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Posao na Brodu => Agencije za Zapošljavanje na Kruzere & Online Applications => ONLINE Prijave => Topic started by: Milan1975bg on 14/April/2009
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How to give the perfect telephone interview
You may be a whizz at the stove, or fabulous front of house, but if you have a terrible telephone manner you might never even get to interview stage never mind get the chance to show off your skills. That’s because at some point in your job-hunt you will probably be invited to give a telephone interview.
Why? Well, as you know, there’s a lot of competition for hospitality jobs abroad, particularly in tourist hotspots such as Dubai or growth areas such as China. On top of that, there’s the logistical difficulty of arranging interviews across the globe. It’s no wonder, then, that many employers abroad now view phone interviews as a practical method of screening UK applicants before investing in one-on-one interviews.
The first thing to remember is that telephone interviews can work in your favour. For a start, they can speed up the hiring cycle. They’re also your chance to show you’re worth inviting to a face-to-face interview.
That said, there’s evidence that 80% of jobs are won or lost during the first five minutes of the conversation, so you need to prepare thoroughly. Keep reading for advice on how to polish up your telephone skills, organise your ideas, deal with tricky questions and practise useful techniques to raise your chances of success.
Preparation
Rule number one is to make sure you’ve put the correct contact details on your CV. Needless to say, employers won’t waste time trying to contact you if you’ve changed your phone number or moved house.
In fact, you need to be on the ball from the moment you start applying for your job abroad, because a recruiter might call at any point to ask if you have a few minutes to talk. The key is to stay cool. If it isn't convenient, ask if you could talk at another time - and suggest some alternatives.
For this reason, it’s also important that you make sure your answer phone greeting is professional. An HR manager is unlikely to be inspired to leave a message regarding that high-powered executive chef role if they hear “I’m either out fishing, playing golf or at the bar… so leave a message”...
Last but not least, prepare for a phone interview just as you would for a regular interview. Compile a list of your strengths and weaknesses, skills and achievements. Another smart move is to draw up a list of answers to typical interview questions and rehearse them…read on for examples...
Typical interview questions
· "What can you offer this company?" Use this as a chance to tell the employer about your relevant skills - but remember to keep your answer short and succinct. If you are applying for a general manager role at a new hotel in India, you might tell them: "I have strong financial acumen, previous experience in opening hotels and am keen to be involved in the new markets you are developing in Asia."
· What do you know about this hotel/restaurant? Make sure you have done your research using the internet and by flicking through industry publications such as Caterer & Hotelkeeper. Find out about the hotel or restaurant’s size, type of customer, style of cuisine and so on.
· Tell me a bit about yourself Don’t wax lyrical about your love-life, stay professional. They are assessing your communication skills and ability to think fast as much as your personality, so impress them by preparing a list of your responsibilities in your most recent job, your skills, and a summary of your career and how your experience will benefit the job you’ve applied for.
· Why have you applied for this job? They really want to hear why you want to work for the company, so do some research on the internet and re-emphasise your suitability for the position.
· What do you enjoy about your current job? The knack is to link what you enjoy with the key skills needed for the role you are applying for. Go one better and mention that you want to expand your experience in these areas.
· Where do you see yourself in five years’ time? This time-honoured question requires a well-thought-out answer. Demonstrate that your long term goals are a natural progression from the position they are offering – and underline your commitment to them.
Watch out for tricky questions
· Why did you leave your last job? Always respond positively along the lines of: “I wanted to advance my career,” or I am looking for better opportunities for promotion,” or “I want more responsibility and variety in my job."
· What would you say were your weaknesses? Everyone knows that this is an opportunity to turn the question into a positive. Think of something that relates to your experience of work that is plausible as a weakness but is not really a negative point. For instance, "Some people think I am too obsessed about giving perfect service", or "I get too absorbed in sourcing seasonal produce for new menus".
· A request for confidential information about your previous employer Never get drawn into this as your discretion and professionalism will then be under question. You can always lightly point out that they would expect you to be equally discreet about them.
· Describe how you have dealt with conflict in the workplace This type of question aims to find out how you behave under pressure. Describe a difficult experience from a past job, but keep it professional and positive – try to illustrate how you learned from the experience
· Were you forced to leave your last job? If you’ve had a bad experience such as redundancy, sexual harassment, or clashes with colleagues, you will be asked about them either at the telephone interview stage or later in the formal interview. Always be honest, positive, and avoid criticising former employers or expressing grudges.
