Any tips for a phone interview?

[PaulaW]

I have a phone interview today at 10. I took many notes about the company, have my resume and cover letter handy, and have written out some questions. Any tips? Thanks so much!

 

[Maisie]

I had a phone interview once for an insurance company. I made sure I had a pen and paper handy and I am glad I did. Halfway through the conversation they said this is the scenario ... and went on to do a roll play where I had to make quick notes and then repeat the information back to them. I would have been lost without the pen and paper!

 

[purrfectpear]

There are two universal questions that have always been asked in my experience.

1. Tell me about a success and what your contribution was.

2. Tell me about a difficult work situation and how you handled it.

I hate phone interviews....sigh.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Another universal question is to ask you about one of your weaknesses I believe. Good luck on the interview (dust dust dust), just be yourself!

 

[PaulaW]

Thanks girls! Both of those are great points. I have a notebook and pen ready to go and I think I have some good answers to your questions purrfect... I hate any kind of interview. I''m just not a good salesperson and need to get much better at selling myself... ugh! I''ll let you know how it goes.

 

[April20]

I just did a phone interview last week. Questions were very basic- why am I looking to leave current position? Tell them about my work experience at X company. What would my managers say my biggest strength, biggest weakness is?

Don''t do like I did and choke when they ask you what salary range you are looking for (if they do). They called me back and said, "oh we forgot to ask you the one question we ask everyone so we don''t waste their time". So I go slightly lower than I really was planning to, at which point they respond that it pays more than that. I was kicking myself for not giving the range that was originally in my head and hope it doesn''t come back to bite!

 

[ams0124]

So I know that this might sound really cheesey...but I''m going to throw it out there anyway...

I suggest smiling when you answer the questions....even though they can''t see you they''ll be able to tell it in your voice. Since in a phone interview the person can''t read body language you''ll have to make it an extra effort to make sure you sound engaging in your voice...If that makes sense.

 

[strmrdr]

Cut out all distractions.
I have done phone interviews with potential employees and one hold on a second is a huge black check mark next to the name, 2 is a do not hire.
If they don''t respect my time during an interview then they will not do so as an employee.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

The HR rep didn't ask me any of the basic questions, like strength/weaknesses or difficult work situations. All she wanted to know is why I wanted to work for the company and how I would convince customers to purchase stuff and then I was given a scenerio and asked to explain how I would handle that situation. The interview was for a commission retail job and the company wanted to know was how I'd make them $. They could've cared less about anything else, like why I hadn't worked in eight years! lol The job sounded miserable. . .I always thought phone interviews were to weed out applicants, but for me, it was an easy to way to weed out an employer. I didn't want to work for them after that.

 

[PaulaW]

Thank you all for your insightful comments! I think it went pretty well, overall it was a pleasant conversation!
The interview was with the principle of the company and lasted about 20 minutes. He explained who they were, what they do, etc. all of which I knew and tried to politely inject comments to show I did my homework. By the middle of his description, he was using terms like "as you probably know", or "like you saw on our site..." etc. We then discussed what I do and my qualifications, all of which seemed to coincide with what he needs. The only place that I feel I "screwed up" was that he asked me about my hobbies, so I talked about my amateur photography (which somewhat ties into the position), that I''m an avid scuba diver, and that we have a new puppy that''s keeping me busy. Ugh.
I ended with something along the lines of, "what can I do for you next? Shall I send you some samples of my work?" He responded positively and told me the format he''d like, etc. I then said, "may I follow up with you next week?" again, received positively.
I''m pretty sure I was smiling while I was talking (great tip!).
Does that sound okay?!

 

[purrfectpear]

Just a pointer on the salary discussion issue, "s/he who mentions a figure first, loses".

When asked what salary you were expecting deflect the issue by saying "I''m sure that a company of your reputation and stature will have no problem with an offer that recognizes my skills and the strengths I bring to the table" or some other such double talk. As they try again to pin you down, give ''em more spin. Do everything you can NOT to be the first one to offer a specific number. Ask them what THEY had in mind. If you cannot avoid a number at all, then provide a broad range of what you hope to make and a top number inclusive.

I have never been backed into giving the first number, and I''ve never accepted a first offer. Negotiate!