By Matt Tinonga/reporter
Practice is the best preparation for a telephone interview, a SE coordinator said last week.
Monica Bettle of the SE career center said companies are now using phone interviews as a way to eliminate potential candidates for a job before a face-to-face interview.
“ Prepare for a phone interview just as you would a regular interview,” she said.
To prepare for an interview, one should have a resume ready, take notes and have a list of accomplishments and questions to ask the interviewer, Bettle said.
To avoid interruptions, Bettle said one should conduct the interview in a quiet room and make sure the phone battery is fully charged.
Some other tips are not interrupting the interviewer, speaking slowly and enunciating clearly, giving short answers and avoiding verbal pauses like “ums” and “uhs.”
“ Be sure to smile,” she said. “Smiling will project a positive image to the listener and will change the tone of your voice.”
Bettle said it is important for students to practice beforehand with a friend. They should listen to how they sound to help avoid verbal pauses.
The goal is to set up a face-to-face interview. Bettle said if there is a problem understanding what the interviewer is saying, write it down and ask if what was written is correct.
“ The key to success is to review typical interview questions and prepare answers,” she said.
According to the pamphlet handed out, it is important to research the company.
The prospective employee shoud ask about the company’s products and/or services, size of the company, number of employees, rank within the industry, mission statement and the company’s performance the previous year.
Another tip in the pamphlet is to ask questions about the position. Two of these questions are whom does the position report to and how does the position fit into the organization?
When a situational question is asked, interviewers often give insight to what problems the company might be having, Bettle said.
“ If they ask how you would handle an upset employee, they might have some morale problems,” she said.
To find out more information about phone interviews and for any other interview or job search questions, students can contact their campus career center.