Prepare your own questions
Remember, the interview is a two-way process so you are entitled to ask a few questions at the end. It also underlines your interest in the job and gives you a chance to demonstrate that you’ve done some research on the position and the company. To this end, you could ask them to confirm your understanding of a particular operation at the hotel or restaurant.
Other questions could include:
* Could you confirm what is the main focus of this role?
* Will the position also involve liaising with the kitchen brigade/front of house team/sales team?
* What level of budget is allocated to the department and how is it controlled?
Practise your telephone skills
It doesn’t matter whether you work back-of-house or front-of-house, employers in the hospitality industry want staff with personality who can communicate confidently and comfortably. So, you can bet they are going to be assessing your interpersonal skills. It’s crucial, therefore, to assess your telephone style and correct bad speech habits. Either get a friend to ring and ask mock interview questions or tape yourself giving answers.
So what to watch out for? Well, don’t fall into the trap of thinking a telephone interview is casual. It’s important that you sound professional and confident throughout the call. It’s also crucial that you don’t start waffling; neither should you just give yes or no answers. And watch out for those dreaded ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’. You don’t have to speak like the Queen, but you do need to enunciate clearly and avoid using slang or fillers such as ‘like’ and ‘you know’.
What you do need to do is to project a positive attitude - which admittedly is a bit difficult as the interviewer can’t see your body language. Ironically, a foolproof technique is to smile while you talk as it helps to convey enthusiasm.
The interview
For the interview itself, you need to be comfortable. Research shows that people often sound more professional when standing up, but if you feel less stressed sitting down then go with that. Either way, you need to sort it out before the interview itself.
Strange as it sounds, it’s also a good idea to dress smartly. Obviously the telephone interviewer can’t see you, but it’s harder to feel - and therefore sound - professional if you’re wearing your gym kit.
If you are being interviewed over your landline, don’t forget to switch off your mobile phone and disable the call-waiting feature on your telephone. Never use speaker-phone. If you use a cordless phone make sure the batteries are charged but always avoid using a mobile phone as poor reception can ruin what might otherwise have been a good interview. It’s also important that you choose a room that is free of distractions.
At the start of the phone interview, confirm the caller’s name and company and jot down their telephone number. It’s a good idea to create a phone interview log as a record and keep a notebook handy. Only use first names if they ask you to.
In short:
* Smile because it makes you sound more positive
* Give short, clear answers and never interrupt
* Don’t use a mobile phone and never put the interviewer on hold or speaker phone
* Find a comfortable area away from distractions
Use notes
Of course, the great advantage of the interviewer not being able to see you is that you can spread out your notes and pull up the hotel or resort website. Use memory aids such as flashcards to remind you of key achievements, questions, and so on. Jot down some short phrases in bullet point form to remind you of a particular challenge. Make sure you can talk about how you dealt with it and what results you achieved. It’s not a good idea to rehearse too much, though, as you will sound unnatural.
Keep a copy of your CV close, too, so you can look up details of past employment, training or work experience.
In short: Pull up the company website on your computer in advance of the call and spread your notes around you – including your CV
Dealing with tricky moments
Perhaps the most uncomfortable telephone moments are silences. If you’ve finished answering a question, but the interviewer hasn’t asked you another one, don’t be tempted to fill the gap with garbled chatter. If it does drag on, you could always ask the interviewer a related question about the job.
Try not to cough or sneeze during the interview. If it’s unavoidable, say ‘excuse me’. It goes without saying that you don’t eat during the interview and if you need water, sip it silently.
In short: Keep your answers concise and relevant – don’t fill in awkward silences with waffle
If you are hearing impaired
You need to email the employer beforehand if you are hard of hearing. Most interviewers will be happy to make alternative arrangements to accommodate your condition.
At the end…
Don’t forget to ask what the next step in the process is and thank the interviewer by name. It’s also a good idea to follow up with a thank you letter, to confirm your interest in the job.
Another handy tip is to quickly job down some notes about what you were asked and how you answered as soon as you put the phone down. That way, you can learn how to improve your telephone interview technique.
If you follow this advice and stay calm, you will sail through even the toughest phone interview.