'Dear Career Doctor. I recently had a telephone interview for a job. I was expecting a call to be invited to a face to face interview, but the recruiter wanted me to answer questions then and there! Have you got any advice so that I'm not caught out again?'
I am being asked this question more and more over recent weeks. Telephone interviews are being used more frequently by organisations as a quick and cost effective way to decide whether or not you are right for their role. But are you prepared? Here are some tips to help you handle this tricky situation.
· If you get a call from a number you don't recognise or the caller ID is withheld, be aware it's likely to be about a job application.
· Make sure you are somewhere quiet and uninterrupted just in case. It may seem unfair when you might not know the call is coming, but a noisy environment won't create the right impression.
· Just because this is a 'phone interview does not mean that its informal. If you know the call is coming leave yourself 20 to 30 minutes free time - just like an appointment in person, you can't rearrange at the last minute without an extremely good reason or cut the interview short.
· Stand Up and smile! This is a common technique used by salespeople. It helps to project your voice, making you sound more confident and in control.
· Speak clearly and take your time. Understandably, many people get very nervous during a telephone interview and rush their answers. Temperamental phone lines often make it hard to hear candidates and speeding up your answers will only make matters worse. Take your time, and if you don't understand a question, ask for it to be repeated.
· Bullet point your Unique Selling Points and keep your CV to hand - nobody can see you referring to these and it can help prompt you if your mind goes blank.
I got a terrible telephone interview with Loop recently. Even if the conversation was cut off 8 times and I begged on calling landline repeatedly within a reasonable time of 15 minutes, the interviewer insisted on completing it on the mobile. I wonder if she wanted to clear off the candidates' list at that point.
I complained to the company for sorting out another interview by e-mail. They never responded as promised.
It's all right giving this advise, but, I was recently out in the town center doing some shopping when I had an impromptue call from an employer wanting to do a job interview there and then. After explaining that I was shopping in the town center and could not take the call at that time, the employer agreed to call me back at a more suitable time. This call was never made back so I hunted down the company number and rang them back 20 mins after the arranged time, only to find out that the job was no longer open to me because I did not take the time to stop and answer the questions when I was called.
Many more people will be familiar with a similar situation with recruitment organisations. The first from one call can feel just like a job interview, so I think the same advice should apply because it's a good opportunity to sell yourself in exactly the same way.
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It is awesome that google voice is finally going live and everyone is able to simply register for it even if they didn't have an invitation available. I am already playing around with its unique benefits and understanding what I can do with it. Thanks google!
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