Interview tips: How to nail a phone screen
Typically, the first step in an interview process (after submitting your application) is a phone screen -- a 20-30 minute conversation with a recruiter or lower level staffer at an organization. In my career as a professional recruiter, I’ve done a gazillion of these, so it goes without saying that I know what it takes to nail it.
If you’ve been reading this newsletter, you know that I take an organizing and networking approach to the job hunt. If I had to give just one tip, it would be to practice, practice and practice your personal story wherever and whenever you can.
But beyond that, here are my other top overall tips for nailing phone screens:
Tell stories; don’t use jargon. Remember: the person interviewing you doesn’t know you at all, and you have a limited amount of time to make yourself and your experience stand out. Don’t get bogged down in hard-to-understand lingo. Instead, focus on telling specific, compelling stories in plain English of what you’ve accomplished. Imagine you’re giving your answer to a family member or friend with no connection to the work. Would they understand what you’re talking about?
Every recruiter asks similar questions, so be prepared with good answers. The questions I typically ask are “tell me about yourself,” “walk me through your resume and why you left the roles you left,” and “what’s your superpower?” You know these questions are coming, so write down your answers beforehand and practice them out loud.
Do your homework on the organization. Read their website, Google them to see what media coverage they’ve gotten recently, and check their social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) to see what they’re talking about. The key here is to incorporate their words and messaging into your answers, and if you can use an example of their recent work in an answer, that’s great too.
Know the must-have qualifications in the job description, and come ready with examples. For each bullet point, have a specific example ready from your background that you can speak to. If you haven’t done something, don’t fake it! Be up front and say you don’t have certain experience but then pivot to a story about when you learned a new skill quickly.
I have many more tips, big and small, but they can’t all fit into one email. In a future newsletter, I’ll share more of them -- including ones you’ve probably never thought of.
Here are the top three jobs we’re featuring this week:
National Director of Digital Advocacy and Organizing at Educators for Excellence; $90,000-$120,000; Remote possible.
Superintendent of Schools at Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School; Starting at $150,000; Brooklyn, NY.
Senior Front End Engineer at Only One; Starting at $125,000; Remote.
Now, onto housekeeping!
NRG Consulting is offering coaching programs to folks on the job hunt, whether you’re an entry- or senior-level candidate. Check out the programs we’re offering on our website, and get in touch with us.
If you find this newsletter helpful, forward it to your friends and help us build our network! Also, if you have feedback or an idea for a future newsletter topic, shoot me a note.
Naomi