Phone interview - don’t blow it!

Posted by on November 2nd, 2007 at 05:03pm

With the advent and continuing exponential growth of the internet, more and more recruiting companies and their clients are conducting telephone interviews with their candidates. It’s safe to say that if you have arrived at this stage in the interview process, then your qualifications have brought you to this point. In other words, your resume has sold your education, background, job history and tech skills to the client. So, don’t blow it! The following are some fairly basic rules in nailing down the job you’ve applied for.

First and foremost ask the question, what is the interviewer looking for? The simple answer is the same as if you were sitting across the desk from them, only now there are some other critical areas that need attention.

1. Com Skills: While still important in a “face-to-face” interview, they become paramount on the phone. This is how you sell yourself! So, take your time (it’s an interview not a contest) make sure you understand the questions and answer them in as clear and concise a manner as possible.

2. Safety Rules: If in a car when the call comes in, PULL OVER. You can’t do a good job at either or both, so priority number one, pull over and take your time.

3. Location: make sure you are in a quiet place where you have freedom to speak. So, sitting at your desk in your present job, is not the best place to conduct an interview. Arrange for a more suitable time and place. Avoid a cell phone if you can (I know it’s not always possible…) but cell phone reception is not ideal. Tell the interviewer you will call them back on a land line. One plus here is that in a telephone interview, at the right location you can have notes in front of you, prompting you to sell your best features or ask the right questions. Don’t underestimate the importance of this.

It comes down to commonsense but always check out your favorite job boards on the internet, they very often offer some good tips on interviewing, telephone or otherwise.

Pegsoft.com - IT jobs, consulting, stuffing and placement

Under Blogroll