Secrets to a successful phone interview for development aid job seekers

Meeting with a recruiter face to face can be difficult in the fields of international development, humanitarian aid and global health: Employers are often half a world away from the consultants or staff they seek to hire, and even if you’re interviewing for a position close to home, the first interview could be over the phone. Here are some suggestions for acing a phone interview – many of them geared especially toward the globe-trotting aid worker who is communicating across time zones and cultures to make the world a better place. Consider time zones For the most part, aid workers in the field, especially independent consultants, should adapt to the recruiter’s time zone when scheduling a call. Don’t expect a human resources official in New York City to agree to an 8 a.m. interview just so you can take the call at 6 p.m. in Islamabad. Be considerate of the interviewer’s schedule, and accept the fact you may have to stay up late or wake up early. At the same time, make sure you’re setting yourself up for success. If you’re going to be bleary-eyed and exhausted at 10 p.m. your time, ask if the interview could be scheduled a little earlier. Suggest several time windows that work for you. Most people working in development aid understand the challenge of scheduling interviews across times zones. “You don’t want to ask the interviewer to do it at 3 a.m., but you can ask them if they can do it when it is 6 or 7 p.m. for them,” said Shana Montesol Johnson, a certified career and executive coach based in the Philippines. “Ask them how they usually handle interviews with people in the time zone you’re in to suss them out and see how flexible they are.” Not sure what time it is in the recruiter’s location? Websites such as TimeandDate.com or TimeZoneConverter.com can help you figure out the time in Abidjan or Zurich. When scheduling a call, make sure that you’re not booked on a flight or a meeting, even shortly afterward or before the time windows you’re suggesting – after all, the interview may run long, especially if the connection is spotty. Chose a strong phone line Avoid doing a job interview over a cell phone. There’s a heightened risk of the call dropping, and sound quality tends to be poor. “Candidates should always make sure they have a good telephone connection and a quiet place from which to do the phone interview,” said Regine Shiers, an associate director with Save the Children in Connecticut. True, landlines in the developing world can be unreliable or have static – and you might not even have a landline – which means you’ll need to use a cell phone or another service such as Skype. If you are using a mobile phone, try to be somewhere where you know you get good reception, make sure the battery is charged, top off minutes if you’re using a prepaid phone, and check the signal strength before the phone interview. If your phone connection is poor, don’t just plow ahead with the interview. “Find out if they can understand you clearly,” Johnson said. “If not, offer up a couple other options.” Have a backup plan in case your primary means of communication fails. Let the interviewer know what the plan is ahead of time, and ask for their ideas as well. Take time to prepare if you can You may be a busy professional with little time to prepare for a phone interview. But remember that if you’re serious about the job, preparation can mean the difference between landing it or not. “Most people are ill-prepared for a phone interview,” said Paul Bailo, CEO of Phone Interview Pro and author of “The Essential Phone Interview Handbook.” Bailo recommends spending three days getting ready for the interview. On the first day, research the aid organization. The following day, come up with questions for the hiring manager and write them down. The day before the interview, confirm the appointment. Say you want to make sure they have the right number. Suggest a backup plan in case your phone isn’t working. Add that you know they’re busy. To save time, is there an area they would like to focus on during the interview? Try to elicit information you can use when the interviewer calls. On the day of the interview, make sure the phone is working. If you’re worried about your voice and you’re near a market or grocery store, try finding honey – a teaspoon of it an hour prior to the phone conversation will improve your voice, Bailo said. Get a drink of water, and have your resume and questions in front of you for the interview. Keep your calendar nearby in case the interviewer asks you to meet for a second interview or schedule a follow-up phone call. If you have access to the Internet, look for a photograph of your interviewer on Devex, LinkedIn or the organization’s website and have it in front of you during the call: It may make the interview feel more natural. Consider dressing up as if you were going to an in-person interview. This will put you in the right mindset for the interview. “Don’t do it in your pajamas,” said Debra Wheatman, a certified professional resume writer and certified professional career coach, as well as the owner of Careers Done Write, a New York-based company providing job counseling services. “Pretend you’re with them and put your game face on.” Of course, you may be in no position to dress up or shop for food and drinks. If this is the case, don’t sweat it: Focusing on getting a decent phone or Internet connection is more important. Reduce background noise Ideally, there should be zero background noise. Consider putting a note on your door so that delivery people and others know not to knock. Make sure you’re away from kids, pets, the television, et cetera. Unless you’re using your cell phone to make the call, turn