Telephone Interviews, any advice

[Furton]

I've had a lot of job interview before but never any telephone interviews, this is what I've been told.

We would like you to take part in a telephone interview on Tuesday next week for the role of Tester in our IT department. Please let me know:

The telephone number to call you on (ideally a landline in a quiet environment)
The best time to call you between 09.00 and 17.00

The interview will not be technical, and will last about 10 minutes. If you are successful at this stage, we shall invite you in for an assessment and a face-to-face interview.

I assume this will be the sort of quesitons that ask you how do you think you can make a contribution to the team e.t.c?
Advice?

[Tifosi]

It'll probably be something like

...tell me about a time when you...
contributed to team?
overcame a difficult problem?
failed to meet an objective?
lead a team?
helped a colleague?

Remember to try and relate the answer back to the skill set the job has required, tailor and focus the response rather than generically answering the question.


As a rule of thumb think up a few examples before hand so you're not thinking from scratch whilst on the other end of the phone.

Also don't hesitate to take a few minutes to pause and gather your thoughts on how you wish to address the question before you start.

Talk relatively slowly because you always talk faster than you think you are.

Have some questions lined up to ask the interviewer to show further interest in the position; for when the interviewer will more than likely ask you if you have any questions.

10 minutes isn't too bad... I've had to do over 40mins before!

Be calm and relax easier said than done though.

[5lab]

do a search on monster.co.uk - they have loads of tips on there

[rajagra]

It's probably more a check to see if you are friendly and can communicate clearly. It will be done by an HR-type person completely unconnected with the department you are applying for. They may ask you non-work-related questions and use some psycho-babble nonsense to assess your character.

tbh I would thank them politely and say I didn't want to work for a company that uses a brief telephone call as a pre-selection procedure. (Show them your strength of character. Go on. Do it!)

But then, I'm still angry about the time I went for "an interview" only to discover 30 other people there at the same time, and a written aptitude test to be taken to cut down the numbers before real interviews were done.

That was over 15 years ago, and I still remember the anger at being lied to. It was downright offensive.

"we shall invite you in for an assessment and a face-to-face interview" sounds like they may be doing the same thing to you - plus the phone call on top.

Ask yourself this. If this is how potential employees are treated, how badly would they treat you once you've signed a contract?

Sorry for being negative, but maybe this warning will help you avoid a nasty surprise. Maybe when you do the phone call you can ask them straight out exactly what would happen if you are invited for "an assessment." It's a reasonable question.

[shiato storm]

"hello? hi, can I have a meat feast for two, a coke and some jacket wedges please...thanks"

[Tifosi]

tbh I would thank them politely and say I didn't want to work for a company that uses a brief telephone call as a pre-selection procedure. (Show them your strength of character. Go on. Do it!)

I don't entirely agree with telephone interviews but it beats travelling to a potential employer for exactly the same interview.

However I personally find your perspective a bit closed, most of the top employers use telephone interviews and aptitude tests to quickly screen out the chaff. Then proper interviews follow up once the mundane procedures are done.

To say "I didn't want to work for a company that uses a brief telephone call as a pre-selection procedure" is no skin off their nose they probably have plenty of other good candidates that are demonstratably more flexible. You would just be cutting off your nose to spite your face if you did that.

[Nox]

For a tester in an IT department? I would throught 3 or 4 technical questions at you see how you did

Or don't they want technical people in IT anymore?

Nox

[5lab]

phone interviews are commonplace these days, particularly for graduate recruitment. it allows the company to check their not getting a complete lemon before spending time speaking to them in real life

[Elmo]

i had a flippin aptitude test in safeway and a stupid mental arithmatic test. could they not see on my application that i had adv. maths and can therefore work out what 50% off £12 is?! christ! It was down-right insulting.

However, i'd say a telephone interview would be right up my street. I dont like face to face confrontation in an interview type environment, it makes me nervous and i get flustered and talk s**t. if you cant see the interviewer you've taken away part of the problem cos they arent staring at you analysing your bodylanguage. All you have to do is come across, in your voice, as confident and know what you're wanting to say and put it across well, in a comfortable environment, ie. ur PJs curled up on ur sofa with a nice warm cuppa

[rajagra]

I personally find your perspective a bit closed, most of the top employers use telephone interviews and aptitude tests to quickly screen out the chaff.

The philosophy behind these screening practices is that these employers don't want to waste their time, but they are perfectly happy to waste yours. As long as they are honest about the process, that's fair enough. But they often aren't. And if they mislead, you should think carefully about joining them.

In this instance, they are calling it a "telephone interview", yet it "will not be technical, and will last about 10 minutes."

Trust me, that means he won't be talking to someone in the department he wants to work in. And it won't be a proper interview. It is a screening method where they are unwilling to explain the criteria they will use to filter out candidates. They are, to some extent, misleading their potential employees.

If Furton understands this in advance, he is likely to do better in the call, and is less likely to be disillusioned with the process should it treat him badly.

Employers want to know 3 things: Can he do the job? Will he do the job? Will he get on with people?

They already know he can do the job, they've seen his CV or application form which tells them so.

They now need to know he's enthusiastic and friendly. I think that's what he needs to convey during the call.