Phone Interview?

[lithy]

So, as best as I can remember, I've never done one before. Strangely enough my brother had to do one for his two most recent jobs.

Anyone have anything particularly important that I should know? This is a job I would like to have, so I want it to go well.

So far, I've got my typical interview prep stuff ready, topics to discuss to expected questions, specific examples, all that jazz. I've added from my brother, just making myself a list of things I can talk about as well as questions to ask to avoid serious lulls (lulz) in the conversation and to use it to fill some time. I was told to avoid giving an opportunity for the interviewer to say "Ok, well thanks for your time." just a few minutes into the call.

Be engaging, show interest (this is tough for me, I'm real excited about the job but I'm generally really level headed and don't really show emotion in person, much less on the phone.)

Thanks for your help internet friends.

 

[famicommander]

Ask horror movie trivia questions, and if they miss any gut them and hang them from a tree.

 

[Rade K]

Talk about beer. And nothing else.

 

[IcBlUsCrN]

sounds like you have it pretty much down packed . the phone interviewers usually don't leave "dead time" they have done it before. i had a few phone interviews including for my current job. It was the first step before many more face to face interviews. They basically asked me questions that i would have got in a face to face but would not need a whiteboard /paper for. Lot of theoretical questions (engineer position).

Dont stress out , and Dont miss the call either. good luck

 

[Comrade Porn King Mikhail]

On a serious note:

Turn off your phones/alarms so there are no foreign sound interruptions. Close the door, turn the computer speakers off, etc.

Have a pen/paper handy for taking notes and your resume handy for questions.

If possible, use a landline to prevent any dropped cell calls and turn off call waiting.

Have some water to help with a dry pallet. Smile, yeah it works, makes you sound better. I've been told that when dealing with customers on the phone and they can tell the difference.

Don't interrupt the interviewer.

Good luck!

P.S. Don't have any guns nearby so as to resist the impulse of cocking/chambering during boring interview moments. Don't want the person on the other line to get the wrong idea if they recognize the sound.

 

[SouthtownKid]

Smile, yeah it works, makes you sound better. I've been told that when dealing with customers on the phone and they can tell the difference.

This.

 

[RabbitTroop]

There are like a million suggestions I could give over the years of doing these. I think the idea of smiling is a good one. I was also told, when I was much younger, to dress up for the interview like you would if you were going in person. It's the same idea, it makes you feel better because you're dressed the part. I don't know if I'd go that far, but... being comfortable and confident is definitely something that comes across in your voice.

I'd prepare a bit. Do some research on the company, learn what they do, some of the products the offer, some of the things they're known for. It's good to have this info anyway, but they always ask you if you have any questions during the interview process. Try to come up with a few that directly relate to their business. It impresses people when you've done your homework.

It's also good to anticipate some of the questions they'll ask and have some ideas of how to answer them. You know for a fact they're going to ask about your work history, what you've been doing, what you want to do, what you would do if you worked for them, biggest accomplishment, worst failure... Be prepared for that and have some honest and well thought out answers ready to go. Definitely don't script it... that always comes across on the phone, but if you know what you will want to say and cover (maybe with some bullet points on a sheet of paper) you should be golden and not forget anything important you want to bring up.

Have a glass of water nearby. I've seized up into a choking fit during one interview. No kidding... I don't even really remember why, but I was like completely embarrassed having to go to the kitchen and getting water while the interview patiently waited. They never called me back for a follow up.

The goal in all of this is to get an in person interview. You want to make sure you present yourself in such a way that they want to meet you. So, be yourself, get comfortable, and just prepare a little bit and you'll be fine.

 

[aria]

Know about the company (from news, the company website --even how their stock's been doing if you're looking at certain positions). Ask questions that show you've studied that stuff (thus showing you want the job); remember, interviews are both ways --sometimes they might want a candidate who opts to go elsewhere because they screwed up their side.

