The best impression

Dear Hilka,

I am a software professional from Chennai, and I am going to have a telephone interview from New Jersey in a week or so. As this is my first telephone interview, I have no idea how to get prepared for it. Please give me some ideas and points to remember during the process. I am very anxious. Please reply to this mail-id as soon as possible.

Thanking you, Trichyboy.

Dear Trichyboy,

A TELEPHONE interview is usually a preliminary designed to narrow down the field of applicants who will then be seen in person. They are much like personal interviews except that you do not have to worry about your physical appearance.

Like for any interview, you should prepare as much as possible. Have the facts and figures of your curriculum vitae current and at hand to avoid any embarrassing memory lapses that could make the interviewer doubt your veracity. Think about how each of your previous positions or educational degrees prepared you for the position for which you are being interviewed and about how your previous experience can benefit the new company.

Consider your career goals so that if you are asked vague questions like where you see yourself five years from now or what motivates you, you will not be thrown into a stuttering tizzy. Prepare intelligent questions about the job and about the company itself because interviewers appreciate applicants who have given some consideration to a pending career move.

When you speak on the telephone, the quality of your voice is very important and can account for at least 70 per cent of the impression the interviewer has of you. Shortly before the telephone call, do some vocal exercises to loosen your jaw and drop your vocal register. Deep breathing helps, too. Focus on your posture because the way you sit or stand while speaking affects the quality of your voice over the telephone. In fact, it is a good idea to stand while talking because your diaphragm will not be as compressed as when you sit so your voice sounds fuller and richer. Do not start pacing while talking. Finally, put a mirror by the telephone and watch yourself as you speak. Paste a smile on your face and keep it there because it will make you sound more positive and user-friendly.

Take the interview in a quiet area where there will be no disturbance because background noise will be magnified. Do not type on your computer keyboard, no matter how quietly you think you are doing it. Do not even consider eating during the call, although it may be a good idea to have a glass of water handy. Excuse yourself to take a sip, though, because the interviewer will hear you drinking. And do not smoke. Not only is it irritating to the interviewer, but it also signals possible health problems you may have.

Address the interviewer by surname prefaced by Mr. or Ms. until the person requests you to use their given name. If they mispronounce your name or call you by the wrong name, ignore it unless they ask you to correct their pronunciation. Avoid becoming too chummy or relaxed during the call. Focus your energies on projecting a professional, yet friendly, demeanour.

It is an interviewer's job to ask a lot of questions, some seemingly inane, to determine your qualifications and your "fit" into the company. It is an interviewer's nightmare to get one- word answers like "yes" or "no". Be sure to respond fully but precisely to each question. Do not ramble aimlessly, because that indicates a lack of clarity. Keep your answers focussed whenever possible on how you can benefit the company.

Each question the interviewer asks, including the casual pleasantries, is a carefully-worded attempt to find out more about you, so always look for the hidden agenda. Avoid criticism of former employers and co-workers - it reflects badly on you. Instead, focus on what you learnt from that person. A boss who was never around might have taught you to work independently. One who was always screaming and demanding impossible last minute deadlines might have taught you to work well under pressure.

You may also be tricked into being critical of yourself. Questions about your weaknesses, if answered honestly, could cost you the job. Try to turn these questions into benefit statements for the company. Instead of saying you are obsessive-compulsive, offer that you are very demanding of yourself and focussed on success, even if that means you have to do the most mundane jobs yourself. If you are a daydreamer, let them know that you are a creative thinker who enjoys looking for solutions to problems outside the box.

Questions about company benefits like salary, health insurance, stock options and reimbursed relocation expenses that focus on the employment benefits for you are strictly taboo now. Save them for negotiations once you are offered the job.

As the interview draws to a close, thank the interviewer and reaffirm your desire to work for the company. It is appropriate to ask the interviewer what your next course of action should be and when you can expect to hear from them about any decision.

If you have the interviewer's e-mail address, send a "thank you" e-mail briefly reiterating the ways you could benefit the company. Normally I would advise sending a letter, but the time lapse in sending "snail mail" from India to the U.S. is too great for it to be effective.

The best way to control your nervousness is to prepare well. Once you are on the phone, have faith that the work you did will be at your fingertips should you need it. Worrying will only undermine you. Direct your focus, instead, onto the interviewer and the questions you are asked. And breathe.

Much success,

HILKA KLINKENBERG

e-mail the writer at: hilka-hindu@hotmail.com

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