A Few Tips On Phone Interviews

So, there I was. Interviewing some candidates on the phone for an imminant job. And it became obvious that nobody had trained these people at all on how to interview on the phone.

I mean, for some of these people, the words they were saying didn’t matter at all. Their demeanor and how they said what they said eliminated them immediately. They might have been perfect for the position, but the world will never know.

As a result of this tragic experience, I thought I’d present to you some tips of phone interviewing.

Please read them before ever talking to me on the phone!

Tip #1 – You Aren’t Talking To Your Friends – These days, it is rare to see particularly younger people doing anything alone without a phone implanted in their head. I know a woman who lives near me who does this all the time.

Well, “know” is a strong word, since nobody in the neighborhood reallys “knows” her. Why is that? Because 100% of the time that she is outside of her house, she is on her cellphone. She pulls her car up to the house, gets out while still talking on the phone, and talks all the way into her house. This lady lives on the phone.

In any case, people who spend a lot of time on the phone get into some bad habits that will kill you in an interview. The worst of these habits is saying every little thing that pops into your mind.

Now, I won’t be the one to tell you that your friends don’t care to hear every little thought that is formed in your irradiated brain. However, I will tell you that your recruiter / HR person / hiring manager not only doesn’t care, but it irritates him to no end to hear your drivel.

Just try to keep in mind that this person, who is at some level in control of the job you want, is trying to do a job. They want certain questions answered and not to sit on the phone and gab. So, please, just stick to the answers. Please?

#2 – Help Stop Interruptus Annoyus – I know that you’ve got a lot to say about how wonderfully qualified you are for this job. And I also know that certain relevant thoughts pop into your mind while the recruiter / HR person/ hiring manager is on the phone.

That, dear reader, is why God invented paper. Write down your stinking question / thought / profundity and stop interrupting the other person! In addition to being rude, interruptions tell me that you’re not really listening to what I’m saying.

What’s more is that there is an instinctual negative feeling that almost all of humanity has when they are interrupted. While most people can’t put their finger on it, the reason for that feeling is that, when you interrupt, you are saying, “What you are talking about is no longer important. Listen to me talk, for I am much more important than you.”

#3 – Try Opening Your Mouth When You Talk – A good part of the position that I was interviewing for recently was dealing with the public on the phone. More than one of my interviewees were either speaking another language or neglecting to actually open their mouths when they were talking.

Mumbling, slurring (particularly bad during an interview), and other word distortions are a way of telling your local recruiter that you’re either:

A) A Half-Human Troglydite who can’t really speak in complete sentences.
B) Drunk / On Drugs

OR

C) Kidnapped and still wearing the duct tape over your mouth.

Cases A & B are pretty much a showstopper for an interview. In Case C it is acceptable to hang up and call 911 as long as you call the recruiter back after you’ve been recovered to explain.

#4 – Preparation Will Do Wonders – As always, I hate to suggest you put some time and effort into your career – you know, the think you’re going to be doing for the next 30 or so years – but I must in this case.

If you’ll prepare some simple, 30-second or less answers to the typical questions (”Tell Me About Yourself”, “What is an Accomplishment That You’re Proud Of”, “Tell Me About A Time You Had Difficulty With Your Boss”, etc), you’ll be way ahead of the game.

In fact, if you’ll have a stopwatch handy, you can time yourself while you’re on the interview and try to keep your answers under 30 seconds. It seems like much longer when you’re on the phone.

Trust me – if the interviewer didn’t get the right information or the detail she wanted, she’ll ask a clarifying question. But, and this is the case quite often, if she didn’t care less about the trail you were going down, you’ve avoided boring her.

A wandering mind is a dangerous thing!

So, there you go. If you’ll abide by these phone interviewing techniques, you’ll do much better on all of your interviews.

Or, at least, if you’ll agree to abide by these rules when you’re on the phone with me, I’d sure appreciate it.

Enjoy the Search!

-Dan from Fracat.com