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Phone interviews are frequently used by companies to save time by pre-qualifying your interest and expertise. The following are some recommendations to ensure your next phone interview is successful for you.
Isolate Yourself
Phone interviews place you at a disadvantage because you only have one tool of communication, your voice. The interviewer's impression of you is shaped by all the sounds coming through the phone. Insulate yourself from distractions and background noises. Do not have your phone interview when you are surrounded by a lot of noise like an outdoor café at a busy intersection. If the call is on your cell phone make sure the caller can hear you clearly.
When the phone interviewer first contacts you, make sure it is comfortable for you to talk on the phone for at least 20 minutes. If it's not convenient, recommend scheduling another time for the call.
Schedule the Phone Interview
If you can not speak comfortably when the first call arrives, ask the interviewer if you could schedule a specific time for the phone interview. Be sure to define who will call who. It is recommended that you offer to call the company. This ensures you are fully prepared and in a situation where you can speak without interruptions. Schedule the phone interview just like you would any face-to-face interview.
Stand Up
During the call stand up, walk around and smile. All these things make a big difference in the projection and quality of your voice.
What's Next
At the conclusion, ask the interviewer about next steps and timing of their hiring process.
Get Face-to-Face
If you are interested, ask for a face-to-face interview. Remember that your objective (during the phone interview) is to secure a face-to-face interview. You will be most effective discussing your background and assessing the company in a face-to-face meeting.
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In the list of questions (the company may ask you)did you really mean:
ReplyDelete'What is our current salary?'
or should this be:
'What is your current salary?'
During a phone interview I was asked to complete a query of questions that would be sent to my email. The primary question was a salary history.
ReplyDeleteMy past salary histories are minute in comparison to the position I was seeking; this would have been the first position using an advanced degree.
In a brief paragraph I tried to tactfully state that, (up until that submitting, I was the top candidate), yet after, I was told another candidate was chosen, despite me having more experience in the field (as a support staff person versus the boss).
How do I get by this hurdle?
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI've been in this situation before and followed this strategy -- and it worked well. The employer stayed within their defined salary range for the job and I got a nice pay increase accepting within the bottom of their range! Here's what I did and my philosophy on the issue. It works!
Never (at least almost never -- although I prefer never) give out your salary history, especially in a cover letter or phone interview that's the first discussion you've had with the company. If the employer insists on getting that info, you don't want to work for them anyway.
"He who speaks salary/benefits first loses." or so I was taught and have believed and experienced.
It's like dating -- you've got to go through the courtship and make sure you're a good fit for each other (company and candidate). If so, then you can talk about money and benefits (similar to courting a beau and talking about your personal financial position or whether or not to have children).
So what if they ask the question --postpone the conversation with a comment like, "I'm confident we'll be able to come to agreement on an appropriate salary once we know we're a good fit for one another." Or, ask what the salary range is and then assure the employer that you're comfortable working within it (if you are).
Good luck!
Nancy Bunker Koester, ABC
Bunker Koester & Associates
Communications & Research
When asked the salary history question and I have to submit a resume to a blind ad, I always state: With regards to your request for salary history, my salary has varied greatly over the years and has been dependent upon the benefit package provided by the employer. I am open to salary negotiations which we can discuss at a future date.
ReplyDeleteWe ask the salary question. Our organization includes the salary range with the job posting. The salaries are set and do not allow much flexibility on our part. We attempt to get the previous salary as a gauge. It serves no purpose to have a job offer fall through because we can't afford the candidate. Since the range is posted, the preferable response to the question when asked is; 'My salary requirement is within the range posted.'
ReplyDeleteNancy has it right-tactfully decline to provide the salary history in such a situation. If, a salary range is posted with the position posting, just say you are looking for a salary within the range (assuming of course that you are). I find the salary question up front to be a rather poor method of weeding out candidates-organizations risk losing exceptional candidates by dismissing someone based on their past salary history. If someone is changing careers or it is a step up for them, then the past history is not relevant-what they are willing to accept NOW for THIS position is relevant.
ReplyDeleteA Good friendly guidance for job seekers.
ReplyDeleteA lot of company's online applications have the applicants to fill out the salaries for each position previous held. Applicants could not go any further without fill out any numbers. How do you go by that??
ReplyDeleteSalary...
ReplyDeleteIf you don't answer the question you will most likely be nixed from the process due to being evasive, under or over qualified and or looked at as someone who is not a team player. I prep my candidates to be prepared with the facts and answer might very well fall under the category of, "if you can't fix it, feature it!" Remember 75% of all people are hired because of chemistry and adversely 80% of all deal are lost when money is discussed... My recommendations are this (this is the 50,000 foot answer):
1 - Mr. HA... over the last three years I have made X, Y & Z...
2 - However, my criteria for accepting my next opportunity is to be sure I work with the right people, I am challenged and there is growth.
