To succeed in the the phone screening interview, prepare for it like you would to a face to face interview. Remember, if you do not get through this step you will not get to the next one.
- Do your research about the company, the role, and the person you will be talking with.
- Feel professional – do not do the phone interview in your pajamas. Dress the part even if you are at home between the gym, walking the dog and driving the kids to school.
- Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. If you are on your cell phone, make sure you have good reception. Calls where you or the interviewer are only partially heard do not create a good flow for the interview.
- Answer the phone professionally- “Hi, this is Miki Feldman Simon.” By saying your name, you are verifying for them that they are speaking with the right person and helping them with pronunciation of your name.
- Seat up straight and smile. That is what you would do if you were meeting face to face. Yes, it will come through in your voice.
- Have the job description and your resume in front of you. Be prepared to provide details about times and dates you worked at different places and why you chose to leave them.
- Be polite and do not interrupt the interviewer.
- Generally, if the phone screen is with the hiring manager they may ask more questions about your specific subject matter knowledge and experience. Recruiters and HR managers may ask more general questions, verifying your employment history, trying to get a sense of your personality and fit with the organization. They may also have a list of questions to ask you, related to the requirements of the role, enquiring about specific experience they are looking for, travel expectations etc.
- Prepare to answer behavioral interview questions. Answer questions succinctly, do not go off in tangents and tell long stories.
- Tell the interviewer why you would like to work at their specific company and why you are a good fit for the role.
- Remember that not every question is a “good” or “interesting question”.
- Be prepared to talk about your compensation expectations. Ideally you want to hear what they have in mind, but more often than not they will push you to provide a number to be able to move you to the next step. It is Ok at this point to provide a range, you are still finding out about what this specific role entails, and what other benefits are provided (paid-time-off, health care, travel, etc).
- Prepare questions to ask. This is an opportunity to see if the job is a good fit for you, ask about the things that matter to you (company culture, who you will report to, travel requirements, what is it that the interviewer likes about the company etc). Show that you have done your research, ask about something you read on their website, in the news etc. The quality of questions you ask says a lot about you.
- Always close the interview by asking these 2 questions:
a) do they have any hesitations on why you would not be a good fit for the role – this is your opportunity to address any of their concerns.
b) what are the next steps in the interviewing process.
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