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.
Access the Thalamus Video Platform
The preferred browser for using the Thalamus Video platform is Chrome (however Edge and Safari may also be used).
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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).
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 a Virtual Background
Set a Virtual Background at the time of joining the meeting or while in the Video session. There are two types of virtual backgrounds 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 Virtual Background while in a video session, click on the "Settings" button (gear icon) and select the Virtual Background settings at any time.
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While on the Join Meeting page, the Virtual Background field will be available for users (use the scroll bar on the right to scroll up and down to view all settings if necessary).
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Using the scroll bar on the right-hand side of the Settings box, scroll down to “Virtual Background”.
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From the drop-down menu, users have the option to select:
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None: no background filter 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” from the drop-down menu, 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 left.
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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 “Remove Image” button. 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.
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.
- Network Signal Status: This helps you identify if your signal strength is poor. If you are experiencing poor video or audio quality, you may have poor network signal strength. We recommend switching to another network with a strong signal.
- 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.
- Dynamic - Displays attendees in a dynamic view based on the number of attendees in the video room. Also highlights the active speaker with a blue border around their video.
- Spotlight - Highlights the active speaker in the main view, while minimizing other attendees.
- Presenter - Highlights the active speaker in the main view, while presenting the other attendees in a scrolling vertical bar on the right-hand side.
- Grid - Shows all attendees within the meeting in a grid format.
- Filmstrip - Shows all attendees within a row mimicking a filmstrip, displaying the active speaker in the main view.
- 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.