Good evening, everybody. It is 4 o 'clock in
the afternoon. Now, this is going to be one of
my later, later, later, later recordings. I typically
do them in the morning, but I work tonight, so
it makes it kind of hard for me to do one in
the middle of the night if I'm not home. Now,
if I get off early, I will be doing another one.
But, for now, this is Food for Thought. Thoughts
If It Were You by Neogentrics. And we're going
to continue where I left off. Let's see. We are
doing communication. Is that correct? Let's do
telephone interviews. We'll go ahead and cover
that. Because we already covered regular interviews.
And with that being said, many people are now
willing to relocate and much further from home
for the sake of their jobs or to work from home
rather than at the office. So, I mean, there
are a lot of applicants for every single job
at the same time. Many companies are trying to
reduce their recruitment costs, so a lot of companies
are adopting telephone interviews, making them
more and more popular. And the way this works
is, for many jobs, especially Indeed, telephone
interviews are now the norm for at least the
first round of interviews. But then... It brings
up the question, what is different about telephone
interviews? Or how can you prepare for them to
make sure that you shine? You know, I can answer
both of those questions. I'm going to try to
keep it as simple as I can. But they're no different
than a regular interview in retrospect. There's
only a few things that's different, okay? So
let me ask you this. Interview or telephone interview?
Well... How do I put this? You have to Google
telephone interview tips to realize that telephone
interviews are part and parcel most job hunts
these days. So, but I mean, they're oftenly used
for just first level, first stage interviews.
To select those they want to meet face to face.
Okay? But, one thing to keep in mind about a
telephone interview. It's still an interview.
Obviously. I know it sounds obvious, but a telephone
interview is still an interview. It is not a
cozy chat with a friend, but a serious chance
for the company to see if you fit in and are
capable of doing the job. Treat it as seriously
as you would treat any other job interview. I
can't believe I have to say that. But for some
people, you know, you gotta simplify some stuff
for them. But how does a telephone interview
differ from one that is face -to -face? And just
like a face -to -face interview, you still need
to prepare thoroughly. There is no substitute
for doing your research about the company, preparing
a list of questions, making sure you are clear
about the company's product or service, and how
your potential role will fit in. Make sure that
you have good examples of how you have used all
of your required skills that meet the conditions
that they have set. So, we're going to take a
short break. And I'm going to cover the major
differences between telephone interviews and
face -to -face interviews. There's a few of them.
And what to do. Alright? Okay, okay, okay. So
we're back. Now, the major differences between
telephone interviews and face -to -face interviews.
That's the question. That's the topic. That's
what we're going to talk about. But, there are
some bright sides and some downsides to this.
So, I mean, I'll let you guys be the judge of
that. But, let's start off with number one. Okay?
First things first. You get to choose your location.
Isn't that great? You can do a telephone interview
from almost anywhere. Cafe, street, car, train.
Well... I don't recommend the cafe. It depends
on how quiet it is. But since you effectively
have a choice of venue, it is as well to choose
somewhere where it's quiet, where you will be
able to both hear what each other is saying.
And you can concentrate. Don't have to worry
about getting hit by something or some random
person's kid crying. In practice, this probably
means that it's a good idea to be at home or
in your own room with the door closed. You get
what I'm saying. If you share accommodations
with other people, it might be worth putting
a note on the door to ask not to be interrupted
or to be disturbed. You should also be a while
away from the landline, if you have a landline.
And if you're on the mobile, switch off the mobile
if the call is due on your landline. Okay? Oh
yeah, there's another thing. There's the element
of surprise. While most potential employers will
make an appointment for a telephone interview,
others prefer a surprise candidate. If you are
phoned out of the blue and asked if it's convenient
to have an interview with you right now, don't
feel that you need to say yes if it really isn't.
For example, you may be out and about in a crowded
place and unable to hear properly, trying to
put your children to bed, or give them tea. Some
people do that, yeah. Or about to go into a lecture
or your class, or you're at... your current job
you're trying to get rid of yeah that's an option
if it is really inconvenient though say i'm sorry
i'm afraid i don't have time right now as i have
another commitment can we fix another time instead
and i'd really like to talk to you best verbal
communication that can possibly be used in this
situation or at least something close to it You
will then need to fix the time then and there
as they are unlikely to call back otherwise.
So make sure that you have your diary, notebook,
or whatever you use to write that in on hand.
You can even say, I should be free in about an
hour or two at, just give a random time, 5 p
.m. Can I call you back then? And make sure that
you take down the number. That way you can call
them back. Otherwise, you probably just lost
the job that you could have had. With that being
said, that brings up number two. You don't have
to dress up, but you do have to sound professional,
at least. It is true that you will not be visible
to your interviews unless it's a video interview,
and they do have video interviews. Some advisors
recommend, however, that you wear smart clothes
and sit up straight as if you were actually in
a face -to -face interview. As they suggest,
this makes you feel, and therefore sound, way
more professional. Answer the phone professionally.
