4 questions you must ask when the interviewer call you

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4 questions you must ask when the interviewer calls you

When you’re in active job search mode there are some essential things you need to know and be prepared for before you got the interview call. Many of which I bet you’ve never thought about. But don’t worry in this article; I’m going to tell you everything you need to know to be the best prepared for when you got the call for an interview. Also, I’m going to tell you what questions you should ask the caller so, you gain a few insights and be the most prepared candidate possible for your upcoming interview.

Not necessarily the most ideal situations you want to be in when you get the call for your dream job interview when first impressions count right. So, I’m going to give you a couple of tips to prevent you from getting caught in some of those awkward situations and I’m going to give you my top four questions. You should ask the interview caller as well as number one bonus hot tips to help you perform your best in your interview.

Assume every call is an interviewer calling!

The first and most important thing I want you to remember when you’re in active job search mode is to assume every call is an interviewer. If, your phone rings while you’re in the grocery store a noisy place, in the bathroom, driving, or in the middle of something you can’t immediately drop. And you don’t recognize the number then don’t answer your phone, let your voicemail take it. As a recurrent and former hiring manager, there’s nothing more annoying or unimpressive than trying to have a conversation. Someone who’s distracted or can’t hear me clearly and it isn’t in a position to pay attention and write things down, it leaves a poor impression. Some interviewers will immediately jump into asking questions. So, if you’re not fully prepared and able to have your head in the game to answer questions on the spot. Take notes and remember to ask important questions and don’t risk answering the call.

Hot tip 1

Make sure you have a professional massage. If, you have one of those humorous messages that say you’re out on the golf course, or it says, “hello, hello, hello, gotcha this is actually my voicemail so leave me the message” then please change it. I appreciate the have a sense of humor but, when you’re in active job search mode now’s the time to be serious and not everyone may share your style of humor. If your voicemail is that default computer voice or says nothing and just goes straight to the beep then that’s equally bad.

Have a concise and professional message

Have a concise and professional message that states your name so the caller knows they’ve reached the correct person.

Be prepared to take notes

Another thing I want you to be prepared with is always keeping a pen and paper handy with you, near your phone, or have a note’s app on your cell phone. If you’re on a headset or are able to use the speakerphone, you can pull up to the app while you’re talking. As much as possible you want to be prepared with questions handy for when an interviewer calls you. Some recruiters and interviews will e-mail you rather than phone, and that’s okay. I prefer to phone people because I like to hear what they sound like? How do they answer the phone? And if, they do exactly what I just finished explaining not to do like answering an unknown call in the middle of a noisy environment.

When you are on the call pay attention and take notes of the caller’s name, their title, and what company they’re calling from in case you need to call them back. They may be a recruiter or an assistant calling the schedule you for an interview with someone else. Make sure you ask for the names and job titles of the people they’ll be interviewing with.

Now let’s move on the four questions you should ask when you do speak to the caller they don’t necessarily need to be asked in this order.

Question no. 1: Is there a written job description I can obtain?

Don’t assume the posting you applied for is the full job description it likely isn’t. Public sector government-based organizations will usually have a link to the full job description in their posting or on their application site. But, most private companies will only post the basic scope and qualification required for the position, not the full responsibilities of the role. It’s important to try to obtain a copy of the full job description because; the majority of interview questions will be related to the requirements and responsibilities of the role. And it can help tremendously in anticipating the types of questions you may be asked which will help you prepare better with stronger answers. If a company is small, new, or the position as a newly created role, It is possible they may not have a job description developed yet.

Hot Tip: 2

If this is the case here is my hot tip. Do online searches by job title, words job description, and the industry. So, for example, operations manager job description in manufacturing. You should be able to find several job descriptions through a variety of websites. Review at least three job descriptions by the same title to identify similarities in the role and use this as a basis to help determine what types of questions you may be asked.

Question no. 2: What is the type of interview?

It’s very important to ask what type of interview to expect? How many people you’d be meeting with? Who will be meeting with names and titles? There are many types of interviews such as pre-screening interviews, scheduled telephone, or video interviews, traditional one-on-one interviews, sequenced interviews, panel interviews, team panel interviews, group interviews just to name a few. In order to prepare more effectively for an interview, it helps to know what to expect.

Question no. 3: How long is the interview?

I highly recommend asking how long the interviews expected to be. Preparing for a 10 minutes interview half an hour, 90 minutes or 2-hour interview is very different and will help you anticipate how many questions you’ll be asked. Plus if, you’re expecting it to only be half an hour and it goes on for two. There’s nothing worse than having to ask to go to the bathroom halfway through your interview, right.

Hot Tip: 3

Here’s my hot tip on this regardless of how long your interview is that I always recommend taking your own bottle of water would you. While most professional HR people will offer or provide you with a glass of water at the interview never assume. Some people just don’t think to offer that courtesy and there’s nothing worse than getting dry mouth due to nerves or anxiety and then your tongue starts sticking to the roof for your mouth when you’re trying to talk.

Question no. 4: Will there be any testing schedule?

This is an optional question depending on your line of work and if you want to know in advance if there might be any testing involved. If, you’re applying for an administrative or financial support role, for example, you may be asked to perform a typing speed test, numerical accuracy, spelling grammar, or math assessments. If, you’re in a more technical role such as a programmer or software developer you may be asked to perform a code writing exercise. In a graphic design, marketing, or communications role you may be asked to perform an assignment to demonstrate your design or writing skills. Some companies perform personality, psychological, IQ, EQ, or competency assessments as a part of the routine hiring practices to help determine a candidate’s fed with the team or company culture.

Bonus Hot Tip

I recommend having a bit of a strategy in mind if, you’re offered a choice of the appointment time. Try to choose and arrange a time and that is when you’re at your best energy level. If you’re not a morning person then don’t pick an early morning. If you tend to fall asleep at your desk at three o’clock in the afternoon then, perhaps afternoon is not the best time for you.

Here’s my insider secret as an interview I always remember the first candidate because they set the bar and the tone for that particular interview project. I also always remember the last person I interview. If I’m interviewing 10 people over the course of several days, it’s easy to forget those that don’t stand out. So, ideally, I suggest trying to be the first in the week or the day, to set the benchmark or last to leave a lasting impression.

I hope today’s strategies intense help you power your job search and be a little more prepared for your next interview.

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