Phone Interview Do’s and Don’ts
Posted by Andrea Peet in Recruitalicious, tags: candidates, phone interviews, qualified, screens
In today’s job market, more and more organizations are conducting phone interviews to screen candidates before they get to the face-to-face interview. This delivers better qualified candidates to hiring managers and cuts travel costs for bringing candidates on site. I have been doing phone interviews for the last three years and find it amazing what can happen during a phone interview. Here are some “do’s and don’ts” based on my experience.
DO
• …ask the recruiter to contact you back at a more convenient time that will work for you, if you are not prepared.
• …make sure that you are using a land line or cell phone that has a great connection.
• …find a quiet environment free from background noise to conduct the interview.
• …keep a copy of your resume in front of you with a pen and paper.
• …listen to the questions that are being asked and take a second before answering.
• …ask the recruiter to repeat the question if you don’t understand it. You want to communicate effectively and truthfully.
• …have notes jotted down on your great past achievements.
• …smile while you are talking. This will present a much more positive image of you to the person on the other end of the conversation.
DON’T
• …eat, drink or smoke during the call
• …babble. Answer the questions but don’t tell your life story.
• …put the person that you are speaking with on hold to answer the other line.
• …order fast food at a drive thru. This is one of the best that I have ever had. The person actually put me on hold to order their food. Very rude.
• …interrupt the person asking questions. Wait until they are finished speaking.
• …bad mouth your past employers. This is very inappropriate and makes me wonder what you will say about our company down the road.
• …ask about salary at this time. We are still deciding if you are even qualified for the position.
• …ask “How did I do?” at the end of the interview. The best question to ask is “What is the next step?”
Most phone interviews last about an hour, and a successful phone screen could lead to a face-to-face interview, so do your best to prepare yourself and move on to the next step!
Photo credit: bitzcelt
