Recently a client I had worked with on job search and interviewing skills sent me a tape recording of his latest telephone interview. I was a fly on the wall and was able to hear the questions asked and how my client was responding to them. It was invaluable to me as a coach as now I could offer specific advice on how to improve his answers and where he was answering appropriately.
The difficulty with phone interviews is that there is no body language, which as a rule accounts for 55% of the communicated message. The up side is you get to use cheat sheets and sound very prepared and articulate with strong wording and fluctuating tonality.
When you are called by the recruiter or hiring company to set up a time for the interview be sure to ask who will be calling you, their title and how long the interview will take. Arrange to have as detailed an outline of the job description as possible, as far ahead of time as they can arrange, so you have lots of prep time.
Follow these pointers to ensure you ACE your next telephone interview:
1. Write your SAR stories as if you are preparing for an in person job interview. People can’t listen effectively for as long on the phone as they can in person so make your stories a little bit shorter, 1-2 minutes maximum rather than 4-5 minutes allotted in an in person interview. If you feel like you’d like to say more, pause, and then ask if they would like to know more.
2. Make sure you are ready for the interview. If the call is preplanned then you will have your notes, resume and the job description in front of you. If you are called out of the blue ask if you can call them back in 10 minutes so you can get yourself organized, you are at an unfair advantage otherwise. Reception is often much better on a land line than a cell phone.
3. To Skype or not to Skype. If you are to Skype be well dressed and practice where to look into the camera so it looks like you are speaking to the interviewer not to your keyboard.
4. Pick a quiet, undisturbed location to chat. A coffee shop, your car, a mall or hockey arena are not ideal places in which to hold an interview, too many distractions and back ground noise. Pick a quiet time and room in the house, with a closed door, and no chance of interruption, barking dogs or crying children. You have to listen more attentively as well.
5. Ask who is participating in the call, their titles and how long the interview will take. If this is a surprise call get this info before you get off the line to get prepared. You want as much of an advantage as possible. Know and use the names of the individual/s who are interviewing you, and use their name throughout the call.
6. Place a mirror in front of you. The best sales reps make their calls to clients with a mirror in front of them so they can remember to smile. If you have a cordless phone you might want to get up and move around, walking around gives you energy which makes your voice stronger which helps you sound more confident.
7. Engage in the ice breaker and any chit chat the interviewer initiates. Remember the job of a good interviewer is to get you to like them. They usually do this by a little social chit chat at the beginning of the call. Answer in full sentences, offer a comment, ask a reciprocal question or two. Depending on the vein of the chatter, you could ask how long they have been with the company or about a recently or renowned project they’ve worked on.
8. Write down the questions in short form and read it back to them to ensure accuracy. You may want to make the odd note when the interviewer explains things to you about the position or the company which you can later include in your thank you letter.
9. Express your interest, or not. Hiring managers or recruiters want to know your interest in the job, so tell them. If half way through you realize you aren’t interested in pursuing the position, decide whether you will hang in for the interview experience or thank them for their time and mention you don’t think that at this point you are the right candidate for the position. If you are keen for the position, passion sells and is often a deciding factor to short list you for an in person interview. Tell them how you feel.
10. Ask the most important question before you end the call. As the interview is winding down ask this question,: “Is there anything else I can tell you that will help you make a positive decision?” Always close by asking, “where do we go from here?’ or “what is the next step going forward?”
11. Send a thank you note. Depending on your industry, an email thank you may suffice after the interview. If you really want to stand out in their minds a nice card or typed letter, mailed in an envelope, with a stamp, is always best. Thank the interviewer for their time, their interest in interviewing you and recap a couple of pertinent points you want them to recall about you, the benefits to hiring you or short listing you.
At the end of the day, an interview is an interview is an interview. Be prepared, tell great Situation, Action, Result stories, use enthusiasm and ask the all important question. Smile a lot.
Colleen Clarke
Corporate Trainer and Career Specialist
http://www.colleenclarke.com/Free_Career_News_Letter/default.aspx
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