Executive recruiters can be great allies in a job search. However, those who choose to rely
on them often find they wasted a lot of time in their job search. It’s important to understand
who recruiters are and how they work so that you can have a mutually-beneficial
relationship.
Telephone Job Interviews: Avoid Sounding Stupid
Have you ever had a telephone job interview nightmare like this? The phone rang just as Marie stepped out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around herself and scurried to grab the phone. Surprise! It’s was an employer calling for a job interview. As she tried to pull herself together, the mailman rang her bell, causing the dog to bark furiously. This woke up her baby, who wailed to high heaven. As she grabbed the baby and tried to quiet the dog, she babbled foolishly. The employer wasn’t impressed and didn’t schedule her for an in-person interview.
Do you hate phone interviews?
OK, so you hate phone screen interviews. I don’t blame you. But they’re a fact of life and you can take control of them.
Find another time to talk
If the appointment isn’t scheduled, you can ask to talk at another time. Don’t speak when you’re caught off-guard if you can avoid it. Marie could easily have said, “Thanks so much for calling. Unfortunately, I can’t talk right now. Can we schedule the job interview later today (or tomorrow)?”
Of course – know about the company
Be sure you’ve done your homework about the company and how you might be able to help them. For really important interviews, prepare your research even more thoroughly.
Have Your Surroundings Prepared
Make sure you have a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted with a reliable, static-free phone, or a mobile that doesn’t drop calls. Since they can’t see you, you can have your resume, research on the industry and the company, talking points, and a list of questions for the employer – all at your fingertips for quick referral. Having your computer ready for a quick Google search is an added plus.
Be ready to speak your success
Be sure to have a number of stories ready that demonstrate how good you are. Keep them to about a minute in length and include the situation you faced, your actions, and the results of your work.
Be enthusiastic
Take a tip from good telemarketing professionals: have a mirror by your phone to remind you to smile. True, they can’t see you in a phone screen, but a smile can be “felt” over the phone. Be sure to sound upbeat. You can give your voice more power by standing while you talk.
Keep salary issues from killing your chances
Many times, phone screeners will ask you about your earnings or expected salary. Employers often use money issues to eliminate candidates, so postpone talking about money, if you can. You might say something like, “I know your company pays its employees fairly, so I’m not that concerned.”
Or: “I’m very excited about the possibility of working with your company, and I don’t feel comfortable talking about money just yet. I don’t want to get screened out for earning too much or too little.”
[Be sure to read Jack Chapman’s book “Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1,000 a Minute.” It’s the national “bible” of salary negotiations.]
Don’t talk too much
It’s a big turnoff when candidates talk nonstop. Be sure to be concise and ask good questions. Try to find out what’s really wanted and needed. Find out what the boss’s biggest problem is – and say how you can help solve it. In fact, that’s another place to use a brief success story from your past to illustrate your know-how.
Be sure to ask what’s next
Don’t hang up without finding out how you can follow up. Ask about the next steps and if they need anything else from you.
Take notes
Be sure to take notes what you’ve talked about so you can be aware of that when you go in for a follow-up interview.
Thank you note
Promptly send a thank you email/letter to all participants in your interview. Make them personal, not formulaic.
With proper preparation, you can make even the unpleasant phone interview work to your advantage.
Eight Ways To Sabotage A Job Interview

You’ve heard the obvious job interview advice: don’t be late, dress appropriately, and don’t curse your former employer. You’ve been around the block-you know this stuff. In fact, you can take our Interview Quiz and see how well you do.
So how else might you sabotage your interviews? Here are eight ways you might be shooting yourself in the foot–and losing the offer.
1)Talking techno-speak to the wrong people
If you’re in a technical field, remember that some interviews may be conducted by non-technical people–HR for instance. Because of this, you need to be prepared to speak in “dialects”: one for the technical people and one for the people who need plain English.
Some job candidates don’t understand what a turnoff it is to listen while someone drones on and on, using words and concepts they don’t understand. Don’t make their eyes glaze over. This is particularly important for those whose jobs involve communicating with non-technical people.
