the dial in number.
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Meeting Controls: Turn your microphone and video on and off, change the source of your audio or video through the settings module, or leave the video chat through the Hang Up button.
- Program users with the role of Program Director, Administrator, or Coordinator may choose to mute all participants in the room.
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Video participants have the ability to unmute themselves when desired.
*If a program user has muted all participants, a banner will be present at the top of the screen that states “The presenter has chosen to mute all participants. You can unmute yourself in the Participants panel when you are ready to speak”.
- Share: Share your screen or an application through the share screen feature.
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Settings: Allows you to change your microphone and camera devices.
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Change Layout: Choose from multiple attendee layout views based on your preference. These layout view changes apply only to you.
- Presenter - Highlights the active speaker in the main view, while presenting the other attendees on the right-hand side. Arrows can be used to move back and forth to see attendees exceeding the capacity of the screen.
- Grid - Shows all attendees within the meeting in a grid format. Arrows can be used to move back and forth to see attendees exceeding the capacity of the screen.
- Once your Interviewer joins the room, you will see their video on your screen. If more participants join the room, the videos will resize to accommodate multiple users.
- If there are no other users in the room, you will see a notification: "There is no one else currently in this room. Once another individual joins they will appear here."
- If you should accidentally leave the interview room before you have finished, you can return to the room via the steps used to previously access the room.
- When the session has ended, you MUST Select the phone "hang up" icon to end the meeting.
- To move to your next interview, repeat the steps at the beginning of this guide.
Note: The program coordinator or admin may use the virtual knock or notification message to inform that an interview is ending and/or over. There is an automatic message that will appear when there are five minutes remaining in the session.