A Simple Yet Effective Candidate Phone Interview Tip
By The Pachera Group
Phone interviews can be awkward, let’s face it. If you’re the candidate, you’re often the one with the least amount of experience with phone interviews, and therefore, likely to be the one feeling the most uncomfortable. You can’t see each other to read body language, gestures go unnoticed, and it can be difficult to pick up nuances in tone – all of which can be important in making a connection.
Identify yourself!
Many candidates fail to understand they start the conversation, and by doing so they have a huge opportunity to set the foundation to establish a strong, professional connection – and good first impression. The conversation is started the moment you answer the phone and how you choose to answer the phone says a lot about you. The casual “hello” as if it’s your friend or family calling does not cut it and leads to a choppy, uncomfortable beginning.
You’ve scheduled and confirmed the appointment, so you should be expecting the call. It’s likely you have caller ID, so you know the incoming call is not personal. You’ve got the lead here, so don’t waste it with a simple hello. Identify yourself when you answer the phone and you eliminate the awkward start of “Who’s this? This is Steve, who’s this?”
Phone Interview Tip: Answer with a “Hi, this is Steve”, or even better, “Hi, this is Steve, is this Gwen?” In doing so you acknowledge that you’re prepared for the call, understand it’s a business call not personal, and you create the perfect opening for the recruiter or hiring manager to then take the lead and set the stage for the interview.
About the Author: Gwen Moore
A long-burning passion for organizational development inspired Gwen’s move from marketing, where she got her start, to human resources. She is a veteran of global firms like Electronic Arts, Cadence Design Systems, and National Semiconductor, most recently serving as Senior Director of Marketing and Human Resources for a children’s entertainment company, and has founded two startups, one in technology and one in entertainment. The marketing of products, brands, and talent itself all fall well within Gwen’s bailiwick. @pacheragroup
Image Credit: Matt Reinbold
About the company
We won't just do social media strategies. Social Hire will work collaboratively with your team to ensure your business gets genuine value from us and that your team gets the most out of the service. Our experienced social media managers are motivated to make a enhancements to your social media marketing and reaching targets in a way that realistically makes a difference to your business goals.
What the Social Hire gang loves is making a difference for our clients, and we don't want to waste your, or our resources on marketing for marketing's sake, if it doesn't get your organisation the impression you need - we take a different approach. When your business utilises social media management, Social Hire improve the presence of your company online and offer your business the lift it needs to improve.
Our digital marketing managers are the wizards that can give you the insight you need to grow your business. Have you had enough of making difficult personnel choices that don't work well for your online marketing?
Our specialists are a team that assists our partners improve their presence online by producing online marketing on a regular basis. Our service is transparent and economical, which ensures that you get a great service and results that make a difference when you use our services.
You might like these blog posts We All Want Transparency in the Workplace, But is it Possible to Have Too Much?, Small Business Tips: Focus On Engagement Rather Than Promotion, 4 Employee Wellness Programs To Offer In 2019, and 9 Types of Visual Content for Instagram.