it off. Sit in a spot where you can focus, and put away personal items that may be distracting. “To the extent possible, set yourself up to succeed by having an environment that is conducive to the interview,” said Johnson. “If they call you unannounced, you can always say it isn’t a great time and ask to reschedule.” It might be impossible to eliminate background sounds completely if you are a development professional who is living in a war zone or if you’re traveling and need to take the call from a noisy airport or hotel lobby. If it isn’t feasible for you to get to a place that is quiet, be candid with the interviewer and let them know what’s going on in the environment. “This lets them know the noisy background is not because you are being unprofessional or inconsiderate,” Johnson explained. “Ask them if they want to do the interview another time.” Throughout the call, check in with the person periodically to make sure they can understand you. Speak in shorter bursts than in a face-to-face interview because you won’t have the benefit of non-verbal signals. Pause frequently and check for understanding to make sure you can go ahead. Get off to a good start If possible, have the organization call you rather than you calling them. “From a psychological standpoint, it gives the impression that they’re chasing you,” Bailo explained. The first 15 seconds of “meeting” someone are crucial; Bailo compares the beginning of a phone interview to a handshake. “The first 15 seconds will make or break it,” he said. “If you don’t connect, there’s a low chance of getting a face-to-face interview.” Thank the interviewer(s) for their call, and let them take the lead in your conversation. Be calm and avoid flattering the recruiter or their company. The phone interview isn’t about you, but what the other person needs to hear from you. Help solve the recruiter’s needs; take the phone interview and turn it into a working session. And smile; it will make you sound more relaxed and engaging. Sound professional Say “hello” instead of “hi.” When answering questions, avoid using “um” and “ah” as verbal fillers. Try replacing these fillers with a pause, which indicates that you are thinking about the question. Don’t interrupt, but give the recruiter enough time to finish their thoughts. “You’re really trying to create a video in the other person’s mind,” explained Bailo. You want that video to be tightly edited to create a positive image. Deal with language barriers You’re from West Africa and the recruiter is in Washington, D.C.? You live in New York but you’re trying to get a job in Latin America? There’s a strong possibility that you and the interviewer will have different first languages. If this is the case, speak slowly, pronounce all words carefully, and avoid using slang or jargon. Pause and check in with the person on a more frequent basis than you otherwise would. “You can always stop and ask if what you just said was clear and if it made sense,” said Johnson. “This also shows that you are an empathetic person who is a good communicator.” Not sure what the interviewer said? Ask them to rephrase. You can also paraphrase what you understood and ask, “Is that correct?” If you’ve mentioned that you speak Spanish or Swahili, don’t be surprised if the interviewer tests your foreign language skills. When the interviewer launches into another language, try to stay calm so that your communication skills don’t desert you. If the interviewer says something you don’t understand, it’s okay to ask them to repeat. If you don’t speak perfect English, or whatever language the phone interview is being conducted in, don’t think you’ve eliminated your chances of landing the job. The recruiter might be still want to hire you because your native tongue is Cantonese or because you are proficient in Arabic. Close the interview properly Remember that the interview is primarily about the recruiter’s needs, not yours. So, always thank the person on the other end. Say why you want the job, and what you would bring to the table (such as your experience working on microfinance projects in Africa or as an emergency response specialist in Haiti). Ask about next steps. Follow up “It takes 22 touch points to get a job,” Bailo said. “Turn the one-hour interview into a two-week process.” Once the receiver goes down, write an email summarizing the interview and thanking the interviewer, but don’t send it too close to the interview. Rather, send this e-mail 24-48 hours after the conversation. Then, 24-48 hours after you zap off the e-mail, send a handwritten thank you note to the interviewer. Next, again waiting a day or two, mail or e-mail the interviewer an interesting article about the company or industry. Finally, 24-48 hours after that, follow up with a phone call. Of course, depending on where you are located, it might make more sense to follow up electronically only: If a handwritten letter is going to take a month to reach the interviewer or if there’s a chance it won’t reach them at all, a thank you e-mail sent about 48 hours after the interview will suffice. Or, consider making a follow-up phone call. Even if you end up leaving a voicemail message, this will help you stand out a bit, especially if the interviewer has a flooded e-mail Inbox. Read more career advice on doing an interview: - Development Aid Job Interview Basics: How to Answer 10 Common Recruiter Questions - Job Interview Secrets: How to Win Over a Development Recruiter - It’s Your Turn: 20 Questions Aid Workers May Ask in a Job Interview - How to Dress for an International Development Job Interview Read more career advice articles. Meet the world’s top development organizations at the 2nd Devex International Development Career Fair in London on Oct. 14, 2011.