Phone Interview Preparation

From: Your Recruiter, 

Be Prepared:

• Make sure you are in a quiet area with good reception.  

o Using headphones can also free up your hands. Though I do not recommend the headphones with microphone attached as the clarity drops.

• Calling from a land line is preferred.  

• If you need to use a cell phone, make sure your cell is fully charged.

• Research the company’s website and latest news.  

• Review your resume and the job description 

• Be prepared to speak to what is written on your resume-have your resume in front of you 

• If you can, research the interviewer(s) LinkedIn profiles.

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Research company:

• Company website:

• What do they do? What is their mission statement?

• Glassdoor.com (check their interview questions)

• Who are their competitors?

• Hiring Manager’s LinkedIn Profile: 

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Research yourself:

• Review your resume three times TODAY. You need to know what you did without reading it.

• Talk through what you did at each past experience to yourself and note anything you did specifically that is not on your resume

• List your strengths and weaknesses and memorize a few.

• Draft or outline your "Tell me about yourself" response. You need to know it without reading it, not verbatim, but know yourself on a level you can speak and it flows.

• Mine goes along the lines of... Polite hello's, how are you's, "well, thank you" and then into: My most recent position was that of a ________ with (insert company here). One of my top motivators is seeing the positive impact my work has on the candidates I work with. I fully enjoy using my analytical and verbal skills to help other people get jobs….

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Practice out loud with someone else multiple times. This is probably the most important thing. If you don't do this, you will regret it 100%. We will practice over the phone before the interview, but it never helps to practice with other people, or animals, in your life.

Typical First Interview Questions:

Everyone likes to make a great first impression. A lot of people go into interviews wanting to come off unique, smarter, and more qualified. Since you got to the phone interview part, it means they already believe you are qualified. It’s now your goal to assure them you’re professional and competent, and your that your personality is agreeable. With that being said, let’s look at some typical job interview questions:

Q: "Have you ever worked with someone difficult?" (A hiring manager is asking you this because they want to know if you will be drama at the workplace. None of us ever get along 100% with everyone we work with, but the good ones always keep it professional at the workplace. 

A: "No, I have not. Perhaps it's because I have been blessed working with great teams, but fortunately, I have not encountered anyone difficult to work with. Demanding? Yes, but given their position and the project at hand, I can understand that. " (They can't refute this. Don't walk into a trap.)

Q: “Tell me a time that you…”

A: Know yourself and your resume. Be able to talk, not read from a list, your past experiences doing anything and everything. Stay positive. Never dip into something remotely negative and always have a positive upturn if the obstacle was challenging. "A project plan changed last minute, but I came up with a solution for our group, we changed our approach and finished the project ahead of time."

Talk this out loud to yourself. Talk about it to your parents, siblings, best friend, pet, just say it out loud or you will regret not doing so.

Q: "Most difficult time in your life?" (Are you going to fold under pressure?)

A: "Switching majors, moving to a new city [short short explanation]." (They can't refute this and it's a dumb question to ask you.)

Q: "Why you?"

A: Play to your strengths and how they align with the job description's requirements.

Q: "Goals?"

A: "Short term: be a part of Wells Fargo doing xyz. Long term: leading a team to (something monumental)." (Note the difference in the two).

Q: "Why Wells Fargo/ financial services industry"

A: "Wells Fargo is the leading financial services company in the United States. Even though it is a prestigious, established company, I still see so much room for growth based on its use of technology. (You may have to bs a little here since if you haven’t worked for Wells Fargo or the financial services industry, you’re not going to know why you really want to work for them. Nothing too long, but actually have an answer, and make it solid.)

Q: "Weaknesses?

A:  "I'm very detail oriented (means you can't have any mistakes on your resume or cover letter), and as such, additional time is required depending upon the task. However, my final products are well thought out, professional, and usually with no errors." (The point is you must end with a positive note, something that overpowers the weakness. Pick a simple weakness, too, like attention to detail requiring time, or making extensive lists that...cover all the potential angles. Always put a positive spin on the weakness.)

Other Tips:

1. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification. Better to ask than to answer the wrong question.

2. Speak slowly. No need to rush. You'll sound more collected.

3. Don't elaborate on any one thing unless they've asked for detail. Be concise, get to the point. Period. If there's a pause, ask if you've answered their question or something to that nature.

4. There are plenty of interview questions out there on Google, but I'd check Glassdoor first and go from there. We will work together also during our prep.

5. I realize this is a phone interview, so you can definitely read off a list of strengths or have canned lines, but it's better to move away from this sooner than later.

6. Don't sell any experience or yourself short. If you did something one time, it's experience. Not "basic" or "some" experience. Wait until they ask you how much experience and then you explain with confidence.

7. Start watching how many times you say "umm" and "uhh" starting right now. Cut those words out of your vocabulary now. Even catching yourself now will help.

Money:

If they ask you what you are looking to make please inform them, “ATR has negotiated my rate”. This is because a rate is already established and agreed upon by both us and the client when you are presented and an interview is requested. This rate cannot be changed/negotiated during or after the interview process. 

Ask Questions:

Have some general questions prepared to ask at the END of the interview. Don’t talk money or benefits. Ask questions that pertain to the position and responsibilities of the assignment. Sample questions include:

1. How do you interact with the people on your team? (Weekly report, meetings, etc?)

2. Can you give me a feel of the culture around here?

3. Yes, I have a question. While I did read the job description, how would you describe the best candidate for this position? (Ask this. You know you are; reinforce why you're the things they will mention)

4. What are the next steps? 

CALL ME AFTER THE INTERVIEW

After the interview, give me a call within 10 minutes. Hiring managers are making their decision and moving on quickly. Why wait? I need to get your feedback before I talk to the hiring manager asking for their comments and trying to get you an offer or another interview.

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