Now that 2015 is in full swing, we imagine that there are many New Year’s Resolutions that you are working on. Here’s hoping they haven’t fallen by the wayside already! At MeloTel, we’re very sensitive to the needs of the many great business owners all across Canada. We know all about the amount of hard work necessary to help for small businesses to thrive. And often, a lot of that hard work goes into hiring the right staff.
Is growing your business by way of adding to your team part of your list of New Year’s Resolutions? If so, you’ll definitely need to sharpen your interviewing skills. With MeloTel being so well-versed in the area of VoIP Telephone technology, it may not surprise you to know that we’ve conducted many a job interview over the phone. As you’re aware, it’s quite different than the face-to-face encounter. Here are six tips to help you conduct great phone interviews.
1. Have your questions written out beforehand. There will be moments when you come up with questions on the fly. Everyone’s personality is different, so their unique experiences, backgrounds, talents and skills may lead your questions in a certain way. But, it only makes sense to be prepared. Be sure to write down your questions and have them in front of you when you’re on the phone. Have a balance between job-related questions and ones that speak to the interviewee’s interpersonal skills.
2. Create an evaluation chart. By the end of your phone call, you will likely know what type of impression you have of the person you are interviewing. However, it’s important to take notes during the call. Create a chart that allows you to assign a number or grade of some kind based on how the job seeker answered each question. Make notes on important traits to determine if your interviewee is detail-oriented, self-motivated or a team player.
3. Ask interesting and amusing questions. As much as you are looking to be impressed by the job seeker, it is your job to do a little impressing of your own. Remember, your interviewee likely has options. Besides, you want to build a rapport with anyone who may be working for you anyways, right? Don’t be afraid to ask questions such as “What’s your favourite colour and what does it say about your personality?” and “If you were an animal, which one would you be?”
4. Be prepared to cut them off. Some people will really go heavy into the “trying-to-impress-you” game. It’s nice for people to give detailed answers, but you’ll want to be sure that you don’t spend your entire day listening to someone ramble on and on. Find a polite and courteous way to stop applicants from giving run-on, take-forever-to-complete answers to your questions. You may want to begin the interview by stating that you’re looking for answers to be brief.
5. Listen for tone and inflection. Because your interview is being conducted over the phone, your applicants don’t have the ability to use body language to their advantage. This is especially important if the people you are interviewing are applying for jobs that require them to be on the phone. Do they have pleasant or agitated tones? Do they sound upbeat or bored? Can you tell if they are lying to you or telling the truth?
6. Leave time for questions. As an interviewer, it’s only natural that you will be doing most of the question asking. However, you’ll want to encourage your job seekers to ask any questions they may have about your company or the job positions that are available. The more questions they have, the more likely they are to be interested in being hired. This will help you to determine if you’ll want to bring the applicants into the office for face-to-face meetings.
For more information on our VoIP Telephone services, please call us at 1-888-MELOTEL!