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Posted: 27 Jun 2013 01:29 AM PDT
The following is an excerpt from the book Cut the Crap, Get a Job! a New Job Search Process for a New Era
 . I will be running a series of excerpts from this book over the next few weeks.I like this chapter because there's relatively little advice out there about phone interviews. I thought this could serve as a reference for all those wondering how to make the most of the phone-related portions of a job search. Phone calls are increasingly used by hiring companies as vehicles to recruit, screen, and interview. As the cost of travel increases, the pressure for companies to be more efficient and effective during their hiring process also increases. What does that mean for you? You need to be prepared to be as amazing on the phone as you are in a face-to-face meeting. Phone etiquette: Once you are an employee of a company and attending conference calls or web conferences, you will periodically hear babies crying and dogs barking in the background of somebody's home phone. Or a remote attendee forgets to mute and they scream at their children while the entire call is laughing. That's okay once you are hired. We all make phone mistakes. However, that's not you right now. You are selling yourself as the BEST product for the hiring company to buy, regardless if the individual on the other end is a recruiter, HR person, assistant, or the hiring manager. Solution First, put yourself in the shoes of the caller. They are extremely busy, probably calling multiple candidates in the span of a couple of hours, days, or weeks, and they are responsible for concluding that call with an assessment about you. They probably have some specific questions in front of them, are taking notes, and are only thinking about one thing: Is this the best candidate for the position we are discussing? Second, pretend you are in front of them and this needs to be your best moment. There are a number of key characteristics in common between phone interviews and face-to-face interviews:
Advantages of Phone Meetings: 1. You get to cheat! YES, you can and should have multiple sheets of paper in front of you (don't try to navigate on a PC while talking). Minimally, have:
2. As a result of "cheating," you should be able to have great answers and express your interest in the position. Disadvantages of Phone Meetings: 1. You will have a tendency to ramble. No, you will ramble. You are nervous, you want to sell them on so many points, and you have no clues on how you are doing. See the first TRICK below. 2. It's harder to understand the question. There are a variety of reasons this can occur: English as a second language for one or both of you, the interviewer talks quickly, OR the question was just unclear. See the second TRICK below. 3. You can't read their non-verbal body language. You don't know if they are smiling or rolling their eyes. They can't see your hand motions or eye contact. See the third TRICK below. 4. Time will run out and you may not have said all you wanted to share. See the fourth TRICK below. Tricks 1 "The Law of 3s:" Say no more than 3 things and stop talking. Repeat: Say no more than 3 things and SHUT UP. This will not only prevent you from rambling, but it gives time for the interviewer to write and think. Learn how to pause. Take a breath. If the interviewer wants more, he or she will ask. If you are concerned it was too brief (if you just said 3 words), then you can ask, "Would you like me to elaborate on any of the points?" 2 Ask for Clarification: If you did not understand the question, then ask them to repeat it. This is not a sign of weakness and it's important that you answer the right question. Just try not to do this on every question. Two ways to ask: "Can you repeat the question please?" or "Can you expand on the question so I am clear on what you are looking for?" 3 Stand Up and Smile! : Even if you can't see them and they can't see you (unless it is a web conference), stand up when on the phone. Your voice will project better and you will sound more confident. If you have a headset, use your hands, too. Nobody is seeing you, but if it helps you to be in a presentation mode, then do it. I do! Did you know that smiles come through the phone? Yes, when you make a statement like, "Ms. Miller, I believe I am the best candidate for your position because I'm _____, ____ and ____," there is a different tonal inflection if you have a smile versus without. They will hear a more up-beat, positive candidate if you are smiling. 4 Have the Last Word: Time will run out. Toward the end, most interviewers may ask if you have any questions. Naturally, you will have some excellent questions pre-prepared based on your research. However, that should not be the end. If the interviewer then says, "Well, Mr. Jones, thank you very much for your time and we will be in touch," then you want to interject. "Ms. Miller, thank you very much for your time. I would like to reinforce that I am passionate about this position and believe I have the skills to be successful in this role. Do you believe I will go to the next step in the hiring process?" 1. You have shared your high interest in this role. Remember, hiring managers want to hire candidates who really want their position. 2. You have "gone for the close," a sales term that means you asked for their business. In this case, you asked if you could continue this hiring process.5 Block Prep and Travel Time: Block 30 minutes before the phone interview and 30 minutes after the phone interview in your calendar. A common excuse I hear for being 5 minutes late for a phone interview is, "Sorry, I was on another call." Well, then you should not have accepted one of the times since they were back to back. 6 Script Your Outbound Calls: The nice part about the phone is that they can't see you reading from your "script." So write your script. Regardless of whether the person picks up the phone or if you get their voicemail, you will be clear, concise, and action-oriented. Now, write out the email that will follow this phone call so that the minute you hang up from the phone, you can push "send" or make minor changes based on the results of the phone conversation. 7 Leave Great Voicemails: It will be rare that you get the person on the phone, so look at voicemail as a great opportunity. Some rules:
If an Administrative Assistant answers, ask them to put you into their boss's voicemail instead of having them take a message. 8 Have Professional Phone Behavior: Change your voicemail message to say "Hello, this is James Smith and I'm sorry I missed your call. Please leave a message and phone number and I will respond as soon as possible." Check your voicemails often and play them in their entirety prior to calling the person back. When answering your phone "live," unless you are sure you know the call is not a job search-related call, always answer, "Hello, this is James." They will appreciate your professionalism. 9 Be Ready for Video: Have interview-appropriate attire on above the waist. See Chapter 17 on interview attire. Even though the phone call arranger says "phone meeting," more and more of them are becoming video phone calls. If they use Skype, that is an indicator that it will be video. However, even if you are sent a link to a conference call, that, too, may end up on video. Better to be over-prepared and ready to be seen. Mistakes Mistake #1: Being late. Yes, it happens all the time, even for a phone interview. "Sorry, there was traffic, my last call went long," or some other excuse. Mistake #2: Missing the call entirely because of time-zone confusion. It is your job to clarify the time zone in advance. Figure that out. Mistake #3: Your phone goes dead, headset dies, PC battery dies on a web conference, etc. Mistake #4: Dogs barking, babies crying, airport announcements, TV on in the background, etc.     |
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