| |
| |
|
Careers & Employment Information |
|
|
|
More Companies Using Job Interview Phone Screening
Planning and preparing before you begin to send out resumes could save you some embarrassing moments when you receive that unexpected call. You just never know when that phone is going to ring. Let's say the phone rings just as you are about to sit down for dinner, but this time it's not a pesky telemarketer -- it's a company recruiter calling. The voice on the other end of the phone says she is calling about a resume you sent in six weeks ago. 'What -- six weeks ago? I sent out 40 resumes in the past six weeks? Who exactly are you and what was the job you are calling about?' You've been caught off-guard! The telephone 'screen call' can come at any time -- day or night. Some interviewers find evenings the best time to catch people at home, where they will be able to talk more candidly. That being the case, you should be on-call and prepared to receive a telephone interview at any time. Even though you cannot control the timing of these calls, there are some steps that you can take to not be caught off-guard. 1. Get organized. Set aside your materials as though you were going to a face-to-face interview. Have a folder with job postings or ads you have answered, along with company information. If you have several versions of your resume, attach the one relevant to the particular job posting. Keep this folder in a specific place so you can get to it in less than a minute. When the phone rings at an unexpected moment, tell the caller to hold and then grab your folder. 2. Be prepared. This is key to any interview, but for the telephone interview it is essential. Practice with a tape recorder to hear the level of enthusiasm in your voice. The key to telephone interviews is projecting an upbeat image through the sound of your voice and the words you use. 3. Know what they are looking for. Look over the job description to see what the company is seeking in a candidate. If you don't have a good description, look at other postings of similar positions to see what is being asked for. Compare what you have to offer against what they are looking for. Be ready to let the interviewer know what a good match you are for the position. 4. Alert the household. Be sure everyone in your household -- children, roommates, etc., are aware that you will be receiving calls from recruiters and companies. The phone should be answered in a polite, professional manner. While you're at it, make sure your voice mail message is also professional and upbeat. Telephone interviews, typically conducted by a human resources staff member or a hired recruiter, are used as screening tools to save time and money. By asking key questions, the interviewer determines whether or not it's worthwhile to pursue you further as a candidate. The screenings may consist of a few quick questions or as much as a one-hour grilling. Some general questions you might expect in a telephone screening are: If there is some particular skill that qualifies you for a job, for example technical skills or languages, there may be some qualifying questions about the 'tools of the trade.' Getting through this screening is critical for advancing to the next step: the face-to-face interview. This puts added pressure on you to present yourself in a positive, focused manner. If you attempt to wing this call, you may reach a dead end in the process. By organizing and preparing you will feel less stressed when these calls do come. About The Author Carole Martin is a celebrated author, trainer, and an interview coach. Her books, 'Interview Fitness Training Workbook' and 'Boost Your Interview IQ' (McGraw Hill) have sold thousands of copies world-wide. Receive Carole's FREE job interview tips by visiting her web site at: http://www.interviewcoach.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Employment - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
5 Ways to Profit From No Child Left Behind (NCLB) The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (No Child Left Behind) is designed to reform and improve student achievement and change the culture of America's schools. According to this reform act each state must measure every public school student's progress in reading and math in each of grades 3 through 8 and at least once during grades 10 through 12. A Workplace Romance Can Be Detrimental to Your Career Over 70% of single employees will become romantically involved with someone they work with at some point in their career. The workplace has become the new single's bar. Troubleshooting Your Job Search OK. You've posted your resume online. Old Hiring Foxes vs. The Hedgehogs You are about to compete for the best people again. The recovery is happening. Your Interview Questions Are a Serious Matter Of course interviews are mainly about you answering the questions they put to you, but at the end of your allotted interview time, the questions that really matter most are yours. You should hope to hear the interviewer ask you:"Have you any questions?"But even if they don't ask, you should grasp the opportunity and say:"Do you mind if I ask a couple of questions?" However you must be careful