Podcasts

Woman Around Town’s Editor Charlene Giannetti and writers for the website talk with the women and men making news in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities around the world. Thanks to Ian Herman for his wonderful piano introduction.

phone interview

The New American Dreamer: At Last, The Interview

08/15/2016

The first alarm goes off and just as you are about to hit snooze, a second, louder alarm goes off and it might be then that you remember me saying what a good idea it was to set two alarms the day of your big interview.

Having laid your clothes out the night before and with at least three copies of your resume in a nice folder or briefcase along with those same two working pens from our past story, you’re ready to go. And of course you have the address and phone number of the interview location written down on a piece of paper, because the night before you went online and found directions to the company.

As you make your way to the interview, stay relaxed and avoid cramming last bits of information into your head. The time to get your game face on is before you leave the house not right before you enter the building. Be confident, smile at those you see along the way, and leave those voices of self-doubt at home.

Arrive early. I cannot say this too many times. If you are late you will reduce to nearly zero your chances of even being considered for the job. Being late for an interview is always unacceptable  – but it happens, so if it does, apologize to everyone once as you arrive and once as you leave. No more or less. After that you will need to blow them away with the interview itself, but don’t keep mentioning your tardiness.

When you walk through the door remember to feel confident that you are the right person for this job because you are. Make certain to look people in the eye when conversing and when seated be comfortable in the chair without slouching.

Now come those questions we rehearsed. Piece of cake, right? Be yourself when you answer but remember to be the best possible self you can be.  Allow yourself to be enthusiastic about the opportunity, but always be sincere. Hiring managers are pretty good at sniffing out insincerity.

Another important point that I mentioned in my story about phone interviews, is that your listening skills are a crucial component of what people think of you. Staying calm will help. This is why staying calm helps so much. It keeps you looking confident but it also prevents you from anticipating answers and interrupting.

When the interview is coming to a close, make sure you have that one question ready when they ask: “Do you have any questions for us?” If you have other questions you can add those too, but remember to know the difference between a question and a concern. Don’t bring up “concerns” yet such as pressing on issues dealing with pay, vacation time, or holidays because you can always deal with these when an offer is made as we will discuss next time. For now keep questions pertinent to the position and focus on getting the job. It’s much better if you can show your insight into a position by asking a truly pointed question about the workflow, strategy or process involved.

When the interview is over thank everyone – and I mean everyone, including receptionists and doormen. Smile and shake hands when necessary and as soon as you get home fill out that thank you and send it off. Mention something particular about the process that you appreciated in the thank you message, and remember to thank the interviewer for his or her time.

Now make sure your phone is on at all times and start daydreaming about being employed there. Remember when I last spoke about daydreaming? Seems like an age ago now doesn’t it?

Good work.

Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.

The New American Dreamer: Tell A Phone To Hire You

08/01/2016

As many as one in six job interviews now begins on the phone. Companies looking to save time and money choose to pre-screen applicants on the telephone rather than with a face-to-face meeting.

For some, this development is good news. Imagine sitting at home in sweatpants and flip-flops, drinking coffee from a favorite mug, and still interviewing for that dream job. Other applicants who do much better in an actual meeting may regard this trend as a lost opportunity.

No matter your point of view, the phone interview may be a necessary step in your job search. See it as your chance to shine so that even before the conversation is over, you will be assured of winning that in-person interview.

My advice? Prepare for that phone interview as you would were it an actual interview – because it is! The goal here is two-fold: to impress the interviewer with who you are, and to get that face-to-face interview. (We’ll discuss this next time).

Do your homework. Learn about the company, the people, and the position you are applying for. What strengths will you bring to the job and to the company? In the days of search engines like Google and Bing, employers think it insulting not to know the basics.

You won’t have to worry about what to wear or bring to the interview, but there are important ways to prepare:

  • If you can, always use a landline. If you don’t have access to one, then charge your cell phone or plug it in. Yes, it’s a bad thing if your phone drops the call.
  • If you are on a cell phone, find a quiet area to sit and make sure the connection is excellent. One more time – yes, it’s a bad thing if your phone drops the call.
  • Get some water ready. You don’t realize how dry you may get when you are talking for a length of time and your adrenaline is pumping.
  • Get your resume out, your cover letter, notes, and any correspondences along with blank pieces of paper and two pens. Yes, two pens, you know one always runs out.
  • Tell anyone in the house or location not to walk in or disturb you. Pets should be out of barking distance.

Now comes the hard part. Stay focused and listen. Listening is as important to an interviewer as speaking. If the person on the other end of the phone feels you are interrupting or not paying attention, you are less likely to make it to the next round.

Speak confidently and be yourself. It does help to be conversational even when talking about your accomplishments. Rehearse beforehand and go through a list of possible questions. Be positive. You may find that you actually enjoy speaking to the person on the other end of the line.

Before you hang up, make sure you have the interviewer’s contact information so that you can send a “thank you” as a followup. (See my previous story).

Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.