Following multiple rounds of email checking and refreshing, you’ve just received that email saying ‘congratulations, you’ve been selected for a phone/skype interview.’ Great news!
Immediate feelings of pride that your CV/resume made the cut and excitement that you will now get the chance to impress, may eventually turn to feelings of anxiety as the reality of the next step sinks in.
The reality that you need to shine on the call (without the advantage of being able to meet the interviewer in person), and pressure that this call could act as a barrier between you and a potential dream job, starts to hit home.
But no sweat – remember you wouldn’t have been asked for an interview if the recruiter and/or hiring manager/lab head weren’t interested in your value. However, as for any interview, you’ll need to extensively prepare if you’re to be considered for the position.
As a former academic I’ve acted as interviewer and interviewee on multiple occasions to fill positions in my lab or apply for academic opportunities myself (many through Skype or over the phone). My experience is that the more prepared the candidate, the better their chances of landing the job.
More recently I was selected for a phone interview by a pharmaceutical company. I prepared extensively for the interview and was essentially able to ‘talk myself’ into the next round of the recruitment process.
By preparing in the right way, you’ll give yourself the best possible chance of progressing your application. Here I outline how best to prepare for a phone/Skype interview:
Effective Preparation for a Phone/Skype Interview
1. Research: You’re a researcher you’ve got this in the bag – gather as much information as possible about the company/institute (size, discoveries, what’s in the pipeline) and about the requirements listed in the job description.
I can’t over-emphasise the importance of noting down key questions to ask, whilst researching the position and having these to hand during the interview. Questioning shows interest in the role and allows you to keep the conversation flowing. Also asking well-crafted questions provides you with an opportunity to discover if this position is right for you.
DO NOT ask questions where the answers can be found through a quick internet search. Rather focus on things that highlight your interest in the role and concomitantly provide you with key information to help you assess the post. For example, you might ask things like ‘what are the key accomplishments for the first 6-12 months in this role?’ or ‘what do you consider are the major challenges of this position?’
Whilst you can’t predict exactly what you’ll be asked on the day, prepare answers to key questions that you might expect to be asked:
- Can you tell me about yourself?
- What do you know about our company/our research?
- What are your strengths/weaknesses?
- What are your career goals? Etc…
Draft out a few bullet points to market yourself in the best possible light.
Once you know plenty about the role, the company/institution and the team you’ll be working with, look over your CV and consider the gaps. Prepare answers to possible objections. Then try to pre-empt possible objections to your appointment and negate them where you can. For example:
Industry Employer – ‘I don’t think you’d be suitable for this role because you have no previous commercial experience in this area.’
You – ‘This is true, but I have done a work placement in the biotech sector and collaborated closely with industry partners during my PhD. I am a quick learner and am willing to use my own time to study to build the commercial acumen required for this role.’
Academic Employer – ‘I don’t think you’d be suitable for this role because you have no previous experience in Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), which will be a huge component of this project.’
You – ‘This is true, but I have worked extensively with microarray data and conducted analysis of large datasets. Many of the bioinformatics techniques will be translatable from my previous experience. I am a fast learner and I’m confident that I’d be get-up-to-speed fast with analysing NGS datasets.’
2. Logistics: Well-versed do’s and don’ts of telephone interviewing are as follows:
Do: Use an enthusiastic and interesting tone of voice, be succinct with answers, ask open-ended questions to keep the ball in the other court (who, what, when, why, where, how), be polite, use the other person’s name where appropriate (assess early on how they wish to be addressed), dial in at precisely the correct time, use a quiet place free of interruptions, ensure your phone is in range, have your CV and any prep notes with you, have a glass of water to hand, and free yourself of distractions.
Don’t: waffle, use colloquialisms, swear, phone too early, phone too late, fail to ask questions, use a non-energetic/flat tone, search for answers on the internet during the interview (you won’t need to if you’ve prepared well), and be afraid to ask tough questions (if there’s something about the job that doesn’t suit, there’s little point proceeding).
For Skype interviews you have the advantage of being able to interact with the interviewer using body language to aid you, but you’ll need to spend a bit more time thinking about the prep logistics prior to the interview:
Additional logistical requirements for Skype: Strong Wi-Fi connection, smart dress, a neutral background (no ‘Return of the Jedi’ posters behind you!), ideally a private place, a professional Skype user name, a headset, make eye contact by looking in the webcam not at the screen (position the computer such that webcam is at eye level – it’s more flattering), use a computer rather than a smart phone, turn off notifications, and practice beforehand to avoid technical glitches (if they do happen handle the situation with grace and don’t be afraid to cancel the connection and reconnect in an attempt to fix the glitch).
3. Closure: ‘Are there any other questions you have for me?’ is usually a cue that the conversation is heading towards closure. At this point you want to ask anything that wasn’t covered during the conversation. If you discussed everything, think of other relevant things to ask or revisit questions where you’d appreciate further expansion/clarification of a particular point.
For commercial sector jobs, your natural closing ability will be tested at this point.
If you’re still keen on the role, this is the right time to voice that opinion and also find out when you’re likely to hear back.
If you’re invited there and then for a face-to-face interview, thank them and ask for a few details about the next step in the hiring process. Often this doesn’t happen though, because hiring managers/lab heads will usually want to speak to all candidates before shortlisting.
4. After prep: Once finished, jot down some brief notes about key points discussed (whilst the conversation is still fresh in your mind). These could prove to be invaluable if called to the next recruitment round, or indeed if offered the position.
Within 12-24 hrs post-interview, send a brief follow-up email thanking the interviewer for their time and consideration. If you’re still interested in the job, briefly reiterate (in one or two sentences at most) why you’d be a good fit, drawing on information pulled from the interview.
This also provides an opportunity to ask additional questions you may have forgotten to ask or thought of afterwards. A well-crafted follow-up email shows you’re keen and that you’re a good listener.
Don’t dwell too much on the negatives post-event, but do try to reflect on areas that you think you could improve on for future interviews. It’s difficult to know if you’re in with a chance, but some signs that it went well can include that:
- The conversation felt relaxed and the dialog free-flowing
- The interview extended longer than the allocated time
- The interviewer asked lots of questions about you/your experience
- The interviewer sold you the company/institution/lab and the benefits of working there
- Next steps in the hiring process were discussed
You should have a good idea of how it went.
Don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t work out this time (see post How to Handle Rejection and Use it to your Advantage) – dust yourself off and move on – your time will come!
In summary:
- Extensively research the company/lab/institution prior to the interview
- Produce a list of key questions to ask
- Prepare answers to potential questions/objections you might be asked
- Set yourself up in a comfortable environment to take the call
- Speak with enthusiasm
- Voice your interest in the position at the end of the call (if true) and ask when you can expect to hear back
- Follow-up with a post-interview thank you email
- Whatever the outcome, use it as a great learning outcome
Best of luck!
And let me know how you get on…
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