One of the emails I received and I felt like sharing. If anyone has objection regarding it being posted on the web, please leave a comment and I will happily remove from the web.
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Since a telephone interview is often your initial contact with a potential employer, it is worthwhile to discuss some tips on improving this first impression. After all, it may be your only opportunity to “sell yourself” and to have a trial run for the face-to-face interview.
When an employer interviews you, he or she is looking at you for two things. One, your technical skills. Can you do the job you are being interviewed for? Two, your personality. Do you have the personality to fit into their culture? Be enthusiastic and positive, communicative and curious. Most businesses today need people who can interact with not only the internal staff, but the customer, as well. Therefore, they will often hire individuals who have a real people-oriented personality.
Typically, we will prepare you for the phone interview by letting you know who will be calling you, their title, the time and date, etc. Based on this information, you should try to develop several questions ahead of time that will be helpful in gathering additional information for yourself about the position. Some examples of questions are as follows:
Ø What are the most important responsibilities of the job?
Ø Please tell me about the product’s history and future vision for the company.
Ø To whom I will report and what is his/her background?
Ø Will I mainly inherit projects or initiate them?
Ø Is this a team environment or an individual contributor role?
Ø What is the most important thing I can do to help your firm during the first 90 days of my employment?
Ø Will I have subordinates? If so, what are their strengths/weaknesses?
Ø What aspects of my background make me right or wrong for this position?
The objective of a telephone interview is to gain an invitation for a face-to-face interview and to gather more information to be used in future steps.
If you are to be a “problem solver,” one thing you need to do during the telephone interview is to determine “What problem is this employer trying to solve by hiring you, and what do you bring to the table to help them solve the problem? How can you help with your skills?”
Other tips include:
Ø Do not discuss money, benefits, or vacation at this state.
Ø Have a pad, pen and copy of your resume near the phone.
Ø Go to a quiet phone or office to call the interviewer back at a more convenient time. Avoid background noises like TV’s, stereos and other conversations.
Ø Hold the receiver one-half inch from your mouth and speak directly into it.
Ø Smile and be enthusiastic – it comes through the phone!
Ø Don’t eat, smoke or chew gum during a phone conversation.
Ø Speak in a conversational manner and be sure to speak loudly enough to be heard – with some variance in inflection and tone. Record yourself responding to some normal phone interviewing questions asked by your spouse or someone else. Hear how you sound to others and practice improving that impression.
Ø Let the interviewer do most of the talking, but use questions to stimulate the conversation as needed. When he/she asks you a question, don’t just answer “yes” or “no” – expound on the question and use the opportunity to “sell” your skills and experience.
Ø When the interview appears to be ending, find an opportunity to ask for a face-to-face interview. Please let the interviewer know you ARE interested in the job.
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