Over time, telephone calls have become an increasingly common practice. At first glance, the idea of them is convenient - such a conversation can take place anywhere, without even having to think about what we look like or what we are wearing. Here the body language can not “betray” us and the chance of falling into an awkward situation is much smaller.
Despite these advantages, the practice of telephone interviews has a very big disadvantage for all candidates - it is much more difficult to make a memorable first impression. Here we can only rely on the way we speak, as well as the words we choose. For this reason, it is very important to think about what we can do so that they remember us from our first words. In this article, we at Bulwork have put together some tips to help you in your phone interview.
Let's start from the beginning with something common: we have submitted our application for a certain position and we expect someone to contact us. When we hear that our phone is ringing and the screen shows an unknown number - this is our first chance to stand out. When we press the green handset, in addition to the usual greeting: "Hello" or "Good day", we can share our name. Even if this seems like a minor detail, this way we give the impression that we were expecting to be called. And of course we were expecting it, we are the best candidate for this position, aren’t we?
Once we have scheduled a meeting for our phone interview, it's time to prepare for the real part. One of the first things they tell us at the beginning of a conversation is, "Tell me a little more about yourself." This part of the discussion is crucial. Surveys show that 70% of interviewers can judge whether a candidate is suitable or not in the first 60 seconds of their conversation with them. Do we know how to respond in a way that will leave a lasting impression on the person we are talking to? Especially when we can't use body language, but only our words? Here we will focus on a simple formula that we can apply to each interview:
1. It's good to start with something personal about yourself. It can be related to where we live, the weather or some personal interest.
2. As a second step, we will have to say two or three sentences related to our professional experience. One of them will be more comprehensive, and the other will be a little more specific and more closely related to what we are dealing with now. Here we can add achievements that we are proud of.
3. It's time for the final part of our short "business card". We will need it to show the interviewer that we are really happy to have the conversation in question. In one or two sentences we can express our excitement about the given opportunity. In this way we will not only influence the person on the other side, but we will also lift our mood.
Here it would be useful to give a clear example. If we follow the steps listed above, the brief introduction should look like this:
"Of course, I will be happy to tell you about myself. One of my favorite things is cycling. Whenever I need to think, I ride my bike in the park where I live. From a professional point of view, I have been working as a project manager for ten years now, working in some of the biggest names in the IT field, as you can see in my CV. I recently had the opportunity to lead a team of 20 people with a budget of over one million dollars, and together we developed the latest product of the company I work for now. I am very glad to have this conversation, because I liked the description of your position very much and I really think that my skills and knowledge would contribute to the achievement of your goals. "
And here it is! In less than a minute, we stood out from all the other candidates.
Once the main part of the interview has passed, in which we have discussed our professional experience, as well as the job offer from the interviewer, it is time to put the final touches on our profile. Although this is a fairly well-known piece of advice, we will mention it again here - it is always a good idea to ask a few questions. Even if we have all the information we need, we can ask the interviewer more about the culture of the workplace than the position itself. This shows that we are interested in the environment and the people we will work with. Some interesting questions you can ask are:
• "What is the working atmosphere in the company?"
• "What are the company's values?"
• "Which part of the job do you like the most?"
It's time for the last part of the phone call. When it is coming to an end, we have the opportunity to thank the interviewer by calling them by name. Depending on whether we have spoken formally or informally, we can address them by last name or first name. This tactic makes the other person feel closer to us, which is our goal. At this stage we have established a professional relationship with the person on the other side of the line, which gives us a few steps ahead of the other candidates.
The moment has come when we can relax! We can now be sure that we have made a big enough impression to be remembered. These few simple steps can be useful for any new career opportunity.
We wish you success in the next telephone interview!
Over time, telephone calls have become an increasingly common practice. At first glance, the idea of them is convenient - such a conversation can take place anywhere, without even having to think about what we look like or what we are wearing. Here the body language can not “betray” us and the chance of falling into an awkward situation is much smaller.
Despite these advantages, the practice of telephone interviews has a very big disadvantage for all candidates - it is much more difficult to make a memorable first impression. Here we can only rely on the way we speak, as well as the words we choose. For this reason, it is very important to think about what we can do so that they remember us from our first words. In this article, we at Bulwork have put together some tips to help you in your phone interview.
Let's start from the beginning with something common: we have submitted our application for a certain position and we expect someone to contact us. When we hear that our phone is ringing and the screen shows an unknown number - this is our first chance to stand out. When we press the green handset, in addition to the usual greeting: "Hello" or "Good day", we can share our name. Even if this seems like a minor detail, this way we give the impression that we were expecting to be called. And of course we were expecting it, we are the best candidate for this position, aren’t we?
Once we have scheduled a meeting for our phone interview, it's time to prepare for the real part. One of the first things they tell us at the beginning of a conversation is, "Tell me a little more about yourself." This part of the discussion is crucial. Surveys show that 70% of interviewers can judge whether a candidate is suitable or not in the first 60 seconds of their conversation with them. Do we know how to respond in a way that will leave a lasting impression on the person we are talking to? Especially when we can't use body language, but only our words? Here we will focus on a simple formula that we can apply to each interview:
1. It's good to start with something personal about yourself. It can be related to where we live, the weather or some personal interest.
2. As a second step, we will have to say two or three sentences related to our professional experience. One of them will be more comprehensive, and the other will be a little more specific and more closely related to what we are dealing with now. Here we can add achievements that we are proud of.
3. It's time for the final part of our short "business card". We will need it to show the interviewer that we are really happy to have the conversation in question. In one or two sentences we can express our excitement about the given opportunity. In this way we will not only influence the person on the other side, but we will also lift our mood.
Here it would be useful to give a clear example. If we follow the steps listed above, the brief introduction should look like this:
"Of course, I will be happy to tell you about myself. One of my favorite things is cycling. Whenever I need to think, I ride my bike in the park where I live. From a professional point of view, I have been working as a project manager for ten years now, working in some of the biggest names in the IT field, as you can see in my CV. I recently had the opportunity to lead a team of 20 people with a budget of over one million dollars, and together we developed the latest product of the company I work for now. I am very glad to have this conversation, because I liked the description of your position very much and I really think that my skills and knowledge would contribute to the achievement of your goals. "
And here it is! In less than a minute, we stood out from all the other candidates.
Once the main part of the interview has passed, in which we have discussed our professional experience, as well as the job offer from the interviewer, it is time to put the final touches on our profile. Although this is a fairly well-known piece of advice, we will mention it again here - it is always a good idea to ask a few questions. Even if we have all the information we need, we can ask the interviewer more about the culture of the workplace than the position itself. This shows that we are interested in the environment and the people we will work with. Some interesting questions you can ask are:
• "What is the working atmosphere in the company?"
• "What are the company's values?"
• "Which part of the job do you like the most?"
It's time for the last part of the phone call. When it is coming to an end, we have the opportunity to thank the interviewer by calling them by name. Depending on whether we have spoken formally or informally, we can address them by last name or first name. This tactic makes the other person feel closer to us, which is our goal. At this stage we have established a professional relationship with the person on the other side of the line, which gives us a few steps ahead of the other candidates.
The moment has come when we can relax! We can now be sure that we have made a big enough impression to be remembered. These few simple steps can be useful for any new career opportunity.
We wish you success in the next telephone interview!