How to Prepare for a Phone screen/Interview
Sign-up to our Newsletter
20/04/2021
Interviews can be hard to prepare for especially if you are caught unaware.
If you are actively in the job market and you have applied for many positions, how do you keep track of them?
When the recruiting manager calls you and they say I’d like to talk to you about the position you applied for…..you feel the colour racing to your cheeks because you are thinking “what job was it?” “If I ask what job then they will think I’m not interested, or vague, or applying for so many jobs that I’m not really keen”
So, the number one rule is to ask if you can call back when you are in a better position to talk. You can say at that stage ‘I’m sorry – there was a bit of noise around, can I just ask you to repeat who you are and where you are calling from and the best time/number to get you back on”….then YOU are back in control.
Things to do
When you are doing your job search – you should make a list – yes that old chestnut! On your list should have title of job, the date you applied, who it is with / or what recruiter it is with, where it is located and then days and remuneration if it has been already mentioned in the job advertisement. Before applying to any job, even if you think it may be your dream job, you need to have some questions written down. These may be – why does the position exist, what does the ideal candidate look like, when do you want someone to start, if you are driven by the flexibility of work you might ask, is there the option from working from home and the office?
You also should have on your list some selling points about you and why you think you would be good for the job – this is easy to do as the hiring body will have written down in their advertisement what their perfect candidate looks like, and they are calling you so they must have liked what they saw on paper, now you need to remind them about your strengths.
So, when you call back you now have more conviction and desire in your telephone screen. Remember this is the entrée into the main interview so you need to remain calm and somewhat in control.
Do make sure you are in a quite place where you can focus on the questions asked and therefore you will be able to give the best response.
Always finish with expressing your enthusiasm for the role and ideally your availability for the next phase.
What not to do
Make statements like
– “Well, you have my resume so you can see what I have done!” Of course they know what you have done – that’s why they are calling you in the first place. They want to see how you are with making conversation, how do you structure a sentence, how id your thought process!
If the next step in a telephone interview, this makes it so easy for the nervous interviewee. You interview will probably be a blended interview. What does that mean? They will want to get to know about you the person – so no real preparation required there! The second part will be about them wanting to find examples of your experiences/s. These questions will be based around the job description which you may be able to download from the job ad, so you may request prior to interview.
S T A R MODEL
So, write down examples and base them on the S T A R model of interviewing techniques
S- Situation
T – Task
A -Action
R – Result
You can have these spread out all around you for your interview and that will take some pressure off.
Prepare!
Preparation is the key in everything we attempt at life.
The long-distance runner just does not go out and run – they prepare.
Your favourite meal your mum makes is one she has been making for years – it did not just come to her.
Everyday work and life experiences gives us a story that we can use as an example in an interview.
(perhaps just leave the bad days experiences out!).
At KLC we can help you to best prepare for interviews, telephone or face to face. Please go to our website for more information!
