Interviews

mrsbowden

Okay, I am preparing to conduct my first telephone interview next week...Does anyone have any suggestions? of DO's or DONT's

Also...I need to ask these candidates basically a question that pertains to....

"you will come in contact with some unhappy clients, that are highly respected in the communtiy ..."and have $$" how would you deal with them"

I am trying to word this in a politically correct question..and I just can't get it to sound right! Anyone willing to help?

sonny

I am not sure of your line of business, but in general an unhappy client/customer is just that. I don't care if they are respected in the community, have money, are the mayor's best friend, the homeless guy down the street, a local or a tourist. . .they are all our customers. Hence I would focus your question more broadly on customer service or dealing with upset people. Just my thoughts. .

Beave

I agree with Sonny. They should be more concerned with customer service than someones political connections or wealth. Although, if that response is what you are looking for, it makes sense to ask your question like that then.

mwild31

Hi mrsbowden.

Here's a suggestion:

How about, "This position will frequently interact with clients that are influential within the community. Mostly, these interactions will be positive. However, there will be times when that is not the case. Tell me a time when you had to deal with a client that you knew was 'wrong' or 'out of line' but you had to put aside your feelings to keep the client."

My do's and don'ts to telephone interviews is this:

Do make a list of questions to ask.

Do make some of the questions easier in the beginning - mainly yes or no questions - it helps with the flow of questions & it helps put the applicant at ease.

Do cover the general questions (review work history & skills) during the telephone interview. Save deeper questions for the face to face.

Do ask if they've ever been convicted of a crime/felony - this popped up for me a few years back. All I had was the resume. The applicant's telephone interview went well, so I had them come in for a face-to-face interview. Once they arrived, they filled out the application. It wasn't until the Manager (conducted interview) came to me afterwards that I found out the applicant had been convicted of assault. Lesson learned.

Do know which questions are 'deal breakers' and have a way to end the telephone interview, rather than feeling obliged to call them in for a face to face.

Don't let the interview go longer than 20 minutes.

Finally, reserve the right to improve. Once you find your 'groove' you'll find that some questions are worthwhile in the telephone stage and others make more sense during the face-to-face. Good luck.

mrsbowden

Wow thanks all...mwild GREAT suggested question. Wish me luck.

Cinderella

I like Mwild's suggestions - especially the last one. I like to do phone screens with a Word template and headphones / handsfree so I can take good (typed) notes while listening to their answers.
However, you might want to be careful on the whole convicted of a crime/felony thing - make sure you know your state laws on this and add the disclaimer "I see that we only have your resume and you have not filled out an application with us. I am going to ask you a couple of questions from our application at this time. Although conviction of a crime does not automatically disqualify applicants from employment, can you please tell me if you have been convicted of a crime within the last (per your state) years?" Just my $0.02

mwild31

Good catch Cinderella - thanks for the clarification - exactly what was needed x:-)