#8: How to Ace the Recruiter Interview
AKA the phone screen
Ah, the job search is fun isn’t it?
Said no one.
But alas, being on the job search means going through the gauntlet of job applications and interviews.
You’ve mentally prepared yourself, set a goal of when you’re going to land a job, updated your resume, and started tossing PDF’s into ATS’s.
Soon, you start getting the “When are you available to connect?” emails.
But the panic starts to set in. Interview nerves get the best of you.
Regardless, you vow to be prepared.
You want the recruiter to be your advocate throughout the process, so you determine to have the best phone screen possible.
So, from a former recruiter who has conducted 100’s of phone screens, here are my top takeaways on how to knock those interviews out of the park!
6 steps to prepare for an interview with a recruiter:
Read over the job description again:
Whenever I submit an application, I immediately save the job description as a PDF and put it in a folder. Job postings often get taken down once there are a lot of applications, so I like to keep an offline copy. If you don’t get the chance to do this and don’t see the job description online anymore, don’t sweat. You can ask the recruiter to send you the job description again. Study the job description so you can be prepared to explain how your past experience and skills are relevant to the role.
Research the company:
Make sure you understand what the company does at a high level, read over the company values, and look at the Glassdoor reviews.
Prepare your salary expectations:
You might adjust your salary expectations depending on the job and the company you’re interviewing for. If you missed my last newsletter all about this, check it out!
Prepare responses to basic interview questions:
The 3 most basic questions that you should be able to answer in a phone screen are:
Why you? Why should the company hire you?
Why this role? Why are you interested in this particular role, and why would you be a good fit for this role?
Why this company? What makes you want to work for this company in particular? (The product, values, culture, etc.)
Research the interviewer on LinkedIn:
See if you share anything in common, check out how long they’ve been at the company for, and note what companies they worked at previously
Prepare questions to ask the interviewer:
Prepare 3-5 solid questions (don’t just ask the basic questions). I plan on writing a whole separate newsletter on this topic!
Top tips to stand out in phone interviews:
Make small talk:
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing morally wrong with skipping small talk. But if you want to stand out and make a great impression right off the bat, breaking the ice is the way to go. 9 times out of 10 (my guesstimate), the recruiter will ask you “How are you?” Use this as an opportunity to say something personable or fun.
Answer the call confidently:
Instead of saying “Hello?”, opt for “Hi, this is (my name).” It helps the recruiter know that they’ve called the right person.
Have an excited tone:
Since you can’t use body language, demonstrate interest through your tone instead. If your interview comes across as monotone, the recruiter could interpret that as a sign that you’re not interested in the role.
Stand up during the interview:
This can help with interview nerves!
Be grateful:
Expressing appreciation to the recruiter for their time demonstrates that you have soft skills.
Health & Wealth ☕️
Did you know I have a LinkedIn course?
One of the best ways to land interviews from companies is to have a rockstar LinkedIn profile. But it's not just about having any ole profile – it's about having a profile that ranks high on LinkedIn Recruiter, the platform that recruiters search for candidates on.
In this course, you'll dive deep into the techniques that boost your profile's visibility on LinkedIn Recruiter, including how to optimize your profile with the right keywords, skills, and experiences that recruiters are actively searching for.
Plus, I’ll show you tips on how to create content if you’re interested in that.
Learn how to attract recruiters to your LinkedIn profile in my course below!
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Until next time, stay healthy, wealthy, and wise!
Sincerely,
Sarena