Telephone Interview Tips

Looking for Telephone Interview Tips? I am glad that you are taking your phone interview this seriously. One of the biggest mistakes that many job candidates make regarding a phone interview is that they become complacent by the fact that they are not facing a panel interview, in person. Since you are NOT one of THOSE people, take a look at the telephone interview tips below:

Success Tips for Phone Interviews

Research the Company

Before sitting down for a telephonic interview do some solid company research. Check their background, the area of operation, their future plans and all other facets that affect you as a potential employee of the company.

Know Your Job

There is nothing annoying than appearing a phone interview and not knowing what position the discussion is all about. Before getting into a telephonic interview make sure you understand the job you have applied for. It can be really embarrassing to know that you have been discussing about a job for half an hour that you can never be interested in.

Be Professional, Add the Appointment to Calendar

Of all the phone interview tips you get here this is the one that you should be extra cautious about. Most candidates fail to realize that the phone interview is the real thing like a physical meeting, which in my opinion is a huge mistake. So please take your phone interview very seriously and add the appointment to your calendar. This will keep reminding you of the schedule and have you better prepared.

Who Should Call?

It is important that you are clear as to who will be the one calling. When the interview is scheduled and you hear that from the company’s representative, politely ask him if you should call at the stipulated time or they will be calling you. Usually the interviewer makes a call, but then it’s a good idea to make things very clear right from start.

Schedule the Interview Time Right

A phone interview need not necessarily happen at the interviewer’s convenience. You have an equal right to decide on the opportune time for yourself. If you feel that you have other engagements at the proposed time, then politely convey it to the representative of your prospective employer and request for a new date or time. You may even suggest some of the dates that you feel would be right for you.

Have a Professional Tone of Voice

In a phone interview, the interviewer can’t see you. They will form a picture of you in their mind based upon how you talk and present yourself through your voice. Thus be careful about your tone. Be friendly and professional. Make sure you don’t be mushy or rude.

Get Professionally Dressed

Most of the people I have come across ignore getting properly dressed for phone interviews and strictly speaking that is not mandatory as you will not be visible to the interviewer. However dressing properly gives that extra air of professionalism and makes you feel comfortable and confident. So please be dressed well for your phone interview.

Take Notes and Keep Notepaper Handy

Most telephonic interviews involve in depth discussions. So be prepared to take notes and refer them as needed. Keep a good pen, notepad, pencil and eraser handy at your desk. This simple trick will help you concentrate better and be more involved in the entire discussion.

Keep Your Resume Handy

Usually interviewers ask questions based on your resume. Most of those questions are on the past experience with other organizations. Therefore keep your resume ready for reference. When the interviewer asks a question related to a certain page of your resume you will be in a position to refer that page and answer.

Keep Your Cell Phone Charged

If you are using a mobile phone for the interview charge it fully. It will look very unprofessional if your mobile phone dies down during the interview.

Send Minutes of Meeting Mail

After the discussion is over and you have understood the action items from your side send an email thanking the interviewers for their time and the opportunity extended to you. In this email mention the action items that will be taken care of from your side and the ones that need to be addressed at the other end. Also highlight the important nuances of the discussion if you feel like it.

I hope these telephone interview tips will help you in the next interview scheduled for you. If you have any interesting phone interview tips then please feel free to write to us. We would love to hear from you.

Carla BostederBest-Interview-Strategies.com

Marketing Managers Need Cover Letters, too?

Marketing Managers Need Cover Letters, too?

Well, yes. If they want to get jobs, that is.

A cover letter takes the best of your qualifications and characteristics and makes them exciting and enticing to prospective employers. It’s a carefully crafted letter that leads the employer to the resume to see why you are the best candidate for the job.

Competition for Marketing Managers is keen. You have to stand out from the crowd in a positive, exciting way to ensure you are the one employers are determined to hire.

How do you accomplish this?

If you have already written your resume, the words you need are basically prepared for you. It’s much easier to pull from the resume and reflect on your character when you have put the time in to document your professional personal history.

The cover letter builds on the resume and leads the employer toward it. Its goal is to get the employer excited about the resume. The cover letter is a sales tool, just like the resume is. Sell yourself in a compelling and exciting way. Inject energy and let your best qualities reach the employer through carefully written examples and anecdotes. Don’t just state what you are capable of, show the employer with vibrant language that attracts and invites the employer to want to know more.

Let your personality show, but remain professional.

Are there a lot of Marketing Manager positions available? Yes, there are probably a lot of positions you COULD get, but do you want just ANY old job? Or, do you want a job where you will have opportunities to succeed, make more money and send your career to new heights?

You have to be your very best to get the great jobs. What skills and abilities do you have that you can offer the employer – and – how can you do so in a way that makes the employer pick up the phone and call you for an interview?

Start with your own “marketing materials”. Your cover letter and your resume are your sales resources. Make them work for you.

The cover letter is the first thing an employer sees. Make sure it is impeccable. Proofread it just as meticulously as you did the resume. No mistakes. Not one.

State clearly what position you are seeking and tailor the cover letter, just as you did with the resume, to the specific position and employer.

Mass marketing general resumes and cover letters to a host of employers is a thing of the past. Targeting a resume and cover letter is essential in today’s competitive environment if you are to be successful.

Look at it this way: Your competition is doing it. If you don’t do it, too, who do you think is going to get the job interview and the job offer?

“Employment of advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012, spurred by intense domestic and global competition in products and services offered to consumers.”(Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Finding the perfect job in a great company will always take some work, but the rewards will be worthwhile if you take the time to work through the job search process right.

A good cover letter alone isn’t likely to persuade an employer to grant you an interview, but it is part of the whole package that WILL encourage an employer to want to get to know you better. Make it an exciting and enjoyable read and you will find yourself being offered the next Marketing Manager position you apply for.

Best of luck!

Written by Carla Vaughan-BostederBest-Interview-Strategies.com

Networking for a Job

Networking can be a powerful thing; many term this the "hidden job market".

Networking is probably the best way to get a job in today's tough economy. Most of the jobs I hear of people getting are from people they know, not from ads they read or from websites they visit. The other thing is that we often think of networking as having to go to some strange meetings with people we don't know and meet/greet, trade business cards and hope we can work something out. That isn't it - although there is a place for that, too. Networking is mostly about keeping in touch with the people you already know. Just drop folks a note or give them a call. Do this regularly - before you need a job. Help them, too, if there is something they need. It works both ways. When the time is right, the people you know will be the ones to help you get your next job.

Here is an article to help with this, too: Networking for a job

It explains more about what networking is and how to keep in touch with people in a "real" kind of way.