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Telephone interview tips (1 Viewer)

Doctor Detroit

Doctor Detroit

Please remove your headgear
I have an interview on Friday with an outfit in Kansas City. I hate phone interviews not because I don't do well, but because you lose any chance to really connect with the interviewer/panel. Plus I'd imagine they have some local knobs coming in to interview in person, so you have to know these out of the park.

Comedy encouraged in here, but a few tips would be helpful also. :hifive:

 
Use your winning personality that you show on these boards and in no time the interviewer will be puddy in your hands.

 
don't do it in your underwear on your bed. dress nicely and lay all your stuff out on a table to make the call. you'll feel better and more prepared.

 
Ask them if their refrigerator is running. If they answer affirmatively, tell them that they had better catch it, and hang up.

 
What shizntitt said. Seriously. I do most of the technical interviews for my group and personality is very high on the list. They have to believe you will work well with others.

You already know this though. Since this is a Look at Me thread.

 
Jobber said:
What shizntitt said. Seriously. I do most of the technical interviews for my group and personality is very high on the list. They have to believe you will work well with others.

You already know this though. Since this is a Look at Me thread.
Click to expand...
:lol:

 
Jobber said:
What shizntitt said. Seriously. I do most of the technical interviews for my group and personality is very high on the list. They have to believe you will work well with others.

You already know this though. Since this is a Look at Me thread.
Click to expand...
So I started a "look at me" thread because I have a telephone interview? :confused:

Ok, how do the people you interview best demonstrate the willingness to work well with others during the interview? Do you have an example or two?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Doctor Detroit said:
Jobber said:
What shizntitt said. Seriously. I do most of the technical interviews for my group and personality is very high on the list. They have to believe you will work well with others.

You already know this though. Since this is a Look at Me thread.
Click to expand...
So I started a "look at me" thread because I have a telephone interview? :confused:

Ok, how do the people you interview best demonstrate the willingness to work well with others during the interview? Do you have an example or two?
Click to expand...
Talk about the teams that you've worked with and led over your career. DON'T talk about what happened with the hot kurd you shared a foxhole with while searching for WMD's.

 
Don't keep making jokes about how much you like caulk, or ask them if they enjoy caulk and then belly laugh.

 
Some real tips:

  • Answer/respond with short stories about your experience. "Do you have experience using X?" should be "Yes, in fact let me tell you how my experience directly relates to this position" - again, short story.
  • Avoid yes or no responses
  • Don't wait until the interviewer steps through each job/education on your resume - practice verbally summarizing your resume while highlighted specific experience associated with the job.
  • Don't use the phone as a crutch, "sorry, this would be easier to explain in person but I'll try..." is a cop out.
  • I'm assuming this is a management position of some type, highlight situational conflicts and resolutions without complaining. - Again, short story, practice it out loud.
  • Make it clear that you've done your research on the company and you'll only asks questions which could not be found in other sources for the sake of the interviewers time. Yes, make it clear that you know the interviewers time is valuable; you're not going to get the walking/small talk you might in person.
  • Have a maximum of three questions for the interviewer.
  • If this job interview is with an HR person, make sure you hit the buzzwords in the description - most HR people know very little about the technical/operational ends of the job.
  • If this job interview is with your potential boss or someone else in the technical/operational area, short stories x 100. Never let someone who works in your same department/field pepper you with questions - they'll find something you don't know.
  • Keep in mind that most people don't do interviews for a living. Short stories are much more memorable and interactive than getting through a list.
  • Short stories, short stories, short stories, short stories. - Nothing is more uncomfortable than awkward silence after a one word response to a question.
  • Did I mention short stories?
 
Good advice by AZR here. The key to a good short story is the punchline - something practical that also shows you're a good person. And leave the interview on a positive note. When they ask if you have any questions for them, say I have two. 1. What has a little ****, and hangs down? A bat! 2. What has a big ****, and hangs up? <click>

 
Arizona Ron said:
<p>

Some real tips:

  • Answer/respond with short stories about your experience. "Do you have experience using X?" should be "Yes, in fact let me tell you how my experience directly relates to this position" - again, short story.
  • Avoid yes or no responses
  • Don't wait until the interviewer steps through each job/education on your resume - practice verbally summarizing your resume while highlighted specific experience associated with the job.
  • Don't use the phone as a crutch, "sorry, this would be easier to explain in person but I'll try..." is a cop out.
  • I'm assuming this is a management position of some type, highlight situational conflicts and resolutions without complaining. - Again, short story, practice it out loud.
  • Make it clear that you've done your research on the company and you'll only asks questions which could not be found in other sources for the sake of the interviewers time. Yes, make it clear that you know the interviewers time is valuable; you're not going to get the walking/small talk you might in person.
  • Have a maximum of three questions for the interviewer.
  • If this job interview is with an HR person, make sure you hit the buzzwords in the description - most HR people know very little about the technical/operational ends of the job.
  • If this job interview is with your potential boss or someone else in the technical/operational area, short stories x 100. Never let someone who works in your same department/field pepper you with questions - they'll find something you don't know.
  • Keep in mind that most people don't do interviews for a living. Short stories are much more memorable and interactive than getting through a list.
  • Short stories, short stories, short stories, short stories. - Nothing is more uncomfortable than awkward silence after a one word response to a question.
  • Did I mention short stories?
Click to expand...
tl;dr

