The most important thing to remember is that you are working towards
obtaining a personal, face-to-face meeting with a prospective employer. If you
can create the proper first impression on the telephone your chances of being
invited for a personal visit are greatly enhanced. Here are some tips you should
keep in mind:
- Be enthusiastic and assertive.
- Remember that you don't have the benefits of expression and eye contact to
show your excitement and interest. Be ready to provide specific examples of
projects and accomplishments which showcase your skills. Avoid: speaking too
fast, having music or other noises in the background, chewing or smoking,
speaking too close to the receiver - anything that can create an unpleasant
image of yourself.
- Look at the interview from the interviewer's perspective. Do not ask
questions that appear to be selfishly motivated. This is the most common
mistake people make on phone interviews - you should not even bring up the
subjects of money or benefits. Your only goal at this point should be selling
the company on your skills and experience - talking about money prematurely
can only have negative effects.
Prepare your answers to the obvious questions such as:
- Why are you leaving your present position? (Have a positive reason for
this move).
- What are your strong/weak points?
- What were your biggest accomplishments in your last position?
- What specific projects have you worked on?
- What contributions can you make to our company?
The best way of answering this last question is to do research on the company
you will be interviewing with: check out the company's web site, do your
homework, find out what they are doing and be prepared to point out how you can
help them achieve their goals. As a parting comment let the potential employer
know that you are very interested in the position and why. The enthusiasm you
display could be the deciding factor between you and another candidate.
Please call your Account Executive immediately after the phone interview to
discuss a follow-up strategy.