Many of my clients hire me because while they are getting phone interviews with top companies, they are finding that they don’t move forward to the next step, which generally is an in-person interview. Many times job candidates mistakenly think that the reason they are not moving forward has something to do with their resume. In fact, they often seek me out assuming their resume is the problem, but I know different.
As a Senior Recruiter for 14 years with top tier Fortune 500 companies and start-ups in the San Francisco Bay Area, I can guarantee you that your problem isn’t your resume if you are not moving forward past the phone interview. If you had a resume problem, you wouldn’t even be getting a phone interview, because the recruiter would already reject your skills and work history that you are presenting in the resume you used to apply for the job opening. Your problem is that you are not expressing your value proposition in the phone interview, and the recruiter or hiring manager is passing on you.
Make or Break Tips to Move Forward from the Phone Interview Stage:
- Convey enthusiasm and excitement in your voice. Make sure you are either on a landline or a place where your cell phone has a strong signal, and there is no distracting noise. Do not use a Bluetooth device or be on speakerphone. Do not ever be driving while you are in a phone interview. It’s both dangerous and noisy for the person interviewing you. It also tells the hiring manager that you are unprofessional.
- Fully understand the value your skills and work experience bring to this job and convey them confidently. Don’t assume your interviewer knows anything about your value.
- Understand how to handle questions about your salary requirements so that you move forward and aren’t rejected for this reason.
- Ask questions that make you seem like you are an industry expert.
- Prepare for your phone interview and take it very seriously.
What if you could practice your phone interview skills with an interview expert and get valuable direct constructive feedback on how to present your value proposition so that the company wants to move you forward in the interview process?
I offer expert interview success sessions for phone, Skype, or in-person interviews.
Contact me to find out more about how I can help you be successful: info@yourinterviewsuccess.com
You can view the original article which appeared on LinkedIn in August 2017.