- no one word answers

- no Gordon Gekko answers

- make answers relevant to the question asked

 
bostonfred said:
Good advice by AZR here. The key to a good short story is the punchline - something practical that also shows you're a good person. And leave the interview on a positive note. When they ask if you have any questions for them, say I have two. 1. What has a little ****, and hangs down? A bat! 2. What has a big ****, and hangs up? <click>
Click to expand...
:lmao:

 
ClownCausedChaos2 said:
SacramentoBob said:
<p>

Arizona Ron said:
Some real tips:

  • Don't use the phone as a crutch, "sorry, this would be easier to explain in person but I'll try..." is a cop out.
Click to expand...
There's plenty of things that are better explained on a whiteboard than over the phone.
Click to expand...
Yeah, better have a video phone and PowerPoint presentation ready on a projector, just in case.
Click to expand...
How am I supposed to rub one out in those conditions though? I don't want to make a show out of it.

 
I had a phone interview yesterday. I think AZR nailed it. We went through lots of short work stories, enough details to show my skill set, but not enough to bore.

I walked around a lot and was fairly animated - I don't think I could convey the same energy level sitting down.

Be prepared to have the interview go long - I was thinking 30 minutes and we went 1.5 hours.

 
Arizona Ron said:
Some real tips:

  • Answer/respond with short stories about your experience. "Do you have experience using X?" should be "Yes, in fact let me tell you how my experience directly relates to this position" - again, short story.
  • Avoid yes or no responses
  • Don't wait until the interviewer steps through each job/education on your resume - practice verbally summarizing your resume while highlighted specific experience associated with the job.
  • Don't use the phone as a crutch, "sorry, this would be easier to explain in person but I'll try..." is a cop out.
  • I'm assuming this is a management position of some type, highlight situational conflicts and resolutions without complaining. - Again, short story, practice it out loud.
  • Make it clear that you've done your research on the company and you'll only asks questions which could not be found in other sources for the sake of the interviewers time. Yes, make it clear that you know the interviewers time is valuable; you're not going to get the walking/small talk you might in person.
  • Have a maximum of three questions for the interviewer.
  • If this job interview is with an HR person, make sure you hit the buzzwords in the description - most HR people know very little about the technical/operational ends of the job.
  • If this job interview is with your potential boss or someone else in the technical/operational area, short stories x 100. Never let someone who works in your same department/field pepper you with questions - they'll find something you don't know.
  • Keep in mind that most people don't do interviews for a living. Short stories are much more memorable and interactive than getting through a list.
  • Short stories, short stories, short stories, short stories. - Nothing is more uncomfortable than awkward silence after a one word response to a question.
  • Did I mention short stories?
Click to expand...
Nice points about the short stories but I particularly like the bolded, which I never considered before. I would assume there would be no one else in my field doing the interview, since the position I'm interviewing for would be the senior person in the company in that field. So I'm sure there would be some technical/process things they ask, but I think they'll just get a lot of that particular data from my resume or my recent evaluations. You have me thinking about it now though, I think this is a key point for me.

Awesome stuff, you're a scholar and a gentleman. :bowtie:

 
Notorious T.R.E. said:
How about one really long story?
Click to expand...
Shark move might be to break up one really long story over six questions, gently segueing and picking up where you had left off in the previous question. That would demonstrate good attention to detail IMO. :)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Arizona Ron said:
Some real tips:

