Phone Interviewing Tips
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Last night, I received an email from a reader of Non Sterile asking if I might help with their upcoming phone interview. Since the main objective of Non Sterile is to help, I was more than happy to lend a hand. We had a good discussion on how to prepare and what to expect during the interview. Some of the topics have already been discussed on Non Sterile, but the following tips are new and after talking with a few recruiters, it seems that phone screening is increasing becoming the first interaction that aspiring medical device representatives with have with the industry.
The following tips came from our discussion this afternoon:
* Have your resume, brag book, company literature and job description in front of you.
* Prepare 3-5 mini-stories and a list of questions.
* Dress as you would for a face-to-face meeting. Wear a suit and tie.
* Stand up - Motion creates Emotion.
* Ask for the business - What’s the next step?
Telephone interviewing has its advantages and disadvantages. The main disadvantage is that you are not speaking face-to-face so you are not able to receive any feedback from your interviewer’s body language or facial expression. But the advantage is that you are able to have a wealth of information at your disposal, such as a copy of your resume, brag book, the job description and a list of questions. You can refer to all of these documents without the interviewer knowing.
Try to setup the phone interview for the late afternoon, when you can get off work early. If you schedule it for the middle of the day, Murphy’s Law says you will be interrupted by an emergency that will require your immediate attention. You’ll have better control over your environment if you are at home or at least far away from the office.
Most phone interviews will last about 30 minutes and are behavioral or situational interviews. Similar to face-to-face interviews but a little shorter. Prepare 3-5 mini stories on how you were successful. These could be the time when you discovered a way to save your current employer a lot of money, or the time when you landed the elephant. Develop your mini stores in the STAR Format.
Although your interviewer can’t see you through the phone, it doesn’t mean you can just wear sweats. You are not on the phone talking with your buddies about football and your voice should reflect a level of professionalism. Wearing a suit will help you stay in character, but don’t be too dry. Be enthusiastic, show you are interested in the position and vary your voice inflection to prevent the listener from falling asleep.
Standing up will help you create interest. Remember motion creates emotion. I talk with my hands, so I use a headset to keep my telephone personality similar to my in-person personality.
Finally and probably most importantly, get a commitment for the next step. I don’t recommend being too pushy. So a simple questions such as “What is the next step?” will usually get the job done.