3 - END you answer with a QUESTION and spin the interview back in your favor... Can you tell me how your compensation structured? (not how much do you pay).
BTW... If you would have asked the three basic questions at the beginning of the interview ("get the information up front to be successful on the back end") you will avoid an uncomfortable moment not if but when this question is asked.
Cheers Ron
I cannot say I saw a list of eight phone interview questions, which was what this article was about. In the email from LinkedIn there were a few questions listed, and they were indicative of an interviewer who did not know how to interview a candidate. Asking someone to tell them about themselves is reflective of a lazy hiring manager.
ReplyDeleteQuite good post. Simple and effective.
ReplyDeleteI recently blew a phone interview by not responding correctly to "what do you know about our company" and "tell me about yourself". I had done tons of research on the company, but did not want to look like a show off and a manager once told me to let the interviewer do most of the talking, so I said "I've done a lot of research on X and your products, but why don't you tell me what you want me to know." What would have been a more effective way to respond to that question?
ReplyDeleteAlso, re the "tell me about yourself" question, I later found out that it's more about how your historic experience has prepared you for this position, not a chronologic summary of your work (which is how I answered the question - I just froze).
Hi
ReplyDeleteI read this post two times.
I like it so much, please try to keep posting.
Let me introduce other material that may be good for our community.
Source: Phone interview questions
Best regards
Henry
Thank you all for your comments I recently had 2 phone interviews in a space of 4 months having never had one prior and I realise now how I blew it being prepared or in my case not being prepared enough, eg:thinking about the salary/tell me about yourself questions and answering in such professional manner.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous post 02/12/11.We have learn by our mistakes. As long as we make sure the next time we have prepared for our phone interviews.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your efforts of sharing the useful information with us, I found it very enlightening. Looking forward to find out more and acquire further knowledge from here, thanks again and have a nice day !!
ReplyDeleteI’ll review all things and implement it. Thanks for information.
ReplyDeleteVery good article. I made the mistake of trying to do a phone interview while driving. I thought it was a good idea at the time because I was driving home from another interview in another town and I'm usually pretty good at multi-tasking. I learned my lesson. By the end of the interview I knew I screwed up. I couldn't give it my full concentration. If you have to interview on the phone in a car, pull over and stop until you're done.
ReplyDeleteI have recently conducted a series of phone interviews for my company. So far after a dozen, NOT ONE has known a single thing about our company. They all mutter something about sending out lots of resumes to different places, as if that means they should not be expected to remember one company from another. Not very impressive I must say!! Applicants, do your homework. If you have applied to a lot of jobs, make some notes on the companies and carry them with you in case you get a call. Or if you don't have them available, arrange another time for the interview so you can prepare yourself. Don't get caught looking like someone who just spams out resumes to anyone and everyone without caring where the job is.
ReplyDeleteI have had 3 phone interviews and all asked how much I am making, and another one was if I'll be willing to relocate later on.
ReplyDeleteI recently had a phone interview where I was (for once) over prepared! I was ready for the 'Tell me about yourself', 'what are your strengths/weaknesses?' and any question about salary history as they requested salary history upfront on the original job posting. None of the questions I thought were going to be asked were asked. Instead, this interviewer went over my resume and my exact experience. I realized right away that I should connect my experience to this position and how I 'fit'. I answered all her questions that were targeting my specific duties and responsibilities of my current job and past jobs. In between, I let her know I researched her company and the President of that company. I let her know that I read an interesting interview he recently did. She was very responsive and wanted to know where I read that, which I told her. It pays to customize your research on this level. She also knew I researched her as I mentioned her background. I hope I get this position as it will be a new career for me!
ReplyDeleteI recently had a phone interview where the Recruiter never asked one of these typical questions. I was over prepared (for once) to answer 'Tell me about yourself', 'what are your strengths/weaknesses?', what is your salary?' 'can you give an example of a difficult task or situation?'
ReplyDeleteInstead, she focused on my resume. I knew immediately it was right in front of her and I was glad I printed one out for me. I had a quiet area and was able to answer her direct questions relating specifically to my duties and responsibilities in my current job and my past jobs. I made sure I consistently pointed out my work ethic, attributes and traits and asked her if this is the kind of employee that this position would fit. She said yes.
In addition, I made sure she knew I researched HER and the President of the company. I mentioned an interview he recently did for a press release and she was very responsive. She even asked where did I read it so she could read it!
At the end of the 50 minute phone interview, I asked her if there was anything that she could think of that would prevent me from being hired for this position. She mentioned that she wanted to have a face-to-face interview so we can meet and I would have to take a test. She said she thought I would be a great fit for their company. So I asked her for a timeframe for scheduling face to face interviews. At the very end, she encouraged me to email her if I had any other questions about the position, which I appreciated coming from a recruiter!
Although I patted myself on the back after I sent her a thank you email, I still think she may just be saying all of that. You never know what to believe even after you give it your all!