Phone interview tips?

[zixxer]

I have a phone interview tomorrow morning - I'm very personable and have no problems with face-to-face meetings, but this phone interview has me a bit nervous..


It's for a sys admin position and the company is an exchange shop.. I know most of the basic stuff, but most of my experience is with notes.. I'm going to spend the day reading up for whatever oddball question I may get asked...


Edit:

Arg.... he called at 10am and said he was slammed, and could I call him back at 1

I called at 1 and he was still at lunch, said to call in 25-30

I called at 1:30 and no answer.. I left a msg saying I'm free for the remainder of the day and to call me back at his convenience.. will update later

 

[Casawi]

Have a beer or two and relax, it should help you stay cool and not panic. If I were to have another phone interview I will have me a glass of wine or something.

 

[Modular]

Nah, they aren't really that bad. I've had two. One was a scheduled call-in, which was a piece of cake because I had time to collect my thoughts and prepare myself. The other was an impromtu call over my cell phone. That sucked.

 

[KB]

Use a phone with good reception, not a cell phone. Take the interview in front of a computer with exchange on it and access to google. Also have a quiet keyboard so they don't hear you type.

Also don't make any jokes since it is hard to laugh when you don't see someones facial expressions.

 

[Pshawn5]

tips, i would say is try to have no distractions around you, have any piece of information, notes and such, that you think will help you in the interview around you, so you can take a glance at it if they ask you something that you aren't quite sure on.

 

[spidey07]

Wow. Everybody suggesting cheating - notes, google, etc.

Just be yourself, confident and personable. "I don't know" or "I'm not really familiar with that" is an acceptible answer.

If I heard you ruffling papers or you taking longer than 5 seconds to respond, I know you're cheating.

 

[zixxer]

No way am I going to use google or notes... I have no problem being upfront about what I know/don't know... that ish catches up with ya...

 

[piasabird]

It is not cheating to be prepared. If you sent these people a resume or something it might be nice to look at it. They might say "On your resume you said "...", then what? The worst part is they could call while you are in an area where you dont have the privacy for a private phonecall.

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: piasabird
It is not cheating to be prepared. If you sent these people a resume or something it might be nice to look at it. They might say "On your resume you said "...", then what? The worst part is they could call while you are in an area where you dont have the privacy for a private phonecall.

It's setup for a specific time tomorrow morning..

 

[Mxylplyx]

Originally posted by: Casawi
Have a beer or two and relax, it should help you stay cool and not panic. If I were to have another phone interview I will have me a glass of wine or something.

this man speaks the truth.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: Casawi
Have a beer or two and relax, it should help you stay cool and not panic. If I were to have another phone interview I will have me a glass of wine or something.

Yeah, I'd be relaxed too, that's probably the best way.

If you come across a question that you don't know the answer to, be honest, but in a polite way.

"I don't know the answer to what you're asking, but it's not a hard question, and is just a matter of looking it up."

By the way, good luck :beer:

 

[Capt Caveman]

Have a copy of your resume, job description in front of you. Possibly have the company's website open in front of you. Speak clearly and slowly.

 

[RichUK]

Note: It is obligatory to slip in ?me so horny, me love you long time? during mid-conversation.

 

[aceO07]

If you have a bluetooth headset, use it as long as it's comfortable and good quality. It'll free up your hand so you can other things and make it feel more natural.

 

[zixxer]

Originally posted by: Mxylplyx

Originally posted by: Casawi
Have a beer or two and relax, it should help you stay cool and not panic. If I were to have another phone interview I will have me a glass of wine or something.

this man speaks the truth.

Are you guys kidding?

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: aceO07
If you have a bluetooth headset, use it as long as it's comfortable and good quality. It'll free up your hand so you can other things and make it feel more natural.

:laugh:

 

[SoulAssassin]

Originally posted by: zixxer

Originally posted by: Mxylplyx

Originally posted by: Casawi
Have a beer or two and relax, it should help you stay cool and not panic. If I were to have another phone interview I will have me a glass of wine or something.

this man speaks the truth.

Are you guys kidding?

No, just a beer or two would probably get you a little loose but nowhere near drunk. YMMV if you're an extreme lightweight.

In regards to cheating, I've interviewed a ton of people over the phone and it was always obvious who was looking stuff up. I have had people tell me they don't know and I'll get an email back from them later that night or next day with a link/explanation of the answer. While I usually didn't like it when people sent follow-up thank you emails, the fact that they took the time to research the answer after the fact was a positive thing.

Just find a quiet place, use a land line and try not to watch any pr0n.

 

[slsmnaz]

Originally posted by: Casawi
Have a beer or two and relax, it should help you stay cool and not panic. If I were to have another phone interview I will have me a glass of wine or something.

You've got problems if you need to drink before an interview to relax. (maybe my meter is broken- I hope)

Don't eat or drink while on the phone call. It sounds simple but I've heard wrappers and ice clinking in glasses quite a few times. Also get to a quieter place so there is no background noise.

 

[Casawi]

Originally posted by: zixxer

Originally posted by: Mxylplyx

Originally posted by: Casawi
Have a beer or two and relax, it should help you stay cool and not panic. If I were to have another phone interview I will have me a glass of wine or something.

this man speaks the truth.

Are you guys kidding?

No I was serious. I've had 2 phone interviews, I go back and think about what I said and wasn't completely satisfied with it. I answered some questions too short and some too long, but I really think if I was talking to a friend on the phone who asked teh same question I would answer better. So I say if I was more relaxed and comfortable I can do better = a beer or 2.

I don't think I have a problem at all, if you drink when you hangout with friends why not before a job interview.

 

[JJChicken]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Have a copy of your resume, job description in front of you. Possibly have the company's website open in front of you. Speak clearly and slowly.

Yep.

Also, make sure you take note of what you are saying - stay professional and in control all the time. The interviewer will try and make you feel comfortable and cosy - that way they can get true answers out of you. Don't let this happen, be cordial, friendly and succint (I speak from experience cause I keep screwing this part). Remember you have to be yourself, but at the same time you are selling yourself!

 

[axelfox]

Don't ask the interviewer: "What are you wearing?"

 

[Shyatic]

I wish our company was an Exchange shop. I hate Lotus Notes. It's like using software from 1985.

 

[WildHorse]

Smile while talking on the phone.

It makes a difference.

 

[alkemyst]

breathe heavy and talk in a raspy voice.

 

[tfinch2]

If they ask you a question you don't know, hang up on them, quickly Google the answer, then call back and blame it on bad reception!