INTERVIEWERS USE THE telephone to weed out applicants. Your goal is a face-to-face meeting, and these are the methods you must use to get it.
Some aspects of a job search are not clear-cut. For instance, a telephone interview for a job might be scheduled for a certain date and time, so you have plenty of time to prepare for it. Then again, a networking call can turn into a marketing presentation in a flash when you realize that the person on the other end of the phone is in a position to hire you. Likewise, when that marketing presentation progresses past the initial “buy signs” and objections, it can suddenly become a telephone interview. These things happen, but as you understand the steps to take in order to move each of these situations forward, you must be sensitive to the possibility that while telephone interviews can be scheduled in advance, they are just as likely to occur on the fly.
Employers use the telephone as a time-management tool. It is easier to cut to the chase and weed out candidates quickly on the telephone than in person. Your goal is a face-to-face meeting, so all you must do is convince the employer she will not be wasting time if she meets with you in person. Here are the techniques you should use to turn the phone conversation into a face-to-face meeting.
Your first substantive contact with a potential employer will usually be by telephone; for entry-level professionals this first meeting will quite often take place at job fairs. For right now, let’s concentrate on the telephone interview.
The phone interview happens in one of three ways:
Odds are that you will experience plenty of telephone interviews during your job search. Whichever activities generate a telephone interview, you must think and act clearly to turn the opportunity into the real thing—a face-to-face meeting. The way you perform will determine whether you move ahead or bite the dust.
A few words about telephone services: Call waiting might be nice to have for social use, but responding to its demands during a job search will only annoy the person you have on the line at the time. If you have call waiting, disconnect it or ignore it. More and more telephone companies are also offering additional lines with distinctive rings for your basic service and at no extra charge. With this facility you can have a permanent job search/career management line and keep a constant eye on the job market without compromising day-to-day home life.
Perhaps the most important consideration about telephone interviews is that the employer has only her ears with which to judge you. If the call comes unexpectedly, and screaming kids or barking dogs surround you, stay calm and sound positive, friendly, and collected: “Thank you for calling, Mr. Wooster. Would you wait a moment while I close the door?” You can then take a minute to calm yourself, bring up the company website on your screen, and get your paperwork organized without causing offense. If you need to move to another phone, say so. Otherwise, put the caller on hold, take a few controlled, deep breaths to slow down your pounding heart, put a smile on your face (it improves the timbre of your voice), and pick up the phone again. Now you are in control of yourself and the situation.
If you are heading out the door for an interview, or if some other emergency makes this a bad time for an unexpected incoming call, say so straight away and reschedule: “I’m heading out the door for an appointment, Ms. Bassett. Can we schedule a time when I can call you back?” Beware of over-familiarity: You should always refer to the interviewer by his surname until invited to do otherwise.
Allow the company representative to guide the conversation and to ask most of the questions, but keep up your end. This is especially important when the interviewer does not give you the openings you need to sell yourself. Always have a few intelligent questions prepared to save the situation. The following questions will give you an excellent idea of why the position is open and exactly the kind of skilled professional the company will eventually hire:
When you get a clear understanding of an employer’s needs with questions like these, you can seize the opportunity to sell yourself appropriately: “Would it be of value if I described my experience in the area of office management?”; or “Then my experience in word processing should be a great help to you”; or “I recently completed an accounting project just like that. Would it be relevant to discuss it?”
When you identify an employer’s imminent challenges and demonstrate how your skills can lessen the load, you portray yourself as a properly focused employee with a problem-solving mentality, and immediately move closer to a face-to-face interview. Everyone hires a problem solver.
You can also keep up your end of the conversation by giving verbal signals that you are engaged in it; you do this with occasional short interjections that don’t interrupt the employer’s flow but let her know you are paying attention. Comments like “uh-huh,” “that’s interesting,” “okay,” “great,” and “yes, yes” are verbal equivalents of the body language techniques you’ll use to show interest during a face-to-face meeting.
Always speak directly into the telephone, with the mouthpiece about one inch from your mouth. Numbered among the mystical properties of telephone technology is its excellence at picking up and amplifying background noise. This is excelled only by its power to transmit the sounds of food and gum being chewed, or smoke being inhaled and exhaled. Smokers take note: Nonsmokers instinctively discriminate, and they will assume that even if you don’t actually light up at the interview, you’ll have been chain-smoking beforehand and will carry the smell with you as long as you are around. They probably won’t even give you a chance to get through the door once they hear you puffing away over the phone.
