Phone Interviews Are Efficient For Candidates
Just like phone interviewers can be helpful for interviewers to screen candidates, they also hold a benefit for candidates. As a candidate, you will be happy to hear that you do not need to take a full day off of work in order to attend a job interview. Through a phone interview, the initial steps of the hiring process are more efficient for everybody.
Companies know that they can gain goodwill from candidates if they streamline their hiring process to be as efficient as possible. This way, candidates do not have to commit their time and energy and go to an in-person interview. This works the other way around as well. If a candidate makes it through the phone interview round, they know that the employer sees potential in them and is possibly interested in hiring them.
Employers choose to go with candidate-friendly hiring processes to make sure that the experience for the candidate is just as effective and efficient as it is for them.
How To Nail A Teacher Phone Interview
by Suzanne Capek Tingley, Veteran Educator, M.A. Degree
Opportunity may call rather than knock on your door.
A teacher phone interview can be challenging. Your success depends on your ability to present yourself as a competent, professional, warm, and enthusiastic candidatewithout being able to see your interviewers!
Further reading: Highlighting Your Past Teaching Experience in Interviews
Schools today often screen candidates by phone before following up with a face-to-face meeting. Schools facing teacher shortages may even use phone interviews as substitutes for in-person interviews.
You can prepare yourself for a successful phone interview by planning ahead and knowing what to expect. Here are some tips to help you nail your next phone interview.
Tell Me A Little About Yourself
Sometimes, the objective of a phone interview is to convince the interviewer that meeting you in person will be a good use of their time. In responding to this question, its important not to waffle. Keep your answer brief and highlight aspects of your career that are relevant to the specific role at hand and demonstrate the skills that the interviewer is looking for.
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Prepare Your Own Cheat Sheet
Like all good interviews, its not just about answering questions, but asking the right ones as well.
The right questions not only help you get information you might need to make an informed decision regarding the job, but it also helps confirm your qualifications as the ideal candidate for the position.
Ask about the different aspects of the job and express genuine interest and excitement in the opportunity.
Take the time to make sure that this is the organization you want to work foritll save you a ton of heartache and headaches in the long run.
Dont be afraid to dig for more details about the position and the company.
Ask questions about the job that werent covered in the job postingask about specifics and get details.
You need to know exactly what youre getting into before you say yes to the job
Make sure you prepare your own list of questions before you start. Make sure your questions are thoughtful and have a purpose.
Need some examples to use or ideas to kick start your own list? Check out our Top 14 Questions to Ask In An Interview blog post.
Remember though to keep these questions short and sweet. Again, remember, Its not about you, its about them. How can you fulfill their needs?
Proper Phone Interview Etiquette
Review these guidelines for appropriate phone interview etiquette, so you make the best impression on your interviewer.
Answer the phone yourself. First, be sure to let family members and/or roommates know you are expecting a call. When you answer the phone, respond with your name. You can say, “This is Jane Doe” or “John Smith speaking!” That way, the interviewer will know they’ve reached the right person. Make sure to use an upbeat tone of voice .
Follow the interviewer’s lead. Some interviewers may wish to engage in a few minutes of small talk. Others may want to get right into the interview. Let the interviewer steer the start to the conversation, but be prepared to talk about the weather or make other small talk.
Listen carefully to the interviewer and don’t start speaking until the interviewer finishes the question. If you have something you want to say, jot it down on your notepad and mention it when it’s your turn to talk. It can also be helpful to jot down the question .
Don’t worry if you need a few seconds to think of a response, but don’t leave too much dead air. If you need the interviewer to repeat the question, ask.
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Phone Interview Questions About You
- What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- What is your greatest strength?
- Describe a typical work week.
- How would you describe the pace at which you work?
- How do you handle stress and pressure?
- What motivates you?
- Questions about your career goals.
- What type of work environment do you prefer?
Choose An Interview Space
Use a quiet, comfortable, and private space. If youre at home, kick out kids, spouses, significant others, parents, pets and anyone else who is in the house and close the door.
