don’t make these 10 mistakes in your next phone interview by Alison Green on September 17, 2012 If you have a phone interview coming up and are wondering how to excel in it so that you get offered an in-person interview, here are 10 common mistakes to avoid. 1. Thinking it’s not a real interview. Some job seekers treat phone interviews as if they’re a casual get-to-know-you chat. They rarely are. Phone interviews […] Read the full article →
when an employer asks you to call them long-distance by Alison Green on May 11, 2012 A reader writes: I applied for a job at a large insurance company and was contacted to set up a phone interview. When I called the HR representative back to set up a date and time, she requested that I call her at the appointed time. I agreed. After hanging up, I realized that this […] Read the full article →
how to stand out in a phone interview by Alison Green on February 1, 2012 More and more employers are using phone interviews as screening mechanisms to narrow down their applicant pool before deciding who to interview in person. These calls can range from short and perfunctory to long and in-depth, but either way, it’s crucial to be prepared for them. Here are 10 tips to help you ace phone […] Read the full article →
is “use a land line” outdated advice for phone interviews? by Alison Green on July 7, 2011 Somehow, yesterday’s post about giving feedback to your interviewer has turned into a debate in the comments on whether it’s reasonable to advise candidates to use a land line for phone interviews. In the past, I’ve been a firm advocate for using a land line when you’re doing a phone interview. The sound quality is often […] Read the full article →
10 ways to ace your phone interview by Alison Green on May 30, 2011 More and more employers are using phone interviews as screens to narrow down their applicant pool before deciding who to interview in person. These conversations range from short and perfunctory to lengthy and in-depth, and job candidates don’t always know in advance which type it’s going to be. Here are 10 ways to ace your […] Read the full article →
don’t send poetry as your writing sample, and other suggestions for job applicants by Alison Green on December 30, 2010 I’m hiring college students for several internships right now, which means that the candidates are a mix of really impressive/prepared and really … not. Lessons from just this past week: 1. Don’t send poetry as your writing sample. It doesn’t matter how good it is; it’s not relevant to the kind of writing I need […] Read the full article →
interviewer didn’t give me any time to ask my own questions by Alison Green on December 29, 2010 A reader writes: I am stumped about a telephone interview I had today. I did my homework and researched the company as it is in a major city 5-7 hrs away. The position is a professional position and I have the professional license for the position. In talking to the manager of the the division, […] Read the full article →
you should not do a phone interview at 55 miles an hour by Alison Green on October 28, 2010 I’m not sure why anyone would do a pre-scheduled phone interview while they were driving, but since I’ve recently discovered that some people do in fact engage in this behavior, please consider this a formal suggestion not to. It baffles me that this happens, because: 1. First of all, you can’t focus fully. Why, why, […] Read the full article →
surprise — it’s a phone interview that you didn’t know was coming! by Alison Green on August 3, 2010 A reader writes: Is it customary to surprise applicants with a phone interview? I’m applying for an internal promotion with my current employer. I had an appointment to call my potential boss to ask questions about the position (this is standard practice at my company). HR told me I would have a phone interview Tuesday. When […] Read the full article →
employer left me a message — but wouldn’t respond when I tried to get back to them by Alison Green on June 20, 2010 A reader writes: Recently I faxed my resume and cover letter to a company that had a job posting on Career Builders. About a week later I received a call from a lady in HR asking that I return her call. I got home about an hour and half later and returned the call and […] Read the full article →