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[btrboyev]

So I got a call from a company called protein design labs, with interest to my application for a postion in their networking team. I've never had a phone interview before and I'm worried that I'm gonna screw up big time especially since I don't really like to talk on the phone. What are some good tips to use? And any advice would be greatly appriecated. They said they would want to talk about my past work experience, not sure what else..I just want to do a good job and hopefully get a real interview based off my performance. My plan right now is basically to study my resume and write down all the details of my previous work so i'll be ready to answer questions.

 

[Dilbert]

Didn't we do a phone interview thread a while ago? You might want to search the forum...

 

[rastex]

The best advice I ever got for a phone interview is to STAND while talking on the phone. When I had an interview with my last company I stood up and so I had a nice loud confident voice, I could walk around and stuff, it was awesome. Ended up getting 2 offers Seriously, it makes things soooo much better when you stand up.

 

[ced]

Funny, I have a phone interview too, Thurs morning = )

The standing approach sounds good. Im actually a much better speaker over phone than in person, think I might actually do better in tha case.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

furiously masturbate while talking to the person on the other line. try to orgasm near the end of the interview. but if you cant help yourself..... try to do it while they ask for your salary requirements.

 

[Dilbert]

Found my advice from the other thread:

Although I've never done a phone interview personally, my girlfriend went through several of them recently as part of her job search. As far as I can tell, phone interviews are primarily a screen to reduce the number of possible candidates to invite to in-person interviews. If you do well in the phone interview, expect to be asked to come into the office to talk some more.

Although phone interviews may seem to be easier because you don't have to worry about dressing up, shaking hands, getting lost on the way to the office, and so on, I would suspect that they are more challenging than an in-person interview in certain ways. A huge percentage of communication is done through non-verbal means: appearance, demeanor, gestures, facial expressions. On the phone, none of those factors can work in your favor. Even verbal clues such as inflection can be missed or misinterpreted more easily because of the phone. Finally, it may be harder to keep the attention of the interviewer -- he/she could be half listening, and half reading email, staring out the window, etc.

If I were you, I'd pay attention to speaking deliberately and clearly into the phone, keep your answers on topic and interesting, and do your best to project your personality in your voice. It may be helpful to sit and gesture while you're on the phone as if you were in a face-to-face interview to establish the right state of mind.

 

[iapetus]

Wear a suit and tie.

 

[shuri]

Have some beat going on in the background and freestyle your way to employement

 

[mightynine]

FHUTP (F**k her up the phone)

 

[Jim Bowie]

Since they can't see you, stand and walk around completely naked. It will boost your confidence and will let you talk to your boss naked. Especially if she's scorching hot. If she is a she. If not, standing is good.

 

[Nester]

The only time I've had a phone interview I got stuck on the question "What would you say are some of your weaknesses" (after of course asking my strengths.) I hate that question, because although I know I probably have some weaknesses, I don't like to think about them, only the positive.

So I sat there on the phone for a little bit with a lot of "Well..uh....I guess..." and a little dead air. I got the job still, but I really hate that question.

Any tips on what would be a good answer while not really making it seem as big of a weakness? For future reference, of course. I get caught in that question during in-person interviews as well, but it probably sounded 10x worse over the phone.

 

[Dagless M.D.]

Swear, alot. Its the new hip thing to do

 

[Eggo]

The only time I've had a phone interview I got stuck on the question "What would you say are some of your weaknesses" (after of course asking my strengths.) I hate that question, because although I know I probably have some weaknesses, I don't like to think about them, only the positive.

Any tips on what would be a good answer while not really making it seem as big of a weakness? For future reference, of course. I get caught in that question during in-person interviews as well, but it probably sounded 10x worse over the phone.

Simple. "Sometimes I work too much because I really get into the job." If they press for more, say "It can impact my family/social life when I work too much, but my time management skills are good, and I'm working on improving them further so everyone is happy. =)" Something like that will pass just fine.

I've screened candidates via the phone before, and believe it or not people really kill themselves with phone interviews all the time. Whatever you do, dead silence is bad. Communicate as best you can and show you're enthusiastic about the position. A phone interview shouldn't last more than a couple minutes if you know what you're doing. It's just the first filter in weeding out obviously bad candidates.

 

[Dilbert]

The only time I've had a phone interview I got stuck on the question "What would you say are some of your weaknesses" (after of course asking my strengths.) I hate that question, because although I know I probably have some weaknesses, I don't like to think about them, only the positive.

So I sat there on the phone for a little bit with a lot of "Well..uh....I guess..." and a little dead air. I got the job still, but I really hate that question.

Any tips on what would be a good answer while not really making it seem as big of a weakness? For future reference, of course. I get caught in that question during in-person interviews as well, but it probably sounded 10x worse over the phone.

Eggo's response is the "classic" one, but a) most interviewers have heard it before and b) do you REALLY want to walk into a job with the reputation of being suicidally dedicated to your job?

The best answer to that question is an honest one. As much as you may not like to think about them, you NEED to understand your weaknesses and constantly work on improving them. Also, realize that "weaknesses" can refer to lack of certain kinds of experience relevant to your job as well -- not just personality quirks. Obviously, when answering this question, you need to be careful to not sound incompetent or antisocial. But someone who has a realistic understanding of self is going to go far in ANY field.

 

[iapetus]

Simple. "Sometimes I work too much because I really get into the job." If they press for more, say "It can impact my family/social life when I work too much, but my time management skills are good, and I'm working on improving them further so everyone is happy. =)" Something like that will pass just fine.

No it won't. If I'm interviewing you, then it's a big mark against you, in fact. You do have weaknesses - identifying them and showing that you work to address them is a good thing. That's the important thing - to offset the weakness with a sign that you can overcome it. Giving an irritating pre-packaged and meaningless 'right' answer that's almost certainly a lie won't score you any points.

And again, wear a suit and tie. So many people taking the piss that I'm not sure that one got through as a serious suggestion, but you won't regret it. It gives you that realisation that what you're doing is a serious business proposition.

 

[Azwethinkweiz]

The only time I've had a phone interview I got stuck on the question "What would you say are some of your weaknesses" (after of course asking my strengths.) I hate that question, because although I know I probably have some weaknesses, I don't like to think about them, only the positive.

So I sat there on the phone for a little bit with a lot of "Well..uh....I guess..." and a little dead air. I got the job still, but I really hate that question.

Any tips on what would be a good answer while not really making it seem as big of a weakness? For future reference, of course. I get caught in that question during in-person interviews as well, but it probably sounded 10x worse over the phone.

The one that I use is that I'm a little too confident and stubborn. Therefore if I ever get stuck working on a project, I usually wait longer than I should before I ask for outside advice and or help.

 

[btrboyev]

The interview went vpretty well in my opinion, I handled myself better than I thought i would...thanks for the advice guys (iapetus and jinx especially)