Ninety percent of the time, clients or vendors short list the candidates based on the telephone interview. A successful telephone interview will usually lead to a personal interview. The telephone interview can be classified into two types:
Advance Preparation
Approach a telephone interview with the same level of preparation and seriousness as a face-to-face interview. Research the company; be prepared to articulate how your background, skills, education and experience make you uniquely qualified for the position; and develop good questions for the interviewer. The impression you make over the telephone and the manner with which you present yourself are likely to influence whether you’ll be seriously considered for the position, and perhaps offered the opportunity for a follow-up interview. For additional interview preparation tips, read the Commerce Career Service’s handout, “Interviewing for Employment.”
Coordinate the logistical aspects of the telephone interview well in advance. Record the date and time of the interview and know who will be calling whom. Normally, the employer initiates the call to the candidate; however, do not assume that this is always the case. Whenever feasible, secure a landline phone in a quiet space with minimal risk of distractions. Conducting an interview using a cell phone runs the risk of poor reception, a dropped call, and interference. Office space may be available in the Commerce Career Services suite – be sure to inquire with the front desk well in advance of your scheduled interview. Scheduled telephone interviews normally last between 20-30 minutes, though some can last up to an hour.
Be aware that once you begin circulating your resume, you could potentially receive a call from an employer without notice and the purpose of the call could be a brief screening interview. If the call arrives at an inopportune time or if you are not prepared to answer questions, you can ask to schedule the call at another time. Optimally, if you answer a call you should be prepared to answer basic interview questions. Consider letting the call drop to voicemail if you are not prepared or if the setting is not an appropriate environment for a professional conversation (remember to have a professional-sounding greeting on your voicemail system).
Ninety percent of the time, clients or vendors short list the candidates based on the telephone interview. A successful telephone interview will usually lead to a personal interview. The telephone interview can be classified into two types.
1. HR Interview
2. Technical Interview
1. HR Interview: The main objective of this interview is to get the technical interview or invited to an in-person interview. This interview is to determine the person’s personality and team work. Warm up your voice and vocal cord—it may help to make you sound more confident, firm and pleasant. Your voice tells many things about you.
DOs:
ü Getting ready for the interview:
• Go to the bathroom before the appointment time in case the interview lasts longer than you expect.
• Drink just plain cold water
• If you use a hand set phone, make sure you have charged it properly.
• Have your resume, paper, pen, and a glass of water handy
ü Take the call in a quiet area of the house—no kids, vehicles’ sound pollution, no dogs, or any other distractions.
ü Be on time to show that you respect and value the interview appointment
ü Make sure you do not have another appointment close to the interview—incase the interviewer needs more time.
ü Read your resume thoroughly to explain your professional or projects’ experience
ü Be prepared to give a positive two or three minute summary of your professional career.
ü If you did not understand the question, ask him/ her to repeat the question.
ü Be sincere.
ü Be enthusiastic. Speak confidently, clearly and slowly.
ü Ask the interviewer about the client location, project duration, etc.
ü Ask the interviewer at the end of the conversation where you stand and what the next step is.
Don’t:
û When you are on the phone, if you don’t understand the question, don’t pretend that you did. Ask them to repeat the question.
û Do not feel nervous.
û Don’t sound phony.
û If you cannot answer certain questions, admit to the interviewer frankly and offer to do more research on the subject and that you think you can get an answer soon.
û If you don’t know, simply say that you don’t know. Be careful not to misrepresent the information or lie to the interviewer. Trying to cover up the truth only makes things worse.
û Try to avoid using cell phones. Your client may not hear you properly.
2. Technical Interview: The goal of technical interview is to know about your technical skill set.
Dos:
ü Follow HR Interview Tips PLUS....
ü Do your homework and practice answering some standard interview questions.
ü Review your resume and work experience/ history.
ü Interviewer may ask more questions about their project requirements or your primary skill set. Be ready on these two things before the interview.
ü If you don’t know the answers, you can request the interviewer for answer.
Don’t:
û Don’t try to evade an answer. If you don’t know the answer, tell the interviewer you will find out the answer and call back.
