Interview Tips

The telephone interview is your first impression to the hiring company in your job search.  To continue the hiring process, it is best that you present the best possible “you” that you can present during this initial contact. You are now asking, “How do I do that?”  You start by being prepared and having energy during the interview.  Let’s review how to handle the telephone interview.

Preparation for the job search telephone interview:

• You want your surroundings to be pleasant and disruptive free. Your concentration is required for this important date. Remove any animals from the room or area. Barking dogs or cats crawling around will detract from concentration. Should there be children in the area, planning for their supervision or making certain that they don’t interrupt you during this phone call is very necessary.

•  Find an area where you can stand (not walk) during the phone interview. When you stand and talk, you get more power from your voice. A powerful voice, “not loud”, gives a better impression to the interviewer. How you sound and what you say will impact and influence the listener.

• Your enthusiasm will have a positive impact on  listeners.  Your lack of enthusiasm will definitely kill (end) the interviewing process. A smile (not laughing) when talking, adds to the  positive impression. The key is to create a positive impression so that the interviewer wants to  meet you

•   Keep answers to questions very short and direct. Please do not continue with a lot of dialog after answering the question. Doing differently will irritate the interviewer and cause the process to not proceed to the next step. Your job search will then continue.

When the conversation appears to be ending, say to the interviewer, “ I appreciate the interview and like the position… how do I take the next step?” Wait for an answer, do not speak until spoken to. A sales trainer once said that the next person to speak buys. You want the interviewer to buy.

Following these suggestions will help your job search and assist your interview better  than you think. We have had good experience when candidates followed our suggestions.