Interviewing Tips

The Phone Screen

A phone screen is a brief "mini" interview by telephone. The purpose of the phone screen is to decide if the candidate (you) is worth scheduling several interviewers, a conference room, etc. Your goal for the phone screen is to schedule the face-interview or eliminate the job and move on to the next opportunity.

Some key points are:

• Demonstrate a connection between your skills and the job requirements
• Show that you are interested in the position
• Answer the questions concisely but completely (don't ramble)
• Show that you are professional and organized
• Develop a rapport with the interviewer (but don't get personal)

Any phone call with the employer can impact your chance at the job.

Make sure that each time you speak with the employer (or recruiter) you are professional and appropriate. While he or she might ask about Sunday's football game, don't start play-by-play or griping about a bad play.

Treat the phone screen like an interview.

• Be preapred.
• Be available at least 10 minutes before the call is scheduled.
• Handle the call in a quiet room; no music or TV or kids or dogs in the background.
• Turn off call waiting.
• Make sure everyone else in the house -- roommates, kids, etc -- know you are on the phone.
• Make sure you have a good cellular signal (if using a cell phone).
• Be concise, but answer the questions.
• Be honest. Listen.
• Try to avoid talking too much.
• Have your resume and cover letter available to help you see what he or she is reading.
• Have pen & paper ready to make notes.
• Make a list of questions that you want to cover based on the job description.
• No smoking.
• Do not eat or drink during the call. You can have some water on hand in case your throat get dry but nothing else.
• Do not ask questions that sound selfishly motivated (money and benefits are strictly off limits during the phone screen)

A wasted interview starts with a bad phone screen, on both sides, since a mismatch found during the interview is a waste of your time and the interviewer's.

Note: if the interviewer (or a recruiter) calls when you are not prepared (e.g. just put a kid in the bath, you are at your daughter's soccer game, etc) ask if can call them back in a few minutes, get his or her phone number, and get to a place where you can talk without background noise or distractions (e.g. 20 screaming -- uh, cheering -- kids running by).

Make the time.

Expect a scheduled phone screen to take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. Block out the time just as if the phone screen were a real interview (which it is!).

Have someone else watch the kids. A phone screen with kids interrupting the call, crying in the background, the TV or radio, dogs barking, etc can cost a job. It can show that you did not block out the time for the interview by phone.

Sit up straight & smile.

Posture does affect how you sound on the phone. Slouched sounds disinterested or tired (same thing to an interviewer). Seriously: smile. It comes across on the phone.

Read the job description and make sure all of the 'required' items are discussed.

While your for a phone screen is to get an interview you should make sure you fit all of the 'required' or 'must have' items on the list. Otherwise, the interview will probably be a bust. If the interviewer does not ask about the required 'Oracle' or 'Perl' requirements, you should ask, "So I see Oracle on the list of requirements, what skills do you expect from my Oracle skills?"

By helping the interviewer cover all of the requirements you are making sure the face-interview will be a success. You are also showing the interviewer that you are thorough; a good trait in an employee.

Be prepared for these questions:

• Why are you leaving your current position? Or, why did you leave your last position?
• What are your strong points?
• What are your weak points?
• What were your biggest accomplishments at your last position?
• What specific projects did you work on? And what was your part in the project(s)?
• What contributions can you make to our (the new) organization?

Treat the phone screen like an interview and you will probably get an offer or that first ('face') interview.

Follow-up.

So few actually do these days that you can stand out.