Phone Interviews

The Blind Date
A phone interview is essentially the first personal contact a job seeker has with the prospective employer.  Phone interviews are critical, critical, critical, critical, to the next step of getting in front of the employer.  You can blow it or you can ace it.  But either way, it's a deciding-point for the employer. 

So, job seekers, listen up!  This is very important....here's some tips to help you ace the phone interview.

Research the business. 

Get (and read) information about the company ahead of time.  Review the job description (if it was posted on-line) to make sure you know the particulars about the position.  Don't be caught off guard with an ice-breaker question, "So, what do you know about our company?"  It's usually the first question I ask to test the candidate on their knowledge of the company.  I use it to help get the candidate talking.  I hate to hear back, "Well, I don't really know much about the company." 

Have questions prepared. 

Prepare ahead of time specific questions to ask the interviewer.  Questions are the best indicator of interest.  And, for the record, it's not appropriate to ask questions about pay and benefits at this point.  One of the best questions I liked however, was when someone asked me, "What do you love about working for XYZ company?"  or "What's been your experience with seeing the company change over the years you've been there?" or my favorite, "Would you say that this was the best company you've ever worked for?  Why/why not?"  These questions engage the interviewer on a personal-experience basis.  This will impress them, because they are asking for a deeper examination of the opportunity.  Other questions that would be appropriate would include:  "Can you outline the career path for growth within the company?"  "What are key performance indicators (KPI's) for this particular position -- how will my performance be evaluated and measured?"

Energy. 

Energy is HUGE.  Let me say that again.  Energy is HUGE.  You are on the phone.  Your voice has to be your presenter.  You need to have a high (not annoyingly) level of energy.  My ears can hear passion, energy and enthusiasm.  You need to walk around while you're on the phone (stay standing, walking and moving helps keep your energy high while you're talking).  Perfectly qualified candidates will blow it if their energy is too low, or they appear too laid-back on the phone.  Be happy you're on the phone with the company.  Smile:  the interviewer can hear your smile (I know that all sounds strange, but trust me, they can hear your smile).

Be succinct. 

Have your resume in front of you, and walk through your experience within 5 minutes.  Don't go on and on and on and on....this will quickly bore the interviewer.  Explain the reasons you decided to leave an employer.  If it's an unfavorable reason, such as, "I was fired" be truthful and briefly explain the circumstances.  I give a ton of credit to those who had LEARNED from the experience of being fired.  It means that they won't have to deal with that again, because they LEARNED something.  And be upbeat and positive about ALL your former employers.  Never bad-mouth an employer.  It's negative and suggests that you think negatively.  Who wants to hire a Negative Nellie?  Keep it positive, talk about what you've learned, how you were given exposure to opportunities / experiences.  But, be brief. 

Ask about next steps. 

When the phone interview is all done, it's a fair and pro-active question to ask.  "So, based on what you've heard today, what can I expect to happen next?" 

In my experience, you'll either get: 

• "We have more candidates to interview at this time and we'll follow-up with you on the next steps (this probably means that you're not going to get the next interview....); or
• "I'd like to check with ______ to look at his availability to also speak with you" (which probably is a good indicator that you're going to have another phone interview or face-to-face). 

Either way, thank them for their time.  Make sure that you end by expressing your interest in hearing back from them one way or the other. 

Kathleen Lapekas - PHR

Action HR Consultant

http://www.actionhrconsultant.com/

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