Has anyone ever received a unexpected telephone job interview? (job hunting, applying, unemployed)
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it has happened to me twice and I was a stuttering mess because i was thinking they were calling to scheduled a job interview but they the person started interviewing me over the phone and i was not prepared at all. Anyone else ever been caught off guard?
I had already been through a phone screening and was waiting for a schedule for an phone interview with the hiring VP. A couple weeks went by and nothing. At 11:45am on a Friday, I was called and they asked me if I was available. I told the internal recruiter "Yes, I have some time to talk." He then asked me to be at their headquarters for a face-to-face at 1pm. 75mins! I had a nasty cold and there was no way I was going to get my game face on, so I told him I could not get to their office that day. I was a bit so-so on the position and that pretty much sealed my disinterest. They screwed up and forgot to call me to schedule and then they expected me to jump through hoops.
Many might think I'm nuts because I'm unemployed. But I'm fortunate that I have the opportunity to be somewhat selective in my job search for the foreseeable future. And I thought it was very unprofessional behavior on their part.
Oh, yeah. How about now when they seem to screen you just for an interview and you sound like an idiot taken totally off guard!
I have told my husband I will no longer take a call from anyone straight away. I let my machine get it on the rare time it rings and I can't see by call waiting who it is. That will give me time to call them back when I am composed.
I am tired of being caught and sounding stupid and kicking myself later!
I had already been through a phone screening and was waiting for a schedule for an phone interview with the hiring VP. A couple weeks went by and nothing. At 11:45am on a Friday, I was called and they asked me if I was available. I told the internal recruiter "Yes, I have some time to talk." He then asked me to be at their headquarters for a face-to-face at 1pm. 75mins! I had a nasty cold and there was no way I was going to get my game face on, so I told him I could not get to their office that day. I was a bit so-so on the position and that pretty much sealed my disinterest. They screwed up and forgot to call me to schedule and then they expected me to jump through hoops.
Many might think I'm nuts because I'm unemployed. But I'm fortunate that I have the opportunity to be somewhat selective in my job search for the foreseeable future. And I thought it was very unprofessional behavior on their part.
I remember back in 2005 I just arrived home from a job interview and 2 min later the phone rung and it was a hr rep asking me would I be able to come in for a interview since i only lived 5 mins away from the job-lol Yes I went but looking back at it now I should have said I could come in the next day since I just had completed a 2 hour interview
Oh, yeah. How about now when they seem to screen you just for an interview and you sound like an idiot taken totally off guard!
I have told my husband I will no longer take a call from anyone straight away. I let my machine get it on the rare time it rings and I can't see by call waiting who it is. That will give me time to call them back when I am composed.
I am tired of being caught and sounding stupid and kicking myself later!
To the OP, we've all been there!
one lady who caught me off guard had me saying constantly during the phone interview-"YOU KNOW" and she kept saying-"no i don't know"
Yes... I learned from experience that it's better to let them know that it's not a good time to conduct interview right now. They usually understand and reschedule...
This is a recruiter/HR screening tactic. They are hoping to catch you off guard and possibly catch any discrepancies should there be any.
Here's a quick tip: If you have been submitting resumes and are in the process of interviewing, ALWAYS let your voicemail pick up the calls. Then you are able to call back when you are prepared to speak with the HR rep or recruiter from a quite location and in a prepared manner.
Another tip: Always keep a copy of your resume handy. Fold it up and stick in your wallet/purse if you have to. Unless you have memorized ever date and detail of your resume, it will keep you from seeming as if you are being inconsistent in your answers to interview questions.
My final tip: Phone interviews are meant to screen out the undesired, their goal is to eliminate as many as possible at this point. Every answer that you give to the phone interviewer should match your resume exactly. Do not attempt to elaborate too extensively on your resume during the phone interview because the interviewer will think that you are embellishing your qualifications just to land a face-to-face.
This is a recruiter/HR screening tactic. They are hoping to catch you off guard and possibly catch any discrepancies should there be any.
Here's a quick tip: If you have been submitting resumes and are in the process of interviewing, ALWAYS let your voicemail pick up the calls. Then you are able to call back when you are prepared to speak with the HR rep or recruiter from a quite location and in a prepared manner.
Another tip: Always keep a copy of your resume handy. Fold it up and stick in your wallet/purse if you have to. Unless you have memorized ever date and detail of your resume, it will keep you from seeming as if you are being inconsistent in your answers to interview questions.
My final tip: Phone interviews are meant to screen out the undesired, their goal is to eliminate as many as possible at this point. Every answer that you give to the phone interviewer should match your resume exactly. Do not attempt to elaborate too extensively on your resume during the phone interview because the interviewer will think that you are embellishing your qualifications just to land a face-to-face.
well if i was to get a call from an employer I wouldn't answer the phone anyway because i wouldn't want to make it seem like I was just laying here waiting for the phone to ring-lol So I would defintely let the voicemail get it
Here's a quick tip: If you have been submitting resumes and are in the process of interviewing, ALWAYS let your voicemail pick up the calls. Then you are able to call back when you are prepared to speak with the HR rep or recruiter from a quite location and in a prepared manner.
As with everything around here- It depends.
If you're firing off resumes like birdshot and applying for many positions online, then this is probably a good approach since you don't want the first words out of your mouth to be "Which job is this?"
But if you're applying for mid-senior level or executive, "professional" positions, then you are likely targeting much more specific positions and employers. In my 4-months of unanticipated vacation time, I've only applied for a half-dozen positions. And only ones where I have done a reasonable amount of research into the company and the hiring person, if possible, and I have tailored my marketing plan to each one of them.
I keep notes of how my background meets or exceeds the requirements of the positions, my personal strengths and weaknesses for the position, answers to typical screening questions and questions that I want to ask of them. So, I'm prepared to handle a phone screening at a moments notice. But a short notice, in person interview is a whole different story.
If you're firing off resumes like birdshot and applying for many positions online, then this is probably a good approach since you don't want the first words out of your mouth to be "Which job is this?"
But if you're applying for mid-senior level or executive, "professional" positions, then you are likely targeting much more specific positions and employers. In my 4-months of unanticipated vacation time, I've only applied for a half-dozen positions. And only ones where I have done a reasonable amount of research into the company and the hiring person, if possible, and I have tailored my marketing plan to each one of them.
I keep notes of how my background meets or exceeds the requirements of the positions, my personal strengths and weaknesses for the position, answers to typical screening questions and questions that I want to ask of them. So, I'm prepared to handle a phone screening at a moments notice. But a short notice, in person interview is a whole different story.
I agree for someone job hunting on your level. But I was referring to someone who is probably trying to enter a company at a lower level. That person does not want to answer their cell phone with Beyonce's lastest hit bumping in the background. They need to let ALL of their calls go into voicemail while job hunting.
I can not stand it when I am contacting someone for an interview and they have music blasting in the background AND do not turn it down. It makes me think that they aren't serious in attempting to convince me that they are the right fit for a job.
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