Phone interviews. Suggestions/tips

[coop54]

Hey folks I got a phone interview for a big job opportunity this week. I live in CT, the job is in Kansas. Im totally thrilled about the opportunity.
Just wondering if some of you guys have some suggestions/tips for a phone interview. Ive only had one phone interview before but Im more of an in person kind of interviewee. I like that in person feel I guess.
Anything would help. Ive done my research on the company and stuff but would like to hear some opinions.
Any help is much appreciated!

 

[X]

Hey folks I got a phone interview for a big job opportunity this week. I live in CT, the job is in Kansas. Im totally thrilled about the opportunity.
Just wondering if some of you guys have some suggestions/tips for a phone interview. Ive only had one phone interview before but Im more of an in person kind of interviewee. I like that in person feel I guess.
Anything would help. Ive done my research on the company and stuff but would like to hear some opinions.
Any help is much appreciated!

Really the best thing you can do for a PI, you've already done -- a shit-ton of research on the company & position. And when the "what's your biggest drawback" question comes up - say something positive like "When I'm working on a project, I tend to focus all of my attention on it." It's not a drawback at all.

 

[coop54]

Yeah, thats been my biggest question so far kinda. You always expect that question, "whats your biggest weakness"? I hate trying to think up a good answer to that one. Thanks!

 

[X]

Yeah, thats been my biggest question so far kinda. You always expect that question, "whats your biggest weakness"? I hate trying to think up a good answer to that one. Thanks!

pro-tip is to just not answer it. Bend your answer to make it seem as a positive. Several people fight the urge to list SOME sort of negative just to answer the question -- but you're best to answer it with a positive connotation.

"When I'm intrenched in a project, I tend to give it my all. I know there needs to be a balance between professional life and personal life, but I feel my personal life is more gratifying when I'm working hard to be the best professional I can be."

 

[coop54]

Also, if anybody is from or around Kansas, any information about the area would also be appreciated. The job would be around the Olathe area, just a bit south, southwest of Kansas City. Did some apartment searching just for shits and giggles and man I cant believe the difference from here in CT. A comparable apartment out here is at least 1000-1,300 per. Whereas out there i was seeing 550-850

 

[Crystallas]

Use the phone to your advantage. Have notes in front of you. And BE RELAXED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, relaxed enough, not stoner-surfer dude relaxed.

 

[BNB]

Really the best thing you can do for a PI, you've already done -- a shit-ton of research on the company & position. And when the "what's your biggest drawback" question comes up - say something positive like "When I'm working on a project, I tend to focus all of my attention on it." It's not a drawback at all.

This will also work well

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But good luck coop54! I'm pretty terrible at interviews, so I have no advice haha.

 

[coop54]

LMAO!!! Well if it bombs, maybe ill just go that route!

 

[DC]

1. Be a listener. I run a business with 105 employees. I have interviewed hundreds of people over the years and if they can't let me finish a question or don't listen to it properly, I move on w/o them. Harder to do over the phone. Just relax, listen to their question and respond in an appropriate amount of time. Don't be too long winded, and don't be too quick. Like a conversation on a train or bus.

 

[Ares]

As others have said, check out the company beforehand, have a few notes on hand about them, even just stuff you find interesting or places/things they do.

I had several phone interviews last year when I was looking for a new job where I was so swamped with work and trying to find new work that I would get on the phone with people and they would say "So what is it you like about our company, why do you want to work for us?" and I would literally draw a huge blank and bullshit the answer.... definitely reflects poorly.

I think one realization I have had both because I interviewed over the phone a couple times and I interviewing people for positions open at my current company is that if you do even a little bit of prep, you are likely more prepared than the person interviewing you. They have jobs to do and are short staffed if they are hiring, so they likely pulled interview questions from the internet or from a communal cache of sorts, so don't feel like you are totally fighting uphill lol sometimes we struggled to even make it to interview people on the phone on time FFS.

Idk what kind of job you are in or looking at but if its IT or Development, something where you have a tech interview, keep in mind your tech interview is likely to be done by someone who is in the trenches like you. Often times I found the decision making process barely even looked at how we thought about a person's technical abilities, so while tech interview can be important IMO it aint the deal breaker.

PS: I hate tech phone interviews that go way too in depth.... You want me to write you a SQL query with 6 joins over the phone and then talk it out to you and optimize it? Go **** yourself, bring me in and give me a piece of paper.

 

[clonetrooper264]

PS: I hate tech phone interviews that go way too in depth.... You want me to write you a SQL query with 6 joins over the phone and then talk it out to you and optimize it? Go **** yourself, bring me in and give me a piece of paper.

If I got asked that in a phone interview I'd be convinced they were setting me up to fail lol

 

[Ares]

If I got asked that in a phone interview I'd be convinced they were setting me up to fail lol

I actually didn't get asked that, but heard my co-worker ask it to a candidate on a phone interview and had to bite my tongue.... another lesson.... lots of people doing interviews are horrible people for doing interviews of candidates.

I had to shut her up a couple times when we had in-person interviews where she would ask weird super specific questions that the candidates couldn't get.

It would be like sitting with your co-worker interviewing a person for a job on your team and they ask "So if an <Insert Company Specific Stored Procedure> fails with a generic error, would you look in the data in <Insert Company Specific Table1> or in <Insert Company Specific Table2>?" Well how they gonna know that when they don't work for us?

Or she would ask like syntax questions about SQL.... shit everyone knows they would just Google.

Lol one interview I turned and said "You know theres no way for him to know that right?"

 

[Omeletpants]

What employers really want to know is what you can do for them. So, your answers to questions should be framed as to how your experience and skills to help them. The interview is really not about you
So, when the interviewer is asking about your past job performance extend the answer to how that expereince can help them, not just what you did. To understand how you can help you need to know about their company and challenges. So, ask early in the interview why they are filling this position and what type of skills they want.

 

[botfly10]

What other people have said. But also, a trick that applies to any kind of interview... Most people are more interested in talking than listening. Even during interviews.

Understand that even though you are supposed to be talking about yourself, most interviewers are more interesting in doing the talking. Often the best way to smash an interview is to just be a really good listener. Be interested in what they are saying. Do not interject. Do not redirect back to yourself if they ramble. Ask good questions and listen intently to the answers. Make em feel like a big deal. Let them tell you things you already know.

 

[coop54]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the great input. Feeling pretty confident as Ive done a lot of studying on the company. Wont say what company its for yet but its a major corp and the position is geographic science related. Looked a lot at their mission statement and their vision for the future of their company. They also put a few youtube videos on their site with employees talking about what its like to work there and such so I think I got some good questions and possible answers up my sleeve. Also got a good feeling for this go around as Im pretty sure the interviewer is an HR employee and will probably just be looking to see how I would fit in with their group.

 

[Crystallas]

Good luck, and remember, if you wind up just having phone sex. It's still a win-win.

 

[coop54]

Just thought Id follow up on this, interview went really well. Talked about a lot of different things even non-job related. A lot of your basic interview questions that you always get. But def went really well. She said shed be calling me back in a week to let me know if theyre gunna fly me out there and show me the place to see if I like it.
Appreciate all the input