when planning what questions you're going to ask, and make sure that they are not ones that you should already know the answer to because it's been covered in the interview. Writing a Resume: To Template or Not To Template? Are free resume templates a viable answer to preparing a killer resume?It's a fact that if your resume doesn't stand out--both in terms of content AND appearance-- you'll find it very difficult to get the job you seek.Hiring managers get hundreds of resumes for every open position, but usually have time to interview only a handful of applicants. Are Your References Ready? One of the most common forms of background check performed by companies hiring new employees is the reference check. They typically request that candidates provide them with three names of previous bosses. How to Turn Career Mistakes into Career Wins I recently talked with a client who was paralyzed at the thought of making another "mistake" in her career.She was stuck and unable to choose a direction. Overcome Interview Nerves: Be Better Prepared than Your Interviewer Although interview preparation is everything it's sad to say that perhaps as many as half of all interviewers you're going to meet will be unprepared or incompetent. It's not all their fault, it's just lack of interview preparation time or responsibility; some of them will be co-opted at the last minute to meet you and won't have had time to prepare. Job Search: The End of the Line There is an end to the job search tunnel!It has been a long, hard road: layoff, unemployment, fear, depression, and occasionally panic or despair. Beyond the trauma of losing your job stretches the uncomfortable, stress filled nightmare of looking for work. From Bumbling Bosses to Cranky Co-Workers - How to Overcome What Makes You Hate Your Job I'll be the first to admit that I hated my job. It took many years for me to come to this realization since I kept accepting promotions in the hopes that the awful ache inside of my chest would go away. It May Be Time to Walk in an Employers Shoes If you are in a job search and aren't receiving viable hits, it's time to walk a mile in an employer's shoes. Okay, I realize what you may be thinking. Importance Of Your Job Search So that you can decide just how critical your job hunt is in your total life scheme, let's put a kind of frame around the importance of the effort ahead.Reflect on it. Invest in Your Career Change--Put Your Money Where Your Dream Is You say you want a new career, you say you want to start your own business, you say you'd love to be a freelance writer and travel more but are you serious? Can I really believe you? Are you investing in your dream?When you want something badly enough, you're willing to work hard, make sacrifices, and invest in your dream.Most people who've made a career change didn't have lots of money from which to draw. What To Do When HR Calls... Generally, when you present yourself as a prospective candidate for a new employment opportunity, your information will filter through the Human Resources department. Since every company has their own hiring process, understand that you cannot always control when HR will call you. The 5 Ps Of A Job Search Step One - Plan:Most people spend more time planning a one to two week vacation than they do planning their lifetime career. When planning for a vacation, you look at where you want to go, what your reason is for wanting to go to that particular place, how long it will take to get there, whether or not you want to take any side trips, what type of budget you will need, and what type of clothes you will need to take. Seminars: Why Are They Popular, and What Advantages/Disadvantages Are There to Attending One? Seminars dealing with "special topics" have actually been around for decades, and are an older form of marketing and information exchanges, that have seen quite a resurgence of interest in the past ten years.Seminars are simply a group of people coming together for the discussion and learning of specific techniques and topics. Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Career Opportunity and Employee Retention This article relates to the Career Opportunities competency and explores issues such as internal growth opportunities, potential for advancement, career development importance, and the relationship between job performance and career advancement. Evaluating the Career Opportunities competency in your organization will determine whether your employees believe they have a chance to grow within the organization. Wanted: A Diva for the Job of a Lifetime! "When I was a child, I always thought the world was mine, A stomping ground for me, full of opportunities. I always had this attitude that I was going to go out into the world and do all the things I wanted to do. Do Dream Jobs Really Exist? More than four out of ten thirtysomething professionals want to change careers, but feel trapped and don't believe that they will, a new study shows.More thirtysomethings than ever before are feeling disillusioned with their careers and openly acknowledge that they'd like to move into something more rewarding and fulfilling.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
