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As part of the hiring process, many companies use interviews over the telephone to help screen job candidates. It helps to pare down the number of applicants more quickly and cheaply.

Because they are preliminary screening measures, phone interviews naturally are not as in-depth as face-to-face encounters. The hiring manager is just trying to get a sense of who you are and your fit for the job, as well as learning more about your background.

But you should still prepare for it with the same intensity as a regular job interview. Make sure you are in a quiet place where there will be no interruptions. It may also help to have notes in front of you with background information and questions.

While you probably won’t get any detailed questions about the job itself, you can expect to get more general questions related to your competency and interest in the job. Here are a few things the hiring manager will want to find out.

1. Have you researched the company
At this stage of the game, the hiring manager won’t expect you to know chapter and verse detail about the company. He will simply want to know if you have taken the time to learn some basic information about the firm, its mission, values and goals.

Before the interview, you need to take some time and look over the company website so that you can talk intelligently about the firm. Your ignorance will be glaringly obvious if you just try to wing it.

2. Your salary requirements
You might be wondering why a recruiter or hiring manager would bring up this subject so early in the process. But this inquiry is not about coming to an agreement over a specific figure. It is merely to get an idea of where you are at in terms of what you want. The recruiter wants to know if both of you are in the same ballpark. If your salary requirements are simply too high for him to meet, it is best to know this early so that he isn’t wasting his or your time.

So, you should have a range in mind, emphasizing your flexibility on the issue. Here too, research can help. There are plenty of sites on the Web that list salary ranges for the type of job you are applying for.

3. Your interest in the job
Another purpose of the phone interview is to gauge the candidate’s interest in the position. There is no need to over analyze your answer here. The best answer is a simple, honest one. What are your reasons for wanting this job, why it interests you? This kind of straightforward answer will set you apart from most of the candidates who will talk about how wonderful the job and the company are.

If you are in a job search, Winston Resources is here to help. We have the experience and the expertise to give your job search a real boost. We will work closely with you throughout the process. Give us a call today.


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