Handling Telephone Interviews
Many companies now screen potential candidates by conducting telephone interviews to reduce the face-to-face interviews to the top six or three candidates. Your first phone call from an employer may be a request for a telephone interview.
Telephone interviews are also used when you and the employer live in different cities. Few employers want to incur expenses to fly a candidate in for an interview unless they have a very strong opinion of the candidate.
A screening telephone interview may be a series of questions asked of every candidate; these questions may focus on some of the unstated requirements for the position and the answers allow the employer to eliminate candidates who do not “fit.”
Long-distance telephone interviews more closely resemble the first face-to-face interview with a company. Be prepared to have the call last for 30 minutes or more, and to be asked the same kinds of questions you would be asked if you were meeting in the company’s office.
Although most companies schedule telephone interviews, there is always chance someone will call and want to do it “right now.” If this happens to you, ask if you can call them back in five minutes. Use this time to gather your materials and mentally prepare yourself. You might also want to make a note of this in your folder on this company; expecting an instant interview does indicate a lack of courtesy on their part.
At least 30-minutes before a scheduled telephone interview get your game face on.
Turning off any radio, stereo or television.
Disable call waiting or any other feature on your telephone that could produce sounds that interrupt the telephone call.
Put the dog outside or whatever else it takes to keep down barking.
Get dressed in business clothes; do not take the call in your bathrobe.
Comb your hair and does any other grooming that will help you project a more business-like attitude.
Go into a quiet room and close the door to take the call. If you do not have a home office, make sure you have a writing surface handy for taking notes during the call.
Assemble your company folder, your resume, and the cover letter sent to the company. If you have filled out an application for this company, get it, too.
Put your cheat sheet of answers to anticipated questions on the desk beside you.
Smile!
