From the OSCPA Career Coach: How to ace those tricky phone interviews

Phone interviews are growing in popularity. Are the do’s and don’ts the same for phone interviews as they are for in-person interviews? Janice Worthington, OSCPA’s career coach of choice, shares several tips that you need to know for your next phone interview.

1. Develop a peaceful area to receive a phone call and have both current résumé and company information at your fingertips. It is imperative that you hear and be heard. If the dog is barking you will send the wrong message. There is nothing improper about putting a caller on hold to change location or take a deep breath. Just be sure not to leave anyone on hold longer than about 10 seconds.
   
   
2. Configure a signature statement. This is a one or two sentence summary of who you are and what you bring to the table. For example: “I am an employment expert with nearly three decades in the career management industry, globally consulting to clients in all industry arenas. My specialties include executive resume preparation, resume distribution strategies, competitive interviewing methodologies and job offer negotiations.” You might also want to include the type of opportunity you are seeking as a tag line to the signature statement, tailored to the company that has called you, of course.
   
   
3. Allow the company representative to guide the conversation but make sure you come across as a formidable contributor. Avoid one or two-word answers, use specific examples from your experience to substantiate a point and have some questions of your own for the interviewer that demonstrate your knowledge of the company. Under no circumstances should you introduce the subject of money and if asked, simply state that the compensation you require totally depends on the nature of the position and growth potential.
   
   
4. Take notes. Be sure to get the name and title of the company representative and any current projects or activity. If the company representative mentions a colleague’s name be sure to secure the correct spelling and title. Knowledge is power and this information may be used to your advantage in future conversations.
   
   
5. Lock it up! Traditionally, the interviewer signals the end of a phone interview by asking the candidate if there are any questions. Be certain to have a few insightful questions ready.  At this point, if you have not been invited to an in-person follow-up interview, take the initiative to ask for this opportunity. Once this is accomplished, take another step by getting permission to call with further questions prior to the interview. This allows an “open door” to continue communication throughout the hiring process.

Janice Worthington, MA, CPRW, JCT, is the president of Worthington Career Services, a resume and job search consulting firm that provides strategic career coaching to professionals at all levels of the corporate ladder. Janice will be working with The Ohio Society as a career coach to the membership, providing regular columns in the Society’s electronic publications and on the Society’s Web site.

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