Monday, November 5, 2012

Phone interviews – take advantage of them.


Most companies will attempt to narrow the field of candidates through a phone screen.  As a candidate you can take advantage of this by being more prepared and focused than your competitor.

1.       When you are setting the time for the phone interview make sure you can do the interview in a private location at a time you know you are alert and at your best.  If you are a morning person do it in the morning, if you are an evening person do it after hours.

2.       During the interview make sure you have your resume and the company job description in front of you.  Since you are not worried about eye contact you should have these with you and reference them during your conversation.

3.       Do your research - make sure you spend time before the interview to research the company (what do they do, are they in the news, what kind of products they have and where do they do business).  Every hiring person wants to hire someone who is prepared and has knowledge of what they do.  Be that person when you make your first impression.

4.       Write out 4 to 5 questions that you want to ask – you want one to two business questions and one to two questions about the role and department.   

Place these questions next to the job description and resume.

5.       Express interest - you need to be clear that the role and company are a good fit with your career goals.  Tell your interviewer your desire to move forward and ask what the next steps are in the interview process.

If you prepare this way for each phone interview you will stand out compared to your competitors and graduate to the next step. 

For more tips and interview techniques you can refer to future blog entries or contact me at 925-227-0700 x203

Bryon McDougall
Partner
Alchemy Search a Division of SOAProjects, Inc.