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An active forum for discussion with like-minded peers in the industry, to network ideas, questions and problems.
RING RING – Telephone Interviews for your ACCA job
Ring!!!!Ring!!!!
- “Hello?”
- Sir/Madam we are calling from DD Audit Firm.*
- “Okay, and how may I help you? (meow, background noise of pet cats)
- Sir/Madam you submitted an online CV for an ACCA accountancy related job on our website.
- “So?”
- We need a telephonic interview before we ask you for a face to face interview…
The background pet cat was the least I mentioned. People even have more terrible experiences for their telephone interviews. Yes, many accounting companies are now starting to prefer telephone interviews before they call you onto their premises. Reasons could be many, but in light of growing accountancy applicants, many recruiters now need to be more efficient when finding their ideal candidate.
With the changing technological advancements, companies are one step ahead of us in using them. There are stories of people who were rejected just because their Facebook profile does not seems fit or show an inappropriate behavior. So next time, before you do anything inappropriate or extremely stupid on Facebook, don’t think your actions are going un-noticed. Accountancy companies are now even hiring their potential employees on social networking websites, especially, Linkedin. (Read our other articles on social sites like Linkedin, this could be your biggest advantage if you are serious about your career).
So, How to Tackle a Telephone Interview?
People form opinions and make judgments about us in the first 60 seconds they see us. People also make judgments about us based on the way we sound on the telephone. (For more on this topic I will strongly, and may I say very strongly, suggest you the book of Malcolm Gladwell, BLINK.
Because these accountancy recruiters cannot see us over the telephone they will form these opinions based not only what we say, but also on "how" we say it. In fact the message we communicate over the telephone is based primarily on these two important qualities;
(1) "What" we say (Verbal) and (2) "How" we say it.
There are many ways to handle the telephone interviews. Here are just a few thoughts.
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you
This golden rule is even applicable here. Make sure your greeting is short but very professional. Your first impression will be the last. No one wants to hire any professional without proper professional etiquettes.
Fix the Background Voices
Invisibility creates carelessness; don’t even think about a mid-interview snack or gulping a large drink. Eliminate all background noise including your pets and siblings and make sure you are not interrupted by your mobile phone. (I have to mention this, because I am a victim of this myself!)
Vary Your Delivery
Tone of voice is the only mode in this case so express your confidence and passion for your work. Varying your tone might help. And yes, kill the silence; it seems longer in telephone interviews.
Friend in Need is a Friend indeed
Your friends and colleagues could be the best to give you feedback on your voice and manners of voice conversation. Even leave yourself a number of voicemails to assess yourself and be critical in your examination.
Focus
Just because you are out of sight, doesn't mean you can still continue typing whils talking via your loud-speaker or hand-free. In fact, research has shown that the accounting recruiter on the other end of the line can easily here you typing. Not a good image to convey, representing that you're not offering your full attention. On the other hand, being close to a computer does allow you to research their company and topics as you talk to them. Saying, "I'll just have another look at your site which I bookmarked..." shows you have enthusiasm, a proactive nature to "jump-to-it" and shows interest to the recruiter, by already bookmarking their site.
*DD Audit firm is just a fake name used as an illustration.
By Ali Ahmed 2/5/2010
