Graduate Prospects - January 23, 2008 - (Page 2)

2 PROSPECTS GRADUATE Issue 59 · 23 January 2008 · Fortnightly www.prospects.ac.uk BLOGGERS AT WORK ‘I quite like not knowing what’s yet to come’ KIRSTIE REJECTS LIFE PLANNING ‘A major factor is a complete lack of funds’ MATT FIGHTS THE WEED telephone interview. You have obviously impressed the company enough for them to want to speak to you. IN PYJAMAS As with any interview, you should research and prepare beforehand. ‘I much prefer an interview over the phone to the real thing,’ says Karon George, a recent graduate and current job seeker. ‘I can sit in bed in pyjamas, with all the info in front of me and I don’t need to worry about watching their faces for signs.’ BE PREPARED TO IMPRESS OVER THE PHONE OPPORTUNITY CALLS The world is advancing rapidly with technology changing on a daily basis. Even the interview process has progressed, with the onset of the quick and easy, and much dreaded, telephone interview. As the culmination of the search for a job, interviews can floor even the most organised of people. Back in the old days, you could expect to have sensible questions fired at you from strict-looking people; while today you may be called on to entertain a room full of interviewers and fellow candidates in any number of novel ways. Before you even reach this stage, however, many companies have now opted to cut down the list of possible candidates with a short telephone call. ‘Most jobs require some degree of competence in holding a conversation,’ says Kelly Lloyd, who works in HR for a major graduate employer. ‘The telephone interview can help eliminate even a small percentage of candidates who would otherwise have disappointed later on.’ CAUGHT OUT One Prospects reader, Tom Vass, was being interviewed for. ‘I got no warning they were calling, and I’d applied to so many I had no idea. They weren’t too impressed; I thought it was for an engineering job and it turned out to be for an admin position.’ The majority of companies conducting telephone interviews will try to give some notice, although, as in Tom’s position, there are those that will call without warning. ‘They’ll probably ask if it’s a convenient time though, so don’t be afraid to ask them to call back. Even if it’s only 10 minutes it’ll give you time to get a clear head,’ suggests Kelly. Almost all companies will understand that here and now is not always convenient, and those that don’t aren’t worth working for. CONFIDENCE The best way to get the most Most questions tend to be based around the original application, so as long as you remember which bits you played down or embellished slightly you should be alright. It’s always a good idea to practise possible questions beforehand, and have a copy of the application in case of last-minute forgetfulness VOICE TEST The major difference between a normal interview and one conducted over the phone is that you now rely entirely on your voice to show your enthusiasm and interest in the company and the job. Kelly says: ‘Try smiling while you’re talking; you might feel an idiot but it comes across in the tone.’ Possible employers can no longer read your body language so sounding keen and energetic is important. They can’t see you dressed smartly either, so instead smarten up your language. ‘Never use slang, or swear,’ Kelly advises. ‘And try not to use err too often!’ out of an interview like this is to see it in a positive light. From the company’s perspective, telephoning can save time as they see fewer candidates in person. They can also look for skills that may not be evident in a face-to-face interview; the obvious one being telephone manner. The obvious goal of a telephone interview is to be invited along to a face-to-face interview. It can also be a chance for you to find out a bit more about the company, and decide if it is something you want to continue to pursue. Although the thought of having to tackle any interview can be nerve-wracking, let alone one over the phone, if you are confident and prepared then the goal of a face-to-face interview is easily achievable. That’s when you can legitimately start to panic. KIRSTIE NICOLS told us of his telephone interview nightmare in From a candidate’s point of view, there is good reason to feel confident about a which he couldn’t remember the position he INFORMATION AND ADVICE www.prospects.ac.uk/links/appsinterviews WHAT JOB SUITS YOU www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pplanner GRADUATE EMPLOYERS www.prospects.ac.uk/links/coprofiles GRADUATE CHAT ONLINE www.prospects.ac.uk/links/gradtalk ALL ABOUT APPLICATIONS SEND YOUR VIEWS, SUGGESTIONS AND COMMENTS editorial@prospects.ac.uk http://www.prospects.ac.uk http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Feature_Articles/Feature_articles_2008/Kirstie_s_job_log__15/p!ebXfeck http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Feature_Articles/Feature_articles_2008/Matt_s_job_log__2/p!edLcafb http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/appsinterviews http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pplanner http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/coprofiles http://www.prospects.ac.uk/links/gradtalk

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Graduate Prospects - January 23, 2008

Editorial - Opportunity Calls Editorial - Bloggers at Work Axa Lost In Admin Springfield Fuels Limited Huntress Search Ltd SeQuoia Partnership Hewlett Packard Ltd Standard-Life Investments Propeller Training Contact Singapore Landsbanki Salmon Ltd Thales Group Warwickshire County Council National Audit Office Royal Household Russell Finex Ltd National Graduate Recruitment Exhibition LogicaCMG Majestic Wine Warehouses Ltd Graduate Prospects Aston University Matson Driscoll and Damico Shape Media Editorial - Uni on a Salary

Graduate Prospects - January 23, 2008

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