Any tips on phone interviews?

binarysoul

Any tips on tehcnical interviews over the phone? What are some of the things you have to watch for when doing phone interviews?

One requirment is to troublshoot 'modems'. I'm sure this is not cable/DSL/56K modems, do any of you know what modem types I should know?

EdTheLad

Wash your teeth before the interview, have the phone close to the door bell so if your stuck on a question you can ring the bell and excuse yourself for a couple of minutes to make a quick post on techexams.

strauchr

Dress and groom yourself as if you were going to an interview in person. The level of professionalism will come through in your voice.

wizarddeath

strauchr wrote:

Dress and groom yourself as if you were going to an interview in person. The level of professionalism will come through in your voice.

For a phone interview, I sugguest just the oposite, my 1st ever phone interview was done in the bathroom(No....it was just the quietest room in the house), with me in a bathroom sitting on the side of the tub. You want professional answers, but a fluid converstation with the recruiter. Whatever makes you feel the most presentable with no stress. Pace if you want to pace.

Sie

Have a glass of water to hand, dont want to be coughing through an interview, oh and no sniff lots!!

strauchr

wizarddeath wrote:

strauchr wrote:

Dress and groom yourself as if you were going to an interview in person. The level of professionalism will come through in your voice.

For a phone interview, I sugguest just the oposite, my 1st ever phone interview was done in the bathroom(No....it was just the quietest room in the house), with me in a bathroom sitting on the side of the tub. You want professional answers, but a fluid converstation with the recruiter. Whatever makes you feel the most presentable with no stress. Pace if you want to pace.

Fair point. I find it helps.

I use to pace a lot until I had one interview where I paced back and forth so quickly I ended up puffing a bit and losing my breath (And I'm not THAT unfit). Got the job still.

Oh and have any relevant pages on the internet open for those sticky technical questions. Never read from them though just use them as a quick reminder, like speakers notes.

Badger95

wizarddeath wrote:

strauchr wrote:

Dress and groom yourself as if you were going to an interview in person. The level of professionalism will come through in your voice.

For a phone interview, I sugguest just the oposite, my 1st ever phone interview was done in the bathroom(No....it was just the quietest room in the house), with me in a bathroom sitting on the side of the tub. You want professional answers, but a fluid converstation with the recruiter. Whatever makes you feel the most presentable with no stress. Pace if you want to pace.

Heheh I don't like the echo.

blargoe

Smile while you are on the phone. It makes a difference.

binarysoul

ring the bell and excuse yourself for a couple of minutes to make a quick post on techexams.

Some excellent ideas have been posted here

I also liked the one to do the interview in the bathroom, smiling, having Internet pages open and talking at a pace. Keep em coming

binarysoul

I have a technical interview in 2 days and a bit nervous. The job is sys admin . One requirment is to troublshoot 'modems'. I'm sure this is not cable/DSL/56K modems, do any of you know what modem types I should know?

Djmario30

Just realx and be focus on what they ask you to answer.I remeber when i had a phone interview i was relaxed and calm and made sure no dogs or people were close by me to interupt me.Oh yes i did get the job too.Good luck!

blargoe

I imagine they're not going to have a bunch of cable and dsl modems to troubleshoot, it's got to be phone modems maybe for a fax system or remote dial-in.

Badger95

I went through a phone interview 2 weeks ago. They gave me a 2 part test. Some general psychological questions and then a dozen technical questions. I treated it like I was talking to the person face to face. I was relatively at ease. A few questions I just didnt know, a few I half knew, and rest were no problem. She told me from the start they didnt expect me to know all of the answers. At the end I asked how I did and she told me I did fine. that was just my general experience.

I used to troubleshoot phone modems years ago. It would be helpfull to know some AT commands, And some general stuff like IRQs. Most stuff is PnP now. but here is a quick link that may help.
http://www.modemhelp.org/sets.html there is some other general help in there also.

binarysoul

Thanks folks for all the tips, I have to make sure I land a face-to-face interview as I've put a lot of effort building my skills. I suspect they're going to record the conversation, so I better practice.

Munck

Stand up and walk around while talking to the recruiter. It does make you sound more convincing. Rather weird actually

binarysoul

Munck

that is a very good suggestion! I will lose some pounds tomorrow then

Alien

Wash your teeth before the interview, have the phone close to the door bell so if your stuck on a question you can ring the bell and excuse yourself for a couple of minutes to make a quick post on techexams.

Nice one ed. Almost chocked on my coffee

I just wanted to add that last but not least, LISTEN and listen very carefully. Infact in each of my successfull interviews i've done most of the listening than the talking. You will always get your time to talk and when you open your mouth try to be very brief and precise. Do not and i repeat do not portray a know it all attitude. Being polite but convincing wont hurt. Mmm...I guess just try to be yourself at your very best. Goodluck

blargoe

Also, RELAX!

Olajuwon

The best way to interview is to pretend that you have nothing to lose and let it flow. You will not be nervous and you will sound confident with that mentality. Words of wisdom!

mikey_b

Lots of good tips here - phone interviews can be tricky. The important things to remember is that your posture is carried by your voice, be comfortable! I prefer to walk/pace slightly. It feels as though I'm delivering a presentation and that mindset shines through - clear, well-paced communication, confident, and in control. Be pleasant, smile, even a laugh when appropriate so they know your human and not a geek cooped up in a bedroom on the computer 24x7, all of that is carried in your voice. Make sure you are free of distraction. It's okay to take a second or two before answering to collect your thoughts. Do not be afraid to ask for clarification as needed. If someone asks about your experience with modems, advise you have experience with a wide variety of modem types including dial, DSL, and cable, and ask them to specify which type they would like you to elaborate on. Try not to use "umm"s and "ahh"s during phone interviews as it's best to avoid sounding like a knuckledragging neandrethal on the phone!