If you can make it sensible, tell them how you feel you can work into the company's style/philosophy/goals. This doesn't work for everyone or every company.

Have notes but not a script. It doesn't hurt to think out a few things you'd like to convey ahead of time so you can mention them when the opportunity arises in natural conversation (or force them in if necessary--though this is risky).

 

[RevQuixo]

Ask the interviewer what he/she is wearing.

 

[jro]

nruva is right- research as much as you possibly can before you do the interview. Research the company- research the individuals at the top of the ladder, how long it's been around, etc. Know as much as you can about the position you're applying for and what you'd be doing, your daily responsibilities, any positions you'd be supervising, etc. Know any special terminology that the company or position would use (if you already know it, great, if you don't, learn it and make sure you know it off the top of your head, easy, when the interview happens!).

I had a phone interview for the first time about three weeks ago, and it was a bit different from face-to-face, definitely. Be sure to keep things like smiling in mind, very helpful, like said in couple other posts, will help you sound enthusiastic.

There are a couple other things that are really helpful about a phone interview- you can type up a cheat sheet of things that you want to make sure to cover, kind of your A+ material, and you can have that sitting right in front of you during the call, ready to go, won't miss it. That will help just in case you get nervous at all and/or get any tip-of-the-tongue issues with remembering the name of the CEO, or number of this that or the other thing, etc. Like, for my interview, I had literally stacks of stuff I'd researched, but maybe only a page and a half of stuff typed up into that sheet, was really helpful.

Have a couple (literally maybe no more than three, at most) thoughtful questions to ask at the end when the interviewer asks you if you would like to ask anything. Showing interest in the position by asking good questions is a good thing, but make sure they're pertinent and show a deeper understanding of what you'd be doing and help to show what you can add to the organization you'd be joining.

And this may sound a little silly in some ways, but it really does work- take those questions you expect to be asked and rehearse some answers out loud to yourself. Try it over and over again until you're comfortable with a general idea of what you want to say, get to a point where you feel like "I think they'll ask that and I think that's a damn good answer." Saying it out loud is especially important, I think, in a phone interview, when clear tone, pace, and timbre are VERY important.

Oh, and one last thing that I did and will continue to do and recommend- I write out "SPEAK SLOWLY AND ENUNCIATE!!" in big letters on a sheet of paper and put it right on the desk in front of me as a constant reminder. Helps me out, at least.

Hopefully some of those ideas will be helpful, good luck!

 

[Nesagwa]

down packed

 

[lithy]

Talk about beer. And nothing else.

Actually, this is part of the plan. Thanks for all the extra tips.

 

[lithy]

Ask the interviewer what he/she is wearing.

If they ask if I have any questions for them I may respond:

Just three.

A?

S?

L?

 

[Arthas]

Be engaging, show interest (this is tough for me, I'm real excited about the job but I'm generally really level headed and don't really show emotion in person, much less on the phone.)

This is the key right here man, the dude is not watching you, he can't see your facial expressions or your body movements, try to answer as much as you can on your own, if he asks you one of those questions to test your self confidence in performing the job, just bullshit your way through if need be man. Doesn't matter if you can't keep a straight face, the jackass isn't watching you. Also, you don't even have to pretend your very interested, just sound your voice that way. It helps to close your eyes and just listen so you just focus your concentration on the call. Pretty much, just use that shit to your advantage man. I can tell you from experience that shit works.

 

[GregN]

I'm guessing this is an interview for an out of state job?

 

[BoriquaSNK]

All of the above, plus:

- If the company is public, checkout their investor information. In particular understand how they make money. This is important no matter where you want to work in the organization.

 

[Sherlin]

From what little I know about you, I'd hire you just based on your good taste in beer.

 

[lithy]

Well so far so good, now I have to travel to meet in person.

 

[aria]

Well so far so good, now I have to travel to meet in person.

Awesome. Now the possible ways to screw things up have multiplied

But seriously, I'm sure you'll do fine. And if you think you completely bombed, make sure to take advantage of room service before you leave...

