Summer 2018 - HR Prose

Preparing for a Telephone Interview                 
                                                                            
By: Deborah Sutton
 
In a recent poll of Fortune 500 employers, 95% said that they always conduct a telephone screening interview prior to inviting the candidate to meet face to face.  When asked the purpose of such a phone interview, they pretty much unanimously responded: to screen out less qualified candidates and to ascertain (as well as possible) if the candidate may be a good fit for the position.
 
Based on the information learned from this poll, it seems that the Telephone Interview is a VERY important part of the Job Search Strategy.  Knowing how to prepare for and maneuver a successful phone interview is extremely important tool for today’s Job Hunter.  Here are some very practical yet useful steps you can take to prepare for this monumental step in the job hunting process.

1.  Absolutely make certain that if you have an answering machine and that it has a professional recording on it.  Having an “unusual” message is a big turn off to hiring employers.  More than likely they would hang up rather than leave a message on a recording that is inappropriate or silly.  And, of course this is an opportunity lost. 
2. Make certain that you alert your housemates, children, spouses or friends to answer the phone professionally and to take meaningful and legible messages.  Making a mistake on the name of a caller or jotting a wrong phone number can mean the possible loss of an interview.
3. Designate a place in your home where you can have privacy to speak to employers and set it up like a professional office as much as possible.  Make sure you have note pads and pens, a clock, free of rock music or TV noise so that you can conduct a professional phone conversation.
4. Consider the phone interview just as or more important than the face to face.  After all, if you do not wow them here, you won’t be getting a face to face.  Be prepared.  Have the Job Description in front of you and review it thoroughly.  Do your research on the company and the interviewer.  Use the company web site as well as registries like Hoovers and Dun and Bradstreet.  Check out the interviewer by Googling them, using the company website and using a social media site like LinkedIn.  You may have something in common with the interviewer that will give you points like:  graduating from the same college or being from the same hometown.
5. Make sure that your social media sites are clean of foul language, politically in-correct information etc.  Employers do check you out on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites.
6. Have a list of commonly asked questions that you have answered at your fingertips also.  Make sure you go over these several times and talk out loud when you answer the questions.  It may be beneficial to record your practice exercise and take note of where you need to be stronger or less intense, etc.
7. During the interview call, stand up.  Make sure you are calm and not breathing too heavily.  An interviewer will take this as a sign of nervousness.  Your speech should be clear, audible and not too fast.  Remember you are trying to present yourself as a professional and communication skills are being evaluated.
8. At the end of the phone call, remember to ask for the next step. Make sure you ask who, what, where, when…. Also try to ask if you will get a call back.  This is difficult because it takes a lot of courage and risk of rejection.  However, it is a perfect time to get important feedback.  It is possible that something you said may have been misinterpreted and this gives you an opportunity to correct any misconceptions.

Write out your ending: “May I ask what the next step in the process is?  Will you be recommending me on for the next step?  If not, may I know why not?”  Here is where you can hopefully fix any negative misunderstandings.
 
Finally, end the conversation by thanking the caller and letting them know it was a pleasure to speak to them and that you are extremely interested in pursuing the position.  Get their email address if you don’t already have it and follow up with a professional email again reiterating your interest in the company and the position and giving them a key point in the phone interview that reinforces you are a stellar candidate. 
 
Follow these steps and the chances of a face to face interview will be noticeably improved!!
 
As always – Best of luck on your job search!!
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Leading Change at Every Level – Training in Change Management
HR Pros, LLC is offering a deep discount during the months of November and December for this training:
 
Who should attend:      Executive, Supervisors, Managers, HR pros, rank and file
What size company:      Small to medium
When:  November – December sale:  Offered at ½ regular price
Where:  Your place of business                                                                 
                                                                                                                               
Learning Goals:

• Understanding Change behaviors
• Develop change leadership skills and behaviors
• Generate support for change efforts
• Improve ability to lead change

 
Contact HR Pros, LLC:  Deb Sutton – CEO – 941-776-0996 for more information.
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Weeding out Troubled Employees
 
By:  Deb Sutton, CEO HR Pros, LLC
 
Weeding out troubled employees is a topic of great concern in our current workplace.  Psychopaths, sociopaths and even narcissists can be troublesome and downright toxic to the workplace and are more common than some might think.
 
No matter how carefully an employer vets their employees, it is possible to have Psychopaths, sociopaths and narcissists slip through the cracks.  Once on the job and exhibiting these troubling behaviors, these employees must be treated like any other employee, says most industrial psychologists as well as legal counsel.
 
Important areas to note would be:  to document unusual behavior and keep as part of the performance review system.  A clear picture of the alleged behavior must be documented.  This would include areas such as dysfunctional work habits, poor job performance, abusive and disrespectful behavior.  It is suggested that company disciplinarians never use the terms psychopath, sociopath or narcissist because these individuals are smart and master manipulators and often use the law to their advantage as a weapon.
 
Even companies that use the most current and sophisticated methods to vet employees such as background checks, reference checks and drug tests, it is still possible to beat the system.  Small companies that do not utilize these practices could be setting themselves up for trouble in the future.  Need assistance with hiring, vetting, background testing, drug testing, EAP programs or the like?  Contact HR Pros, LLC we can assist you by recommending a vendor based on your needs, offering training programs for your supervisors or a myriad of other HR services to create more effective and efficient HR systems.
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Some Interesting Health Facts:                          
Source Newsmax 8/18

• 78 Million estimated number of U.S. adults who will be diagnosed with arthritis by a Doctor by the year 2040
• 54.4 Million the number of U.S. adults who have been told they have arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout lupus or fibromyalgia
• Bad Dental Habits are also bad for your heart
• Eggs don’t increase heart attack risks in diabetics
• Heartburn Meds are linked to pneumonia

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