û Do not negotiate for the salary with technical interviewer.
Use a landline. You don’t want to risk having problems with cell phone service. It is irritating for employers to conduct interviews if the call breaks up frequently or is dropped completely. If you don’t have a land line at home, just make sure you are in an area with as much cell phone service as possible. Do what you can so the process runs as smooth as possible.
Keep your materials handy. In fact, lay everything out in front of you. This includes your resume, notes about your career objective (even if it isn’t included in your original cover letter it’s a good idea to have this out depending on the questions he will ask you), a pen and pad of paper for note-taking and anything else you think may be helpful during your interview. Because you won’t have to schlep into an office, you can have anything out in front of you to aid with your success.
Steer clear of distractions. Find a quiet place to interview and stay there! There shouldn’t be any noise in the background to distract you or your potential employer. However, it is understandable that this can be tricky if you have young children at home who need your attention. When you set up your interview appointment, try to schedule it for as precise a time or window as possible. That way, you are able to avoid possible distractions (ex.: your phone interview is between 4 and 4:30, so no one can have company over during that time, the kids are fed and occupied or a sitter will watch them, if need be.)
Speak slowly and clearly. When you speak to people face-to-face, you are able to understand what they are saying more clearly because you can see their mouth move. So in a way, you are reading their lips! Neither you nor your potential employer will be able to do this over the phone of course, so speak clearly and a little bit more slowly than you would if you were talking to this person in person. If you can’t hear him, drop hints that he isn’t speaking clearly or loud enough by politely asking him to repeat himself. If this makes you uncomfortable at all you can always blame it on your phone: “I’m really sorry, it’s hard to hear you, the volume on my phone just won’t go up!”
Remember – you can’t be seen. That means that anything you say cannot be interpreted by your body language. Beware of jokes or sarcastic remarks that would have been harmless had he seen your facial expression. Maintain your professionalism; stay on target with the interview topics and focus on the key information about you that will get you hired.
No eating, drinking or chewing gum! This is self-explanatory. But, we humans are creatures of habit and might pop a potato chip in our mouths at just the wrong moment. However, when I say no eating or drinking I mean during the phone interview. You should eat beforehand to get your brain going so you can focus.
Prepare questions ahead of time. Just like in a personal interview, prepare a few questions to ask your potential employer at the end of your phone interview. Some examples are: “What does a typical day look like for an employee with this job?” “What are some skills I would need to develop in order to excel in the position I’m applying for?” “What software/equipment would I be using?” Remember – do not ask about salary or benefits until the employer has brought it up.
Just Before the Telephone Interview
Prepare your body, mind, and physical appearance as you would for an in-person interview. Get proper sleep, eat nutritiously, and groom and dress so that you feel at your best and can present as an energetic and enthusiastic candidate.
Ensure that you have a pen/paper close by, as well as a copy of your resume, questions that you want to ask the employer, and a copy of any documents that you submitted to the employer earlier (e.g., cover letter, transcript). Make sure that you re-read the position description before the interview begins, and have a copy of the description on hand.
Turn off call waiting so that the interview is not interrupted, remove or turn off any possible distractions in the interviewing space (e.g., alarm clocks, TVs, cell phones, noisy animals, or roommates), and close the door.
Practice
Talking on the phone during an interview may be more challenging that it seems, and practice is recommended. Have a friend or family member conduct a mock interview and tape record it so you can determine how you sound over the phone. Ideally, you want to project as confident, articulate, knowledgeable and professional. Adjust the speed of your speech so that you don’t talk too fast or too slow, and practice minimizing casual “ums”, “uhhs” and “Okays.” Also, rehearse answers to typical interview questions and be sure that your answers are organized and concise.
After the Interview:
Immediately jot down notes about what you were asked and how you answered. Note parts of the conversation that you feel went very well, and perhaps aspects that didn’t go as well (for use in future interview preparation). Identify points that you would like to clarify or expand on in a follow-up interview, topics that require additional research or preparation, and additional questions that you have for the interviewer.
· Send a thank-you note.
(The author is Training and Placement Officer, Sridattha Engineering College, Sheriguda, Ibrahimpatnam)
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