Hello is fine. If you know the person's name,
say hello, sir. This is, and say your name is
speaking. That works as well. What you shouldn't
do is say, yo, dude, what's up? If you know the
person, fine, but this is an interview. I wouldn't
recommend that anyway. And just in case you're
on another call, when the interview call comes
through, make sure that your voicemail and answer
phone, Message system or whatever it is. Is set
up and it has a professional answering system
as well. It's also worth remembering that you
should not be eating or drinking during an interview.
Slurping sounds are not attractive. And you might
want a glass of water to hand. Though in case
your mouth goes dry. Because you'll be talking
a lot if not anything else. With that being said.
The third thing to keep in mind is you're responsible
for the technology, okay? In other words, if
your phone goes flat or you lose your mobile
signal during the interview, then that is your
problem, not the interviewer's. If it happens,
then they probably won't call you back. Make
sure your phone is charged, that you have good
reception in your chosen venue, or that you know
how to use Skype on your chosen device as well
in advance, okay? Oh, you know what? Let me give
you number four as well. You can have crib sheets
or an information out in front of you as well.
That works out well. Unless you were doing a
video telephone interview, and it's not worth
checking this in advance. I'm sorry, it is worth
checking this in advance so you know which type
it is. The interviewer will not be able to see
you, so you can have your CV, written examples
of when you have demonstrated your skills, or
even reminders about smiling spread out in front
of you. You can have stuff like that. Try not
to rustle your papers during the interview, though,
as it will probably be audible and probably very
loud on the opposite side. Make sure you give
yourself enough time before the interview to
spread out everything you need and check that
it will all be visible so that you don't have
to keep moving around to see everything. Make
sure you have a pen and paper handy in case you
have to make notes of something. And also consider
using a hands -free system or headset to make
that easier, but make sure that the system is
working properly. Okay? With that, I'm going
to take a quick break, and we'll get right back.
Okay, okay, and we're back. Talk about number
five. Neither you nor the interviewer has body
language to help you. That means that you need
to work harder to build rapport. Smile a lot
because, oddly though it sounds, it can be heard
in your voice, believe it or not. It is also
worth trying to emphasize your tone of voice.
Concentrate on sounding enthusiastic and interested.
And always speak clearly and slightly more slowly
than you normally would. Now, I know I talk fast,
but... I'm speaking still at a steady pace where
most people can at least hear me and understand
what I'm saying. Plus, this is being recorded,
so you can always go back and play it again.
You may also want to ask whether you have provided
enough information or answered the question fully
as a check. Useful phrases include, I can go
more into detail if you like, or have I given
enough information there? Things of that nature,
you know? Six, you will need to listen hard and
concentrate more. It's often harder to concentrate
when there is only a voice to listen to and nothing
to look at, okay? It's easy to become distracted.
Don't let yourself zone out. Don't start looking
at Facebook or YouTube. If you know that you're
struggling to concentrate when you have nothing
to see, have a notebook or paper and make notes
during the questions. This will not only keep
you focused and listening, but it'll also help
you check whether you have answered the right
question. And that's actually very important.
Seven, you may also need a pause in advance.
Remember, your interviewer can't see you, so
if you go silent, they don't know if you're still
there. If they have asked a hard question and
you need time to think about it, say something
like, let me just take a minute or two to get
my thoughts in order, or something of that nature,
and they will know what you're doing. It's also
worth pausing. Before answering a question. To
make sure that the interviewer has actually finished
speaking. Because you don't want to talk over
him. That's just rude. And it screws your chance
of moving forward. Number eight. Like last but
not least. It is important to remain enthusiastic.
Right up to the end. Towards the end of the interview.
You may also get tired. It is however. It's important
to continue to focus on your tone of voice. And
sounding enthusiastic about the process. It's
a good idea to remember to ask. when you might
hear or whether you can call if you haven't heard
as this is an emphasis of your interest in the
job to find out whether you got it or not. It's
also worth emailing the interviewer to thank
them afterwards if you can email them as it confirms
your interest as well. Above all, all of that,
recruiters are clear that they are looking for
the most in a telephone interview. What they're
looking for the most is a little enthusiasm in
a candidate who has done a bit of preparation
ahead of time. After all, this is your chance
to sell yourself to a company. And while, again,
I said that sounds sad, you need to sound like
you want to do so. It is an instant no -no to
sound like you're not taking the interview seriously.
Don't ever do that. Make sure... That you do
your preparation in advance, as well as if this
were a face -to -face interview, like I mentioned
last time, that you sound like you want the job.
Okay? So with that, that ends this podcast on
telephone interviews. Next time, I'm going to
go ahead and cover interviewing skills for those
who have to actually do the interviewing. And
we'll move on to the next topic after that.