Handling Telephonic Interviews

• Be articulate. Practice asking yourself questions, then answer them with confidence in front of the mirror. This will give you an idea of your facial expressions, pronunciation and accent. Keep your answers brief and to the point.
  
  
• Listen carefully to the interviewer's questions. Understand the question and start your answer by recollecting your experiences and knowledge.
  
  
• If you are not able to understand the question clearly, ask the interviewer to repeat it. Request for more related information if you are not sure about the answer.
  
  
• If you don't know the answer or haven't used a particular method or tool, please say "I don't know" or "I haven't experienced that situation " or " I haven't used that tool, but if given the opportunity, I can learn fast". An interviewer will always take it positively when you admit the truth.
  
  
• While starting a conversation, introduce yourself with your first name and last name (if any) and greet your interviewer with a "How are you" or "Hi" or "How are you doing".
  
  
• If the interviewer discusses issues regarding country, lifestyle, weather, accommodation, language, driving, culture, politics, food and family background (rare) - answer briefly.
  
  
• In the US particularly, interviewers generally ask:
  How is the weather in your city?
  How are you commuting from home to workplace?
  What is the current political situation in your country?
  
  
• Keep a copy of your resume in front of you. The interviewer may ask about individual project details, your roles, responsibilities, major accomplishments, product advantages, techniques followed, tools used, and your involvement in that project. Refer to your resume quickly and answer the question promptly.
  
  
• When you prepare your resume, make sure that there are no grammatical or spelling mistakes and irrelevant information beyond your practical experiences and knowledge.
  
  
• Don't be nervous or panic. Be cool, enjoy yourself. Remember you have the skills the client needs.
  
  
• Never show or express unwillingness to be interviewed. Even if you are not interested in that job or client, don't discourage the interviewer especially after having started a dialogue with him/her. If you decide on another client call the interviewer, thank him and give a valid reason for not joining.
  
  
• After successfully completing the interview process, if interviewer asks "do you have any questions ?", ask ! Clarify issues related to company background, place of work if hired, starting date and timings. Do not ask about the position offered, rates at this stage since those issues come under the negotiation process.
  
  
• Don't raise or talk about issues related to discrimination against race, religion, color, country and sex. These are extremely touchy topics and are best avoided.
  
  
• Don't use abusive language or slang words.
  
  
• Don't stretch an argument.
  
  
• After completion of interview, say "Thanks" or "Thanks for your time" or "Thanks for your time and have a good morning/evening day" and put down the phone very slowly.
  
  
• Very importantly, when you address the interviewer, use his/her first name or put Mr. before last name. (Example: Mr. Patel) This is important while writing e-mail, holding a general conversation or making a presentation.
  
  
• If the interviewer makes a positive offer and you are satisfied with it, it would be nice if you said the following: "Thanks for giving me an opportunity to work with your company and I will do my best to prove my skills..."
  
  
• If you are asked to briefly introduce your entire work experiences, take 30 seconds to explain all major points, client names and contributions you have made. I recommend you practice this by writing down the exact contents and reading it aloud in front of the mirror.
  
  
• Always be positive.

Try to answer all questions with practical examples based on your previous experience. This way, you can recollect your experiences and prove that you have faced challenging situations in your career.

If you feel you lack adequate communication skills, attempt to regularly converse with friends on general topics. Listen to the radio, watch discussion oriented TV programs. Talk to yourself in front of mirror and watch for, speed, lip movements and body language.

After the interview is over, recollect what you did, how you performed. Note down where you were lacking. These points will help you better your performance the next time around.

References always works well no matter where you are applying. Managers and HR departments will always cross check with the references you have provided. So have at least 3 references who can give them a very clear picture about your experience and skill set.

If you are not hired, don't lose heart. There may be several reasons for the client/consulting company to reject the applicant even after a successful interview like:

• Budget constraints.
• Terms with consulting company are not agreeable to client.
• Salary not agreeable to client
• Consulting company is getting better offer for you from a different client.
• Consulting company is not willing to send you because of short term assignment.
• Client is not ready to sponsor your Work Visa and has restrictions in company corporate policies.
• Project schedule postponed.

Here are some common reasons for rejection along with a suggestion for improvement:

• Lack of communication skills - actively work towards improving your communication skills.
• Technical incompetence - Try to find where you are lacking and refresh your technical knowledge thoroughly.
• Lack of experience in managing projects (applicable to Project Manager's post) - Review the answers you made in the interview, question yourself about project management, find ways to improve your business knowledge, process management and scheduling.
• Lack of leadership qualities - Learn more about how you can develop leadership qualities, read leadership proven technique books like "One Minute Manager" by Kenneth Blanchard.
• Applicant skills and experience are not matching client's requirements - You can't do anything. You have nothing to lose. Find another company where they can use your skills and knowledge set.
• Not enough references - Ensure that you have enclosed at least three excellent references.
• Not ready to pay you what you want - Before asking what you want, you need to do little market survey based on your experience. You need to go through a salary survey and learn more about general company HR policies too.
• And finally, never hesitate to ask for help from others before the interview. Gather as much information as you can about the company and position you have applied for.