  • Answer/respond with short stories about your experience. "Do you have experience using X?" should be "Yes, in fact let me tell you how my experience directly relates to this position" - again, short story.
  • Avoid yes or no responses
  • Don't wait until the interviewer steps through each job/education on your resume - practice verbally summarizing your resume while highlighted specific experience associated with the job.
  • Don't use the phone as a crutch, "sorry, this would be easier to explain in person but I'll try..." is a cop out.
  • I'm assuming this is a management position of some type, highlight situational conflicts and resolutions without complaining. - Again, short story, practice it out loud.
  • Make it clear that you've done your research on the company and you'll only asks questions which could not be found in other sources for the sake of the interviewers time. Yes, make it clear that you know the interviewers time is valuable; you're not going to get the walking/small talk you might in person.
  • Have a maximum of three questions for the interviewer.
  • If this job interview is with an HR person, make sure you hit the buzzwords in the description - most HR people know very little about the technical/operational ends of the job.
  • If this job interview is with your potential boss or someone else in the technical/operational area, short stories x 100. Never let someone who works in your same department/field pepper you with questions - they'll find something you don't know.
  • Keep in mind that most people don't do interviews for a living. Short stories are much more memorable and interactive than getting through a list.
  • Short stories, short stories, short stories, short stories. - Nothing is more uncomfortable than awkward silence after a one word response to a question.
  • Did I mention short stories?
Click to expand...
Question #1: What are you wearing?

 
If they're calling you, be sure to pick up before your Crazy Calls answering machine message kicks in. "Wait for the beep!!"

 
Last edited by a moderator:
If this is a company you really want to work for (as opposed to just a speculative, preemptive interview), then transition during the interview to language that implies you have already been hired. For example, at the start of the interview you can refer to "them" but by the end of the interview refer to "us" or "we".

 
Nugget said:
I had a phone interview yesterday. I think AZR nailed it. We went through lots of short work stories, enough details to show my skill set, but not enough to bore.

I walked around a lot and was fairly animated - I don't think I could convey the same energy level sitting down.

Be prepared to have the interview go long - I was thinking 30 minutes and we went 1.5 hours.
Click to expand...
:goodposting:

As for the bolded, I have exactly the same experience. Take the call on you cel (make sure it is charged) or a wireless set.

 
Arizona Ron said:
Some real tips:

  • Answer/respond with short stories about your experience. "Do you have experience using X?" should be "Yes, in fact let me tell you how my experience directly relates to this position" - again, short story.
  • Avoid yes or no responses
  • Don't wait until the interviewer steps through each job/education on your resume - practice verbally summarizing your resume while highlighted specific experience associated with the job.
  • Don't use the phone as a crutch, "sorry, this would be easier to explain in person but I'll try..." is a cop out.
  • I'm assuming this is a management position of some type, highlight situational conflicts and resolutions without complaining. - Again, short story, practice it out loud.
  • Make it clear that you've done your research on the company and you'll only asks questions which could not be found in other sources for the sake of the interviewers time. Yes, make it clear that you know the interviewers time is valuable; you're not going to get the walking/small talk you might in person.
  • Have a maximum of three questions for the interviewer.
  • If this job interview is with an HR person, make sure you hit the buzzwords in the description - most HR people know very little about the technical/operational ends of the job.
  • If this job interview is with your potential boss or someone else in the technical/operational area, short stories x 100. Never let someone who works in your same department/field pepper you with questions - they'll find something you don't know.
  • Keep in mind that most people don't do interviews for a living. Short stories are much more memorable and interactive than getting through a list.
  • Short stories, short stories, short stories, short stories. - Nothing is more uncomfortable than awkward silence after a one word response to a question.
  • Did I mention short stories?
Click to expand...
This is a great post, but shouldn't you be busy updating the racks thread?

 
Arizona Ron said:
Some real tips:

  • Answer/respond with short stories about your experience. "Do you have experience using X?" should be "Yes, in fact let me tell you how my experience directly relates to this position" - again, short story.
  • Avoid yes or no responses
  • Don't wait until the interviewer steps through each job/education on your resume - practice verbally summarizing your resume while highlighted specific experience associated with the job.
  • Don't use the phone as a crutch, "sorry, this would be easier to explain in person but I'll try..." is a cop out.
  • I'm assuming this is a management position of some type, highlight situational conflicts and resolutions without complaining. - Again, short story, practice it out loud.
  • Make it clear that you've done your research on the company and you'll only asks questions which could not be found in other sources for the sake of the interviewers time. Yes, make it clear that you know the interviewers time is valuable; you're not going to get the walking/small talk you might in person.
  • Have a maximum of three questions for the interviewer.
  • If this job interview is with an HR person, make sure you hit the buzzwords in the description - most HR people know very little about the technical/operational ends of the job.
  • If this job interview is with your potential boss or someone else in the technical/operational area, short stories x 100. Never let someone who works in your same department/field pepper you with questions - they'll find something you don't know.
  • Keep in mind that most people don't do interviews for a living. Short stories are much more memorable and interactive than getting through a list.
  • Short stories, short stories, short stories, short stories. - Nothing is more uncomfortable than awkward silence after a one word response to a question.
  • Did I mention short stories?
Click to expand...
:goodposting:

 
Make sure you let them know how important you are and how thankful they should be you took time out of your day.

 
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