Look to this section of your Community for the latest tools to help you build a successful and vibrant career. We'll have articles, blogs, and tips that will hopefully take way some of the mystery about the hiring game. We have tapped a group of experts from the HR professional community who will provide "hiring secrets" that will give you a leg up on nurses you compete with for the best jobs.
Today's Career Advisor shares:
10 Steps to Phone Interview Success
The objective of the Phone Interview for a Hiring Company is to screen out the interviewee so they won't waste time in a face to face meeting. Here are 10 Steps for the interviewee that will position them successfully to get the invite for a face to face meeting: ?
- This is a screening out event and little will happen if you are not taken to the next step! The "interview day" is where you'll get a sense if the role is a good career move - so focus on positives only.
Every example or point that is made on the call should demonstrate how excellent you are at the work that you do. Everything said should provide a reason to want to hire you. Leave your "concerns" for the face to face meetings and only "sell" your career brand to the phone screener based on their specific questions. - This is not the time to bring up queries of any type having to do with benefits, compensation, commute, or vacation - only topics that will prompt an invite. This is not the venue to learn if the job is the right one or not.
- This IS the time for you to impress the phone screener that you communicate well, are a confident "get it done" person, are positive and upbeat (be charming & smart).
- You SHOULD ask questions - but only about the role itself to better understand it . Demonstrate that you know your business based on the questions that you ask (questions can tell more about a person than their answers...).
- Keep your answers short and to the point, no longer than 2 minutes. This will keep answers focused and on target (two minutes is a long time!).
- On the other hand,- avoid monosyllabic answers - they want to hear what you have to say (just don't go past two minutes... )
- Do not speak over the phone screener's words (let them talk - they'll appreciate you for it). Wait until there is a pause then wait another second before charging in - this will portray a thoughtful interchange.
- Most importantly, relax and have fun with the call - if you are working with a recruiter, they've already told the interviewer a lot about you and they're basically checking to make sure that they're right - so the job is pretty much over before it begins if you just be yourself. Look at the phone screen as a "Professional Conversation" between two industry veterans who are sharing ideas about industry topics.
- Think of the call as an "advanced networking" event where you are able to make a new contact who if impressed can potentially help advance your career progression or professional development.
The key to a successful phone interview is to be relaxed enough so that the real you can come through loud and clear. By reviewing the list above you'll have a better feel for expectations and more importantly a "game plan" for how to approach it. You're not telling your career story on this call - just providing the interviewer with enough goodness to invite you to a face to face meeting where the real fireworks will begin!
Good Luck!