Hello? Hello? Don't let poor telephone interviewing skills weaken your chances for getting a great job

Marysville, WA - September 5, 2002 - With hospitals, pharmaceutical firms and other healthcare employers recruiting all over the world, telephone interviews to break the ice are more the norm today, says Frank Heasley, PhD, President and CEO, MedZilla.com, a leading Internet recruitment and professional community that targets jobseekers and HR professionals in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and science.

"Job candidates shouldn't take the telephone interview lightly," says Dr. Heasley. "On the phone, within seconds, the employer or recruiter will decide whether or not to pursue the face-to-face interview"

The Telephone interview has just one goal:

The goal for job candidates when it comes to phone interviews is to obtain a face-to-face interview, says Dick Bolles, author of the most popular job-hunting book in the world; called "What Color is Your Parachute?" (Ten Speed press, Berkeley, Calif.) "What Color is Your Parachute?" is a practical manual for job hunters and career changers, which has sold more than 7 million copies--20,000 copies a month for the last 25 years, according to Bolles.

Bolles says that the job hunter should want to use the phone interview for one thing and one thing only: to secure a face-to-face interview. "In that respect, a phone conversation for jobs is just like a resume. The whole purpose of a resume is to get invited to come in. You don't do the selling from the resume; you just try to tell them enough enticing things about yourself to get the would-be employer to say, 'I want to talk with this person.'"

Generally speaking, communicating those "enticing things" shouldn't be long-winded. The more you talk, the more chance you have of digging a hole that might lead the employer to cross you off his list, Bolles says.

Know the rules

Bolles refers to rules pertaining to the phone interview from the point of view of the job hunter, which are: You never want to let the overall memory of the phone interview be that somebody monopolized the conversation either you or the employer. You want the employer to remember the interview as a time when the two of you spoke for the same amount of time. The reason, Bolles says, is that when an employer talks to someone who monopolizes 98% of the phone interview, the employer might conclude that the person is hopelessly self-absorbed.

The second rule is that if a question is asked of you, you want your answer to be no less than 20 seconds and no longer than two minutes. Monosyllabic answers don't cut it, nor do lengthy personal biographies. The job candidate should offer a broad outline of strengths and invite the employer to ask questions about specific areas if they want to go deeper.

The third rule for a successful telephone interview, according to Bolles, is to have your mindset focused on how you can help the employer. This requires some research on the candidate's part. Bolles suggest going to the library, chamber or commerce and the Web to find out as much as you can about the potential employer before having a phone conversation. "You want to make the employer think that you are coming as an answer to his prayers, not as someone who is going to be causing future problems," Bolles says.

Be ready for phone versus face-to-face interaction

Once you realize that your priorities are different in a phone versus a face-to-face interview, you also have to realize that other things are different about the two.

For one thing, you don't have your body language to fall back on in the phone interview, so telephone skills are important.

Rebecca Doak, director of career development, Walsh University, a Catholic liberal arts school in North Canton, Ohio, says "We encourage students to practice, not just talking on a phone, but literally listening to yourself on voice mail--making a recording of yourself. Some people have a tendency to speak too quickly or there are certain speech issues, depending on the individual," Doak says. "If they listen to themselves on tape, perhaps they can get past those hurdles."

Bolles mentions doing your homework about the employer. Doak says the telephone offers candidates an important advantage in that respect: You can have notes in front of you. "You have the opportunity to use cheat sheets. If you're wise, you'll prepare yourself ahead of time and have documents right at hand [and within reach without needing to shuffle papers] in preparation for the interview," Doak says.

Doak suggests delivering your speech eloquently and providing the most important information to the employer right off the bat. Be prepared, she says, for questions normally reserved for face-to-face interactions, such as those delivered during behavioral interviews. An example of a behavioral interview question is: "Tell me about a time that you had to deal with conflict and how you attempted to resolve the issue." The interviewer is drawing on your experience as opposed to having you answer a hypothetical question. It tends to draw out more of your personality, Doak says.

Getting set up for the interview also is important. Doak suggests making sure there is no background noise. Have pen, paper, pencil and note cards in front of you so you don't have to shuffle. Disarm any call waiting feature, so you're not interrupted.

Finally, Doak says, make sure you know what the next step is. "If the interviewer doesn't tell you about the setting up of an appointment, you have every right to ask him what the procedure is after the phone call. Be gentle with that. You have a right to know. But ask carefully, tactfully and diplomatically," she says.

Dr. Heasley says that the telephone interview is an employers first indication of interest in you, and it's your best chance to request a meeting with them. "When an employer calls you, it's your opportunity to establish yourself as the top candidate for the position. But, as soon as you've established credibility, you need to ask for the interview! A good way to do this is to simply say: 'It looks like we have a lot to talk about. When would you like to get together?'"

About MedZilla.com
Established in mid 1994, MedZilla is the original web site to serve career and hiring needs for professionals and employers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, science and healthcare. MedZilla databases contain about 10,000 open positions and 10,000 resumes from candidates actively seeking new positions. These resources have been characterized as the largest, most comprehensive databases of their kind on the web in the industries served.