Strategies for Telephone Interviews

1. Arrange to be in a quiet place with no distractions for the call.

2. If possible, have a copy of the job description as well as one of your resume with you for the call.

3. If possible, have the company’s website up on your computer.

4. Prior to the call, think of all of the questions that you would like to ask and have them written down.

5. Make your answers to questions succinct. Give complete answers, but let the interviewer ask the follow up questions rather than trying to anticipate what they will want to learn.

6. If possible, have the Hiring Manager verbally describe the job to you. Their description should give you a feel for their priorities, which, in turn, will give you some direction on which aspects of your experience you may want to talk about.

7. Some questions you may want to ask are:
      a. What would be the first couple of projects/activities he or she would like you to take on if you were hired. You can then refer to            similar projects you have done.
      b. What would they like to see you accomplish in the first 12-18 months, and what would be the major challenges that you would              have to deal with to reach those goals. You can speak about times when you have dealt with similar challenges.

8. If there are areas where you don’t have experience or knowledge, be honest. Then speak about how you would get up to speed in the shortest possible time-frame…your learning plan.

9. At the end of the call, if you like what you have heard and would like to move forward in the process and feel that you could make a significant contribution, tell the Hiring Manager so.

10. Final question: “How do you feel that I fit the position?” This is to make sure that there wasn’t an important question that didn’t get asked and that their understanding of your experience is accurate. If he has missed something important, this gives you an opportunity to correct any misunderstanding.

11. After you are finished with the call, call your recruiter. It is important that he or she knows what your level of interest in moving forward in the process is before they speak with the Hiring Manager.