Have your resume in clear view taped to the wall or on your desk. Also, have a short list of your qualifications and skills specific to the job youre interviewing for close at hand. A cheat sheet will help you respond to related questions without fumbling for words.
Have a pad and pen ready to jot down notes. Turn call waiting off on your phone and be sure to use a landline, not a cell phone, whenever possible. You dont want to have to worry about dropped calls.
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Research And Plan Your Telephone Interview
Be prepared. It’s normal to be nervous before a telephone interview, but it will really help if you know you’ve done the groundwork. Make sure you find out as much as you can about the recruiter. Read the job description carefully and think about how you match the selection criteria.
Write down any questions you might like to ask and plan answers to those questions you think are likely to come up â especially questions such as âTell me about yourselfâ and âWhat interests you in the job?â.
Questions To Ask Your Interviewer
In addition to reviewing the typical phone interview questions that you’ll most likely be asked, it’s also important to have a list of questions ready to ask the phone interviewer. Its very possible that the interviewer will ask, at the end of the conversation, Is there anything I havent told you about the job or company that you would like to know?
Asking interested and informed questions during the phone interview can affirm your commitment to pursuing the opportunity.
Serious candidates want to know what its like to work at the organization, whether theyll fit into the corporate culture, and where their careers might take them at the company should they get the job.
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Tips For How To Handle Edd Interviewstips For Phone Or Personal Interviews
When applying for unemployment benefits, applicants are often required to take part in a telephone interview conducted by the Employment Development Department. Occasionally applicants are asked to report to EDD in person for a personal interview.
Here are some pointers about interviews.
Advantages Of A Phone Screen Interview
Less Anxiety: In any face-to-face interview, the quiet atmosphere of the office cabin may turn you into a bundle of nerves. However, in phone interviews, cracking the code and moving on to the next level is rather simpler.
Do note that the next step is almost always a face-to-face interview. But youâll have more confidence having cleared the first round with flying colors. With the flexibility of attending an interview on call, you have the comfort of avoiding anxiousness and answering questions with unsurpassed conviction.
Beyond geographical boundaries: Imagine youâre applying for a job outside the state, and you are called for an interview. What will you do? Travel thousands of miles to attend an interview?
You can if you want to, but most companies nowadays offer the option of attending a phone interview first. With this, you can take a step further to living your dream.
On the downside, 30 minutes isnât enough time to create a lasting impression. You need to up your skills and conversational abilities. Focus is what you need if you wish to truly get into the mind of your interviewer and deliver answers with ease.
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Questions In A Possible Follow
Phone interviews may not always be conversational as the interviewer may ask certain technical interview questions, like:
- What is your programming language?
- How do you administer error handling?
- Explain the software development cycle
- Talk a little about responsive design
If you wish to master such questions, you can opt for technical interview preparation courses. With that, acing phone interviews will be a piece of cake for you.
At the end of the day, victory is relative. Why? While romping to triumph might be a victory for some, the journey itself might be the success story for some.
âSuccess usually comes to those who are too busy looking for it.â
So, keep grinding, hustle and create an impression that prompts the hiring manager to call you back
Send A Thank You Email After Phone Interview
No, this isnt a good enough thank you note!
Remember, this stage is about making good first impressions and the fact that youre doing this all via phone makes the follow up even more critical.
Make sure you not only end your phone call on a positive note, but follow up in a timely manner with a thoughtful thank you email after your interview.
Let the interviewer know you appreciated them taking time to talk to you and that you enjoyed it and that you are invested in the process.
It will help you stand out and reinforce that youre truly interested in the position. Above all remember that the focus here is on how you add value to the company, not just what your past experiences are and what youre good at.
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When Are You Available To Start
If they ask this late in a face-to-face interview, its a sign your interview went well. However, if youre hearing it in a phone interview, theyre usually just trying to get a sense of your availability and current job hunt situation.
So If youre currently employed, tell them youd need to give a two week notice to your current employer .
Example:
Id need to give my current employer a two-week notice, and then I was hoping to take one week off before starting. So I could be available to start three weeks after a job offer is accepted.
