So, you have a phone interview? Are you ready for it?
No? Well, you better get ready.
If you can perform, a phone interview is your ticket to the valuable in-office, in-person, face-to-face meeting with your potential employer, the place where you can truly show your stuff (duh. Why did I even write that?).
At this point, you’ve all probably had a phone interview at one time or another and it was likely an OK experience – you got to wear your slippers, pet your dog and stand on the porch with an exhilarating wind blowing through your hair as you verbally caressed the interviewer with stories of your corporate exploits.
But did they call you back?
Maybe you thought you did an amazing job but never heard form Company X again, leaving you with the deafening stillness of phone and e-mail that is job hunting. After hours of rehearsing your strengths and weaknesses and explaining why, if you could be any animal, you’d be a turtle, they didn’t call you.
Sure, talking about yourself is important, but what communicates your interest, intelligence and intrigue (well, not really intrigue but I wanted a third ‘I’ word) is not only what you tell the interviewer, but also the questions you ask.
Usually, the end of the phone interview is the appropriate time for questions. You know the part, the one where they say, “Do you have any questions?”
This, my friends, is your time to shine.
Any and all candidates for an open position must have intelligent questions about the nature of the work. It shows interest and that you actually give a damn about the company and yourself. You wouldn’t buy a house without asking the realtor/owner about the pipes, right?
So ask about the pipes! Figuratively.
Write down your questions before the interview and have a notebook handy during your conversation to note any additional questions you might have. The interviewer will allow you to ask questions until you’re both satisfied, so keep asking. There’s usually a set time period for phone interviews, let the interviewer cut you off and end the conversation.
As long as the interviewer continues to ask, “Do you have any more questions?” take advantage of it. Fill that time wisely and it’s likely you’ll make it to the next step.
