Telephone Interview Screening and First Contact

Up to this point I’ve posted a few resume tips of do’s and don’ts. Often times the next step would be the first contact telephone call which is often a prescreening. If your first contact is via email, don’t worry this section will still be valid; emails can often be the process by which a telephone interview is scheduled.

The telephone prescreen is an interview, no matter who you’re talking to (i.e. HR, a hiring manager, or another person at that company). Therefore, it is critical you provide a good first impression. Personally I prefer to use a landline telephone and not a cellular telephone, just so there is no delay or dropped calls. But if you are using a mobile phone, when they call you, ask them for their number just incase anything happens during the call. Be proactive and professional. Have something to write with and paper at the ready. This is not a sit on your couch and chat. If you approach it that way, your casual tone will come through and you won’t get hired.

As for telephone interview tips; again conduct yourself professionally, have it in a quiet place (no dogs barking or kids yelling). I personally like to have a copy of the job description in front of me, my resume, a calendar, and any notes I had written down when applying for the job. If the position has specific requirements, have some sort of reference material about that in front of you too. When asked about a particular topic, don’t open a text book and read a paragraph, rather use these materials as reference points to help you gather your thoughts. Another important aspect to the phone interview is, do not just let them ask you questions, provide good feedback but don’t tell them your life story. Again, keep it professional and expand on topics as they relate to the job.

After your discussion you will often be asked if you have any questions. Yes, should be the only answer you give; you must ask questions. Have at least two, but no more then four or five. Your questions should be simple but relevant to the job. The important note here is to have these questions written down before you start your conversation. If they come up during the discussion before you ask it directly, then just rephrase it, note you already talked about it, and move on to your next question.

Some questions you could ask are: 1) is there a potential of travel with the position, if so what is typically for people in this position? 2) Who typically provides the uniforms, tools, etc for the position (assuming the job requires these items)… In short, what you’re trying to establish here is a dialog between you and the interviewer.

The big ending, I personally love this part. On the telephone and in person I use two closing questions that often stump the interviewer, oddly enough they are the most important and often overlooked. If I’m very interested in the position I often state “ok (name of person), I feel that I have a good understanding of the position requirements and what you are looking for; based on our discussion do you have any concerns with my experience that I would not be able to perform in this position?” I love this type of question because it now places the interviewer in a position to tell you yes you are qualified or no you are not. More importantly, if they have a concern or feel you lack experience in a particular area, this gives you the opportunity to expand on and area of experience you may have not already discussed. In essence, you addressed their concerns and that often goes a long way to moving your name to the top of their list.

The final question I ask is “ok (name here) I am interested, what is the next step?” You want to conclude the interview with a clear understand of the timeline, not we’ll call you. Get a date, a name, a telephone number, etc. If you get the response, “we have a lot of people we are interviewing we’ll call you”.

Great, but ask what their timeline is. If they anticipate calling people back in a week, etc; then ask if you haven’t heard back from them if it would be ok for you to touch base with them in a week just to check. In these times, people are busy so don’t bug them too much. You want to create a relationship, so be professional but also casual and friendly.

The end goal is before you hang up, you want to know what the next step is, and a date / time you can potentially obtain more information. Don’t wait for the employer to get around to you. If they’re unsure about what to tell you the next step is, offer one to them. Say “(name here), I understand you’re probably swamped by all the interviews you are conducting; so if you can get back to me with how we proceed from here, that would be helpful. How about I touch base with you in a few days and we can talk about this then”. This goes a very long way with employers because it shows your resolution skills and a willingness to actively work with them. Until next time, good luck on your searches.

Provided by Brian for www.freeclassnotesonline.com