Telephone Interviews?

granddi · ‎03-16-2010

Could someone familiar with the process of telephone interviews enlighten me as to the process.

From the company point of view, what are they expecting? Are they looking for the right answers to questions? Are they trying to gauge the applicants attitude or temperment?

Should the applicant ask lots of questions or do you wait to see if you get a face to face.

Just hoping to get past the phone to the next level.

missy1 · ‎03-10-2010

Good luck with this. I don't care for phone interviews at all.

One can give "wrong" answers on their hypothetical scenarios, but be a great worker. I prefer to meet with them. They are trying to weed out the applicants with this method. It saves them time and money. They tend to ask you the questions, not you.

I am still oxox · ‎03-09-2010

You have to get a sense of who is interviewing you. Since it is a phone interview you can be comfortable but not so much so that you forget it is an interview. Answer the questions asked.

I personally would not ask too many questions until a face to face interview.

Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being positive what could go right.

Diva on The Q · ‎03-28-2016

@granddi wrote:
Could someone familiar with the process of telephone interviews enlighten me as to the process.

From the company point of view, what are they expecting? Are they looking for the right answers to questions? Are they trying to gauge the applicants attitude or temperment?

Should the applicant ask lots of questions or do you wait to see if you get a face to face.

Just hoping to get past the phone to the next level.

Granddi: It's been my experience that the interviewer is not necessarily looking for right or wrong answers. I think the main purpose for a telephone interview is to get a general idea of your mindset (i.e. temperment, life philosophy, attitude). A bit of advice, if I may? Be sure to answer the phone with a smile and keep that smile throughout the interview. Believe it or not, it can make a difference in your favor. Good luck!

patbz · ‎03-10-2010

@granddi: I worked in recruiting for years and in a phone interview, if you are asked a question about a hypothetical ( "name an instance where you did something successfully..." ) remember the STAR approach ( in your answer set up the Situation, tell what your Task was, what Action did you take and finally what was the Result).

sfnative · ‎03-10-2010

@granddi

Please know I understand your concern from personal experience.

We had moved out of state and were slated to return. However, my particular profession is what we would call a "niche" profession, so positions are far and few between. I was on a related forum one day answering an elementary question someone had asked based on federal regulations, when I decided to asked asking the question if she would let me know of any job openings in her area, as I was moving there in 2 months time. She got right back to me, indicating they had been looking for someone for over 2 years, finding no one qualified.

Bottom line: within days, I was set up with a telephone interview with the department head, as they were not budgeted to fly me out to the west coast.

What turned out to be a wise decision in the end, I decided to keep my mouth shut unless asked to answer questions. And, some of the questions were "loaded," from a regulatory standpoint. I was also ask for my personal, not professional, viewpoint on several "hot" issues, which I found interesting, so had to do some quick thinking: wanted to give them an answer that counted for something intelligent and decent.

I was fortunate. They needed me badly, so I was hired and was also in a position to negitate my salary to a higher level. Though the ladies with whom I had to work came with a lot of simply horrible baggage, 1.5 years later I was promoted into what turned out to be my dream job.

So, in the end, things happed for a reason and I felt blessed.

All the best to you! Be calm, be yourself, be professional, be positive.

Mustang Shar · ‎03-24-2010

In addition to keeping a smile on your face, please dress as if you are going to a face to face interview. It gives you confidence even though you aren't being seen unless of course a video interview. Some good advice here and good luck, it sure is different to get your foot in the door.

GCR18 · ‎07-03-2013

It sounds like they are narrowing down the applicants. Talk into your voice mail and play it back. You want to be upbeat, talk in complete sentences, don't use slang or words like ya. I would ask a question or two or you may come off as not being interested. Ask something job related, like could you tell me a little more about xyz software. Close out the call with a positive statement. Thank you for for your time. I think I am a good fit for xyz and look forward to hearing back from you.

GCR18 · ‎07-03-2013

@patbz wrote:
@granddi: I worked in recruiting for years and in a phone interview, if you are asked a question about a hypothetical ( "name an instance where you did something successfully..." ) remember the STAR approach ( in your answer set up the Situation, tell what your Task was, what Action did you take and finally what was the Result).

Yes, STAR method is good. You talk about the situation, but bring it home by saying what you contributed. For example, tell me about the last time you worked with a group on a project that was successful. The team created a data base and we won an award. You didn't say what you specifically did that led to the success. The question is looking can you work in a group and get along with others.

Snowpuppy · ‎03-09-2010

My current employer is phone interviews only. Large employer, they simply don't have the time to do face to face. Sometimes the team members interviewing are on conference calls from other offices.

My interview was 20 minutes, mostly clarifying my experience and asking if contact info for personal/professional references was up to date. Got an offer within 72 hours and negotiated a start date.

I did ask several questions and was answered promptly. No games or guessing.