Interviewing

WRITTEN BY DAVID MARWICK  FOR KEMPMILLJOBASSIST ON 22 JUNE 2017. In the previous issue, we discussed phone interviews, and today we move on to Skype interviews. Skype interviews are increasingly used to vet candidates. Crystal Chen says that her company, Coursera, “uses Skype for a good 90 percent of our first-round interviews.” Perhaps this is an extreme example, but it is likely a herald of things to come. To convey the complexities, Chen says that a Skype interview is “like being on TV, except you’re filming, directing, and acting in this role.” The basic rules about preparing for an interview are the same whether it is conducted in person, by phone, or by Skype, but following the medium-specific tips below can make your Skype interview more successful. Setting Make sure that you will not be disturbed during the interview — by people or pets barging into your room, or by noise from another room. Have a neutral background that will not compete with your attire. Soft but adequate lighting is also important. Harsh lighting can make you look washed out. Equipment Have the right equipment. Chen suggests: “Don’t rely on the built-in microphone unless you want to sound like you’re in a bat cave. Get a dedicated microphone and test it out.” Michaela Gianotti adds that using a headset will help your audience “hear you more clearly and with less distracting background noises.” Similarly, make sure you have a solid internet connection, because a dropped call distracts from the interview and may reflect poorly on you. Lisa Rangel of Chameleon Resumes suggests: “Test yourself by filming yourself answering some sample questions.” It’s good to have a backup plan in case your internet connection fails you. Options include a landline, cellphone, or Google chat. Rescheduling the interview is a last resort. Attire “Avoid standing out,” advises “Ace Your Interview” author Lisa B. Marshall. “You want them to remember what you said, not what you wore.” As Rangel notes, “Prints and patterns can overpower the screen and make it hard for the interviewer to watch you.” She also suggests: “Full dress for the call.” That means dressing head to toe, not just head to waist. Wearing your comfy Hawaiian shorts with your collared shirt and suit jacket is fine — unless you need to stand up for any reason. Marshall provides extensive suggestions, especially for women, on colors, makeup, and jewelry. Body Language You want to keep your eyes on the camera, not on the view from your screen. Chen quotes a tip from Paul Bailo, author of “The Essential Digital Interview Handbook,” for helping you appear to be looking right at the interviewer: Download a photo of the hiring manager, print it, and make a hole in the photo to allow the camera lens to see through. “Now you can look at the photo, which makes it more human to conduct your digital interviews,” says Bailo. Moreover, make sure your body language expresses that you’re engaged. “As you’re communicating, lean forward,” suggests Bailo. “This will show interest and concern and will engage your audience. It will also convey eagerness and willingness to listen.” Just be careful not to overdo it. “Even more so than in an in-person interview, avoid excessive physical movements.” “Put on your best newscaster face,” says Rangel. “You have to be a little more animated and expressive than you would in person to convey your enthusiasm.” Additional Tips You should have all backup materials (job description, cover letter, resume, etc.) readily accessible on your computer, so that you don’t need to riffle through a stack of papers to find something. Also, turn off all notifications, so that you won’t be disturbed during your interview. Bottom line: Check out everything ahead of time: the background and lighting, the microphone and computer connection, your attire, and your “look” on camera.

