The Phone Interview
February 17, 2008 – 4:20 pmTop Tips for Getting a “Jobby” Job - Part II
This is the continuation of Part I.
I truly believe there is a lot of unrealized talent in the IT resource pool, however, tapping into it is tough, so applicants, please don’t make it any tougher.
Many of the problems I see seem to stem from culture, inexperience and what people have been able to get away with in the past. From all the phone interviews I have conducted or been a part of, here are some issues I always encounter.
Don’t be in a Hurry
If you are looking for work, please dedicate some time to have a phone screening. If you don’t have much time, you will either come off hurried in the phone chat or might frustrate a potential employer. Furthermore, please try and meet your dates and commitments. Most companies will go after new IT hires aggressively, but when the company has to rearrange its entire schedule two or three times for one person, your resume ends up at the bottom of the stack.
Be Honest
Also in part I, you need to be upfront about what your exact fluency is. If you say you are fluent in, let’s say English, more than not a potential employer will expect a fairly robust conversation in that language. If you say you are (pardon the adjectives, but it happens) a master, guru, sensei, yogi, ninja or expert coder in PHP, be prepared to speak in that language. Don’t inflate your skills. Just be upfront. Honesty is good.
Quiet Time
Try to find that “special” place in your world where you can have a decent conversation. I find it difficult to have discussion about development cycles you have been a part of or applications that you have built when you are at the local coffee shop. If I can hear the “barista” yell out “solo espresso for John!” and hear the wisping of all the machines in the background, then I am going to be just as distracted as you are.
Ask Questions
“What else would you like to know about our company?” Silence. Eventually a few murmurs and then the answer, “what do you guys actually do?” Ok, so you tried. At least you asked a question even if it could have been answered by reading our web site or the posting. Many applicants do not even have questions. This is a great opportunity to really dig into the company. Not having any questions either means I have covered every single thing (sorry, I’m just not that good) or this person just is not that interested in who they work for. Question, question, question. Remember, the potential employer is probably going to be supplying you with the means to live and put food on the table. Find out who as much as you can.
In conclusion, be prepared to discuss everything. Everything I read on a resume, I consider fact. Based on that, the phone interview should not test your memorization on what you wrote in your resume, it is simply a discussion, in your own words, about your roles and involvement in certain projects. I want to hear it loud and clear. The written word is many times miles away from the spoken one. Following these ultra simple tips, will increase your chances at the in-person interview in part III. Despite all the technology and all the automation in HR, people still want to hear a human voice.