You should take notes when possible; they will be invaluable if the employer is interrupted. You can jot down the topic under discussion, then when he gets back on the line, helpfully recap: “We were just discussing ….” This will be appreciated and show that you are organized and pay attention. Your notes will also help you prepare for the face-to-face meeting.
The company representative may talk about the corporation, and from your research or the website on your screen you may also know something about the outfit. A little flattery goes a long way: Admire a company’s achievements when you can, and by inference you admire the interviewer. Likewise, if any areas of common interest arise, comment on them, and agree with the interviewer when reasonably possible—people usually hire people like themselves.
On the 200 telephone interviews a year that I average (they are radio interviews, not job interviews, but I’m sure you can appreciate the similar level of nervous tension), I’ve found that standing for the interview calms the adrenaline a little, helps my breathing, and allows me to sound confident and relaxed. It might work for you, too, so give it a try.
Beware of giving yes-or-no answers, as they give no real information about your abilities and do nothing to forward your agenda. At the same time, don’t waffle; your answers need to be concise. Understanding someone over the telephone can sometimes be a challenge, so if you didn’t hear or didn’t understand a question, ask the speaker to repeat it. If you need time to think about your answer—and that is quite acceptable—say so: “Let me think about that for a moment.”
Whenever possible, you should give real-world examples to illustrate your points: “That’s interesting. I was involved in an audit like that a couple months back and it presented some interesting challenges.”
There are some 200 questions you are likely to be asked during an interview, which we’ll cover in detail in the coming pages. Meanwhile, there are a handful of questions often asked during telephone interviews in addition to the ones that will come right after you make a marketing presentation. Let’s look at them in light of your probable lack of information about the company and the job.
Under no circumstances, though, should you ask about salary or benefits and vacation time; that comes much later. Your single objective at this point is to meet face-to-face; money is not an issue. If the interviewer brings up a direct question about how much you are earning, you can’t get around it, so be honest. On the other hand, if you are asked how much you want, answer truthfully that at this point you don’t know enough about the company or the job to answer that question. There is a whole chapter in this book on negotiation (Chapter 22) that covers the money issue in some detail.
The telephone interview has come to an end when you are asked whether you have any questions—perhaps, “What would you like to know about us?” This is a wind-down question, so it is a good opening to get some specific questions of your own answered that can advance your candidacy:
By discovering answers to these questions now, you will have time before the face-to-face meeting to package your skills according to the needs at hand and to create an appropriate executive briefing for distribution with your resume to the different interviewers you meet.
If you have not already asked or been invited to meet the interviewer, now is the time to take the initiative.
“It sounds like a very interesting opportunity, Ms. Bassett, and a situation where I could definitely make a contribution. The most pressing question I have now is when can we get together?”
When an invitation for an interview is extended, there are practical matters that you need to clarify with a handful of simple questions that address the when (date and time) and where (don’t assume the interview will take place at a facility that you associate with the company). You will also want to inquire about the interview procedure:
Follow with a casual inquiry as to what direction the meeting will take. You might ask, “Would you tell me some of the critical areas we will discuss on Thursday?” The knowledge gained will help you to package and present yourself, and it will allow you time to bone up on any weak or rusty areas. This is also a good time to establish how long the meeting is expected to last, which will give you some idea of how to pace yourself.
Once the details are confirmed, finish with this request: “If I need any additional information before the interview, may I feel free to get back to you?” The company representative will naturally agree. No matter how many questions you get answered in the initial conversation, there will always be something you forgot. This allows you to call again to satisfy any curiosity—it will also enable you to increase rapport. Don’t take too much advantage of it, though One well-placed phone call that contains two or three considered questions will be appreciated; four or five phone calls will not.
In closing your conversation, take care to ascertain the correct spelling and pronunciation of the interviewer’s name. This shows your concern for the small but important things in life—and it will be noticed, particularly when the interviewer receives your follow-up thank-you note. (See the latest edition of Knock ’em Dead Cover Letters for a comprehensive selection of samples.)
It is difficult to evaluate an opportunity properly over the phone, so even if the job doesn’t sound right, go to the interview; it will give you practice, and the job may look better when you have more facts. You might even discover a more suitable opening elsewhere within the company.