Where are you traveling to?

 

[brentsg]

Well so far so good, now I have to travel to meet in person.

I'll never forget traveling for an interview that I was excited about. I knew that it was down to myself and another guy, and they had us come in on the same day.

Well the airline lost the other guy's luggage, so he showed up in shitty looking jeans and a t-shirt.

Game over.

I ended up declining their job offer though.

Anyways, good luck. And if you have to fly always carry on.

 

[aria]

I'll never forget traveling for an interview that I was excited about. I knew that it was down to myself and another guy, and they had us come in on the same day.

Well the airline lost the other guy's luggage, so he showed up in shitty looking jeans and a t-shirt.

Game over.

I ended up declining their job offer though.

Anyways, good luck. And if you have to fly always carry on.

LOL, that's where he failed --he checked luggage. Who does that? Especially for what must've been, at most, a few days?

Either my regular suitcase or tri-fold suit carrier get my through any trip. The longest I've gone with a carry-on was 1 month, once you get the packing right you can last indefinitely.

 

[RabbitTroop]

I'll never forget traveling for an interview that I was excited about. I knew that it was down to myself and another guy, and they had us come in on the same day.

Well the airline lost the other guy's luggage, so he showed up in shitty looking jeans and a t-shirt.

Game over.

I ended up declining their job offer though.

Anyways, good luck. And if you have to fly always carry on.

What the hell... Did he fly in like 15 mins before the interview or something? Look, shitty circumstances and all, but there are stores everywhere. You can at least go down to a decent store and buy a dress shirt, pants, and a tie. Not like it won't be used some other time in your life anyway. I love the whole, "my luggage got lost and my vacation was ruined" stories... Were they flying into a place with no malls or shops? I have a friend that actually travels for work a lot and goes with hardly anything. He really enjoys taking a few hours and shopping in local areas to find things he can't get back home. This especially works well when he travels to Japan to see his wife's family. Seriously... though, that guy really did show a lot of his work ethic and character in that one meeting... If life gives you lemons type situation... If the guy couldn't handle that, how is he going to handle a changing deadline?

 

[aria]

What the hell... Did he fly in like 15 mins before the interview or something? Look, shitty circumstances and all, but there are stores everywhere. You can at least go down to a decent store and buy a dress shirt, pants, and a tie. Not like it won't be used some other time in your life anyway. I love the whole, "my luggage got lost and my vacation was ruined" stories... Were they flying into a place with no malls or shops? I have a friend that actually travels for work a lot and goes with hardly anything. He really enjoys taking a few hours and shopping in local areas to find things he can't get back home. This especially works well when he travels to Japan to see his wife's family. Seriously... though, that guy really did show a lot of his work ethic and character in that one meeting... If life gives you lemons type situation... If the guy couldn't handle that, how is he going to handle a changing deadline?

Exactly. I still have a pair of dress shoes I had to hurriedly buy from a Target once I landed and realized I'd only brought sneaker. If you're on that tight a schedule, wear your suit on the plane.

 

[neo_mao]

What the hell... Did he fly in like 15 mins before the interview or something?

true, I recently interviewed w/ a school and made sure I arrived the afternoon on the day before the interview. always good to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

Also, whenever possible, I try not to check in my luggage and just bring all my stuff in a carry-on...at least on short work related trips. helps to avoid those lost luggage situations altogether.

 

[brentsg]

It's been so long now I can't remember if the job was with Ford or Square D.

The Ford one was in Bedford, Indiana and the Square D one was in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. So yeah it might have been slim pickings either way but he could have come up with something.

Seriously though, the person conducting us from station to station for the interview introduced us at one point. He proceeds to tell me the sob story about his lost luggage. I can still remember trying to sound sincere in my response without busting out laughing or at least cracking a little smile.

At any rate I accepted a job with an aircraft company owned by Chrysler in Texas and had one of the worst years of my life so far. But that's another story.