2) Not doing your job interview homework
This is a chance for you to score some extra points. If you know in advance who the individual (s) is who will be conducting your job interview, read up on him/her. With LinkedIn, company web pages, and other Internet sources, there’s ample opportunity to come to the interview armed with a good idea of the backgrounds, accomplishments and passions of those conducting your interview.
3) Not researching the company
An even worse turnoff is someone who doesn’t know what the organization is about. Therefore, the more important the job, the more time you should spend on research. Of course, review the company’s own website, but search for other sites to see what you can find, especially if the company has been in the news. Check the web sites of competitors to find out more about industry trends. Sites like Glassdoor.com can give you good inside information from company employees about company culture and even how they conduct a job interview. Most of all, find out about the company’s mission, strategic goals, and new developments to understand where the company is headed.
4) Not being able to articulate your skills
I’ve seen a lot of very accomplished people who can’t clearly identify their skills, especially people who haven’t had to look for work in a long time. In addition, they have been so busy doing, that they haven’t had to think about articulating what they it is they’ve been doing to be successful. Fumbling around for something to say during a job interview is hardly going to impress the hiring decision maker.
This is a time for some real introspection. A lot of people find this to be a tough process. Get some coaching if this doesn’t come easily. Unless you can clearly articulate how you produce value, your chances of getting hired are close to nil.
A good example is a technical writer who worked for a software company. She talked about herself as a technical writer. But as we delved into her accomplishments, it became clear that she could produce value at a much higher level. For example, she observed and talked to scientists using the product and found what they REALLY wanted, as opposed to what her company THOUGHT they wanted. This saved her company a fortune by eliminating work done to create features they didn’t need, and helped produce a superior product. Therefore, she now talks about herself as someone who “saves lots of time and money by eliminating the guesswork about what end users want and need.”
5) No good, concise stories
Many people make very impressive accomplishments sound ordinary. Others have stories that go on and on–boring! Still others just get tongue tied. You should have at least eight clear and concise stories that powerfully show you in action. I call them CCAR stories (Context-Challenge-Action-Results), while others call them PAR stories (Problem-Action-Results). Don’t just tell them WHAT you did. Take it a step further and answer the question, “Why should people care about what you did?”
One client organized a move of an office with 30 employees. Her story stopped there. That doesn’t work. After probing, I learned that the move was carried out without a hitch. While the new office could have been a chaotic mess, thanks to her efforts people were able to hit the ground running on the first day in the new location. Her story injected energy into her job interview.
6) Cocky attitude
Don’t be one of those people who go into a job interview with an “I’m so great” attitude. They may know they’re good at what they do, but they inadvertently communicate that they’re somehow above the process. I’ve heard too many hiring decision makers say this about older workers in particular. Be sure to check your ego at the door.
Are you the type who thinks you’re really good at interviewing? Do you tell yourself, “I’ll just wing it”? This is a recipe for disaster. Roll up your sleeves and attend to those preparation details you may be taking for granted.
BE SURE TO READ OUR POINTERS ABOUT PHONE INTERVIEWS
7) Not having a good answer to sensitive questions
Are you ready if an awkward question confronts you during a job interview? If you don’t handle these questions right, then you’re dead in the water. The good news is that most of the time, you know what these questions will be in advance–so be prepared! These are questions like:
Why were you fired?
Why the gap on your resume?
Why have you been out of work so long?
What have you been doing since you lost your job?
Follow these steps:
- Listen to the question. Make sure you understand exactly what the interviewer is asking and why.If you’re not clear, ask for clarification.
- Take time to think. If caught off guard, pause a moment and give a thoughtful response.
- Use Positive Information. Put yourself in a favorable light. Be truthful, but remember, you are marketing yourself. Don’t volunteer negative information. For example, Jane is moving across the country to reunite with her high school flame, but she should keep such private details private.
- Refocus attention by asking a question of your own
Don’t let the conversation linger on your liabilities. Take the initiative to refocus attention by asking the employer a question.
8) Not being prepared to talk about money
They may screen you out because you were making too much or too little, concluding that you won’t be happy with the salary or the job demands exceeds your skill level. This is a big topic for another day. Be sure to read Jack Chapman’s book, Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1,000 a Minute.
One last thought for your job interview
Finally, remember that thorough preparation wows employers and makes you a top candidate.