WRITTEN BY DAVID MARWICK FOR KEMPMILLJOBASSIST ON 08 JUNE 2017. If a prospective employer likes your resume, he or she will likely arrange to interview you. Increasingly, that interview will be conducted by phone. Phone interviews are a double-edged sword for the person being interviewed. They can be easier for you because you don’t need to travel to another location and they allow you to take notes in a way that face-to-face interviews don’t. However, body language can be difficult to read if you can’t see who’s on the other end. The basic rules about preparing for an interview are the same whether the interview is conducted in person or by phone. But there are key differences about your conduct before, during, and after the interview that can make your phone interview more successful. Seven of these are explained below. In the next issue, we will cover Skype interviews. Use a landline. If you are using a cellphone, the quality of your reception — and theirs — may vary. Using a landline increases the chances that you can clearly hear their questions and they can clearly hear your answers. Use your cellphone effectively. If you must use a cell phone, avoid background noise. For example, avoid being interviewed when you are shopping or walking the dog. If you receive a call from an interviewer while you are in such a place, check the caller’s number and, if the call is from an interviewer, let the call go to message and follow up later. Dress up, stand up, and smile. Even though the interviewer can’t see you, you are more likely to feel “businesslike” if you are dressed up, rather than wearing pajamas. Also, your voice will sound better if you are standing up and smiling. Avoid interruptions. Make sure that other people — and pets — will not barge into the room where you are being interviewed. Similarly, make sure that your noisy washer and drier, people in another room, and outside music will not be heard during the interview. Have materials at hand. You can spread any materials you may need in front of you, such as the job description, your resume, letters of recommendation, and your notes about the company. (You can’t do this in an in-person interview.) Use short, crisp answers. Because you can’t observe the interviewers’ body language, for example, to see whether they are fidgeting, use shorter answers than during an in-person interview. In answering any question, try to craft an answer that lasts no more than a minute and a half, then ask whether they would like to hear more. Find out who is on the other end. If more than one person is interviewing you, at the outset, try to get each person’s name (and note their distinctive voice) and email each of them a thank you note. For further reading: Allison Matthews, “Phone Interview Tips: 19 Keys to Landing a Second Interview,” Dec. 9, 2016. https://hired.com/blog/candidates/19-phone-interview-tips-get-hired/ Lisa Rangel, “Executive Phone Interview? 10 Important Techniques to Land the Offer,” Oct. 23, 2015. http://chameleonresumes.com/2015/10/23/executive-phone-interview-10-important-techniques-to-land-the-offer/ Caroline Ceniza-Levine, “How to Ace Your Next Phone Interview,” Dec. 2, 2014. http://time.com/money/3597332/ace-phone-interview/ Rhona Bronson, “Why Not to Pick Up the Phone When Unemployed,” May 16, 2014. http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2014/05/16/job-search-success-phone-strategies/ By David Marwick for KempMillJobAssist

WRITTEN BY DAVID MARWICK FOR KEMPMILLJOBASSIST ON 16 MARCH 2017. Just as your real job interview begins well before your formal interview, which we discussed in the previous column, so too your interview does not end when you leave the interviewer’s office. Rather, your real interview continues through your follow-up actions. At a minimum, you don’t want to burn any bridges by being pushy. Beyond that, through the steps listed below, you can improve your chances of being hired. Confirm next steps. Before you leave the interviewer’s office, you should ask about the next steps in the hiring process and the timing of those steps. If you have not heard from the company within the stated time frame, it is okay for you to contact the company and ask about it. It is very important that you respect the time frame stated by the company and do not appear pushy (examples: calling to check in before the agreed-upon date, or calling frequently). Thank-you notes. You should write a thank-you note to everyone who interviewed you. While hand-written notes were once the standard, emails are now the norm. They should be sent within a day of your interview. Between the U.S. Postal Service and a company’s mail room, snail mail can take days to make it to the intended recipient and the hiring process may have advanced quite a bit by then. Emails, on the other hand, arrive almost immediately. Thank-you notes can serve three purposes: You thank the interviewer(s) for meeting with you and reference one or more points you discussed. You restate, briefly, why you think you are a good fit for the job. If you did not respond well to a specific question, you can provide a better answer. For example, “When you asked me about x, I wish I had mentioned y.” Response to a rejection. Even after a company informs you that they picked someone else for the opening, all is not lost. You should craft a letter which: expresses your thanks, again, for the opportunity to interview with that company, briefly restates, again, why you think you would be a good fit, and expresses that if a similar opportunity becomes available, you hope to be considered. If the candidate who was hired turns down the job and the company does not want to start the search process from the beginning (which entails a new batch of resumes to review, candidates to interview and other time-consuming tasks), they may pick you to fill the vacancy. Bottom line: Your interview continues even after you leave the interviewer’s office. For further reading: “Five Real-Life Examples of Job Seekers Hurt or Helped by Their Thank-You Notes,” by Caroline Ceniza-Levine (Forbes.com) “Why Bother with a Thank-You Letter?” by Alex Freund (www.landingexpert.com) “I Had My Interview. Now What? five Post-Interview Tips” by Kristin Sherry (LinkedIn) “The letter to write when you don’t get the job” by Lisa Vaas (www.theladders.com) David Marwick is KempMillJobAssist’s workshop coordinator. He studied economics at George Washington University and worked as an economist for George Washington University and the U.S. Government Accountability Office.