If youre unemployed, you can still tell them youd like one or two weeks before starting, but its up to you. See the example script below for how you can do this:
I could begin one week after accepting a job offer. I do have a vacation scheduled in late May, so I would just need to take a week off during that time, but I could start before then.
Also, if youre applying for jobs in a different city or state, you might be asked how soon you can relocate, whether youll require relocation assistance and more. So be ready for that type of question too!
How To Ace A Phone Interview
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This is a guest post by Jorg Stegemann, a headhunter with Kennedy Executive Search & Outplacement in Paris. His past articles for Forbes include Job-Hunting Dilemma: Five Reasons Why You Didnt Make The Cut. He offers more advice on his company career blog and .
A good résumé may no longer be enough to get you in the door. Increasingly companies or their outside recruiters want you to go through a telephone interview first. In a typical search assignment with 100 or more candidates, I identify the 15 that interest me most and call them. Based on my impressions during telephone screening interviews, I meet with five or seven of these people. Only three of them make the shortlist that I present to my client.
Whether you make the first cut for a job may depend on what you do before, during and after a phone interview. Here are some ways to up your odds.
BEFORE THE PHONE INTERVIEW
There are two types of phone interviews — scheduled and unscheduled. Often the first contact for a scheduled one comes by email or , but theoretically your phone could ring at any time. So make sure you answer it yourself and have a professional voicemail message.
Unscheduled calls never work in your favor. If you’re caught by surprise, schedule another time to talk. Nobody will blame you for saying something to the effect of, “Great to hear from you. I am not at my desk and won’t be able to give this call the attention it deserves. When can I call you back?”
DURING THE PHONE INTERVIEW
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Be Prepared To Ask Thoughtful Questions
Speaking of questions, its important to ask a few questions of your own. Interviews are a two-way street!
Near the end of the phone call, the interviewer will usually ask if you have any questions for them. Be prepared with intelligent questions that cant easily be Googled.
For example, here are a few key questions you might want to ask:
- What does a typical day look like in this role?
- Are there opportunities for advancement or professional development?
- How will my performance be measured?
- Where do you see this company in the next few years?
- Can you tell me a little about the team Ill be working with?
These questions will give you valuable insight into the company. It also shows the hiring team that youre engaged and interested in working for them.
Tell Me About Yourself
The key here is to be concise. The best answers to this interview question will be 90 seconds or less.
You want to answer in chronological order start with how you got into your current line of work or career path. Then talk about key accomplishments youve had along the way, key career moves youve made and why. Also include any promotions youve received.
Try to mention at least one thing that will make you memorable and stand out .
And then finish your story with your current situation. Describe what youre looking for now in your job search, and why.
See below for a full sample response, or read our full article on how to answer tell me about yourself.
Example response:
I graduated five years ago with a degree in Chemistry. I took a job with Pfizer and was promoted after three years to lead projects in their cancer research division. Ive been in this Project Manager role for two years now and even won an award for outstanding leadership this past year. Everythings going great, but Id like to take my career to the next level by finding opportunities to lead larger teams. I saw on your job description that you mention this is an opportunity to lead teams of 8-10 people, so I was eager to learn more.
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The Purpose Of Phone Interviews
Its no secret that people under the age of 35 tend to dislike talking on the phone. So, why do some employers and colleges insist on conducting phone interviews?
It mostly comes down to convenience and necessity. Some employers may end up having far more qualified applicants than they can realistically interview. To narrow down their pool of applicants, theyll use phone interviews to identify the top finalists.
During a phone interview, most employers have the following objectives:
- To confirm the applicants interest in the position.
- To make sure that you have the required skills they need.
- To assess cultural fit.
- To get a better idea of your expectations, especially on salary and benefits.
In college admissions, phone interviews are typically conducted by college representatives and former students. These interviews are slightly lower stakes in that your phone interview likely wont make or break your chances of admission. Still, you should come into the interview with an idea of what college interview questions will be asked and how you want to answer them.
The main objectives of a college interview include:
- To get to know the applicant a little better, beyond their test scores and grades.
- To confirm the applicants interest in the college.
- To discuss the students educational and career goals.
- To answer questions about the college.
