Here comes the dreaded phone interview.
It is critical that you understand what your goal and purpose is when you undergo your first phone screening interview with a company.
Your goal is simple … to get a personal interview!
The phone interview is not to get the job. You may be many steps away from getting the job, and if you get too far ahead of yourself, you may never make it to another interview. Walk through the interviewing process a step at a time.
HR’s goal is also simple. To screen you out!
Imagine your interview is like speaking to a person you believe is American Idol’s Randy Jackson on the phone, but he’s really Simon Cowell in disguise. Simon Cowell is cut-throat.
HR must also be cut-throat. Why?
Here’s the reason. HR has a lot people to talk to, especially in this challenged economic market.
Say HR has 1000 people applying for a single job opportunity. HR has whittled down the 1000 applicants to 100 actual persons that make it to be considered for hiring. After a bit more scrutiny, HR whittles some more potential candidates and gets the stack of applicants down to 20.
From these 20 applicants, HR needs to screen them through a phone interview to find 5 strong applicants to present to the hiring manager. From these 5 applicants, HR hopes to find 2 or 3 qualified persons to make it to the next round.
How does HR do the whittling?
Throughout the process, HR looks for red flags or factors where you are not confident, not direct, or not determined in your approach toward getting the job.
Yes, HR is looking to knock you out of the contest, send you back to your home town, back to sing karaoke. You’ll get no record deal, no tour with Clay Aiken or Fantasia.
How does HR screen you? HR has prepared questions or uses a rating system. HR may score your responses on a 1 - 5 scale with an average closer to a low 1 than a high 5 depending on whether or not you answered the questions or completely avoided them.
Don't get so involved in your responses that HR gets confused or weary. Answer the questions posed to you, but don't keep rambling to the point where you supply too much information. HR may be running a simple checklist and scoring your responses.
Sadly, in the phone interview, HR seeks to find reasons for what is wrong with a potential candidate so that the candidate can be screened out from the job opportunity.
Contributed by Carl Schumacher
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