I did well on the first interview; tomorrow is the second phone interview...

[KillerAngel]

I recently had my first (sit-down type) interview with a company for a telephone tech support position mostly relating to dial-up ISP problems. I did pretty well on the first interview and was invited for a second interview. This interview, however, takes place over the phone tomorrow afternoon.

From what I'm told, it will last about 20-30 mins and encompass two parts:

1. A game involving me asking 20 yes/no questions to try to guess the item found in a supermarket that he is thinking of. Supposedly this is to test my "troubleshooting" thought process.

2. In this part, the interviewer will pretend to be a distraught customer who is unable to connect to his dial-up ISP. I am to solve his predicament to further prove my worthiness.

If anyone has had an experience similar to this, any and all tips and pointers are most welcome. I fear that I might leave an obvious question out of the first trial (i.e. is it edible?) and I'm not really sure what aspect of me they're testing in the second part: my phone etiquette or technical prowess. So there is a nice margin for errors in either case. Thanks guys. 🙂

 

[vshah]

well, for the first part, if you know for sure the item is in a supermarket, you could create a few general categories, like edible/not edible, liquid/solid, boxed/canned etc to help narrow down what the item is.

no clue on the second part but honestly...how hard a problem are they going to throw at you. nothing they couldn't fix themselves. and thats not saying much...so you probably don't have to worry.

-Vivan

 

[Queasy]

One thing is to make sure you are in an absolutely isolated area to take the phone call. Last thing you want is a roommate or something around making noise while you're on the phone interview.

Example: I had the HR of my current job call me at home during the middle of changing my son's diaper. She asked if I would be willing to do an interview right then. I said, "Err, give me about 10 minutes to get situated so I can give you my full attention." Good thing about women, they always seem to be understanding of kids (in my experience).

2nd tip, try to chat with the 'customer' as much as possible to prevent 'dead air' on the phone while you are solving the problem. Dead air is bad.

 

[iwearnosox]

Tell them when they relocate their call center to india that you're willing to move with it, they'll hire you on the spot.

 

[Mermaidman]

LOL sox.

Tips:
1) Have a glass of water handy
2) Use the bathroom before
3) Go ahead and wear 'office' clothes to get you in the right mindset
4) Speak clearly and loud enough
5) Use a corded phone

 

[KillerAngel]

Thanks for the responses. 🙂