How do I use Zoom?

We use a video chat tool called Zoom to host most of our class events and mentor sessions here at Skillcrush. Zoom allows you to interact with your instructor, share your screen, and chat with your classmates.

Signing Up for Zoom

Visit https://zoom.us/signup.
Click the "Sign Up, It's Free" button in the upper right corner.
Enter your birthdate.
Enter your email address.
Go to your email and locate the email from Zoom to activate your account.
Enter your name and a password to finish signing up.

Install the Zoom Client or App

To join meetings, you’ll need the Zoom client on your desktop or the Zoom app on your phone. Zoom is compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, and Android systems.

Visit https://zoom.us/support/download to download the client or app.
Install the client or app on your device.
Once installed, click the Sign In button, and then enter your email address and password.

Joining a Zoom Event

Before you join an event, make sure you have:

A pair of headphones, which will cut down on background noise and echoes that can be distracting for your fellow students.
A microphone & webcam of some kind. The ones that came with your computer are usually just fine!

Once you have those two things, here's how to join an event using Zoom:

Open your event confirmation email.
Click the Zoom meeting link (shown below, though the link text for a Mentor Session might look a little different).
You'll be prompted to open the application automatically.

That's it! We recommend saying hello and then muting yourself out of consideration to fellow attendees.

Keep in mind that you won't be able to join an event until the instructor does. So if you're told the meeting hasn't started, hold tight! You're probably just a couple of minutes early. (Love the enthusiasm, early bird!)

Testing Your Zoom Connection & Troubleshooting Issues

To be sure everything's working correctly, you can test your connection using this link: http://zoom.us/test.

If you aren't able to download Zoom, you can still join a meeting by doing the following:

Open your event confirmation email.
Click the Zoom meeting link (see the screenshot above).
Instead of downloading the application, click the "Join from Your Browser" link on the new tab that opens. (See the first screenshot below.)
Enter your name and join the meeting! (See the second screenshot below.)

Troubleshooting Zoom

Technical difficulties are the worst! But troubleshooting is also good practice for your future tech career. ;)

Here are a few things we recommend trying if you run into problems:

Restart your browser.
Try using a different browser.
Visit this Zoom Help Center page about Joining a Zoom Meeting to find the steps for your operating system or device.
Video issues? Try checking out this article for some tips.
Sound issues? Unplug and replug the microphone/headphones.
Restart your computer.
Check your browser permissions to allow the use of your camera and microphone.

If you run into any other problems, feel free to email us at [email protected]. We'll do our best to help!

If things still go wrong

Email your instructor to see if they’re having technical difficulties, or are running late.
Try again another time. Unfortunately, services go down sometimes. You can often see reports of outages on http://downdetector.com.

Happy Zoom-ing!