Posted under Interviewing, Job Search on October 25th, 2007
It seems to be a Law of the Universe: The phone call you’ve been hoping for will come at the least convenient time.
Maybe you’re just coming into the house and you grab the phone on the last ring. You’re out of breath and slightly distracted. Or you’re leaving the house, your mind focused on the activity you’re headed off to, when you turn back to get the phone, “just in case.” Maybe your kids are fighting in the background. Or, as a client of mine experienced, the call comes on your cell phone and you’re in a noisy grocery store aisle. Or driving.
All too often you’re caught off guard and you don’t have the presence of mind to handle the call as you would have if you had been expecting the call at that moment. Fortunately, the solution is easy and effective: Tell the caller you’d be happy to talk, but ask if could you put them on hold for just a minute so you can go to another room and take the call where there are fewer distractions.
They’ll say yes - they always do - and you’ve bought yourself a couple of minutes to catch your breath, clear your head, and organize your thoughts. Then,
- If you’re at home, find your job search files so you can quickly refresh your memory about this particular company and the position you applied for, and get your appointment book along with paper and pen to jot down a few notes while you talk.
- If you’re on your cell phone, stop whatever you were doing (pull off the road, please), and go someplace quiet where you get good reception. If you have the option to call back immediately from a landline, do so to minimize the risk of annoying the caller due to static or a poor connection. Get pen and paper ready.
Take a deep breath. Smile. Now you’re ready to return to the phone with a clear head and in command of the conversation. You can ask the caller to repeat any information you didn’t catch initially (because of the distractions you mentioned earlier), and after that, you’re off and running. For more information on acing the phone interview, check out the article from Anne Fisher, found on CNNMoney.
If you expect the unexpected, you won’t be caught off guard.
posted by Wendy Gelberg
Print This Post