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Phone Interview Tips - #8: Research the Interviewer

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Why research the interviewer before your phone interview? Look at it this way: The job interview is a sales process in which you are both the product and the sales rep. One of the first rules of sales is “Know Your Customer.” You can’t sell effectively unless you know a little something about your customer.

How annoying is it to have a sales rep come up to sell you something without even asking a few questions about your problems or issues? They have no idea what you’re interested in, so they’re not effective.

The same principle is at work in the job interview process.

What Should You Search For About the Interviewer?

You don’t want to become a stalker…you just need some background on this person. Where are they from? How did they come up in the business? What hobbies do they have?

Some things are going to help you establish rapport. Maybe you share a hobby. Or maybe you’ll find out that your interviewer is a member of PETA, so you’ll decide not to talk about your love of hunting.

And some things will help you decide what to focus on in your call. The interviewer’s career background might provide some clues as to what he or she values. If you can talk about similar things in your own background, that’s going to give you an advantage in the process.

Use LinkedIn to Research the Interviewer

LinkedIn profiles are invaluable sources of information. What jobs have they had? What groups are they in? What things to they talk about in their status updates? All these things can give you important clues that will help you in your conversation.

Use Facebook to Research the Interviewer

Since Facebook is more of a social site than LinkedIn, you’re going to be able to get another perspective on your interviewer. It should give you a more personal look at this person: what do they post? What do they think is funny? How active are they?

This research is going to make you feel more comfortable speaking with this person. You’ll feel like you know them a lot more than just going in cold. It should make you more comfortable, which will make you more confident.

Use a Photo?

One more trick that might make you feel more comfortable in the phone interview is to grab the interviewer’s profile picture off either LinkedIn or Facebook and put it on your computer screen while you talk so you feel more like you’re talking to a person. For some people, it makes them feel more at ease.

Phone Interview Tips - List

Tips 1- 37 Click to expand

Phone Interview - Tip 1 -- Check Your Voicemail Greeting
Phone Interview - Tip 2 -- The Best Time to Set Up Your Call
Phone Interview - Tip 3 -- Where’s the Best Place for a Phone Interview?
Phone Interview - Tip 4 -- How To Keep Your Focus
Phone Interview - Tip 5 -- How to Build Your Confidence
Phone Interview - Tip 6 -- How to Project Enthusiasm
Phone Interview - Tip 7 -- Use Cheat Sheets
Phone Interview - Tip 8 -- Research the Interviewer
Phone Interview - Tip 9 -- Research the Company
Phone Interview - Tip 10 -- Prepare Answers to Common Phone Interview Questions
Phone Interview - Tip 11 -- Practice Your Phone Interview
Phone Interview - Tip 12 -- How to Hit Your Phone Interview Goals
Phone Interview - Tip 13 -- The Best Phone for Your Phone Interview
Phone Interview - Tip 14 -- Your Phone Interview Voice
Phone Interview - Tip 15 -- How to Give the Interviewer What They’re Looking For
Phone Interview - Tip 16 -- How to Project the Right Image Over the Phone
Phone Interview - Tip 17 -- Help Them Qualify You for the Face-to-Face Interview
Phone Interview - Tip 18 -- Speak the Right Body Language
Phone Interview - Tip 19 -- Secret Tricks to Phone Interview Success
Phone Interview - Tip 20 -- Ask Questions
Phone Interview - Tip 21 -- How to Listen Well
Phone Interview - Tip 22 -- Don’t Talk Too Much
Phone Interview - Tip 23 -- Watch Your Language
Phone Interview - Tip 24 -- Phone Interview Etiquette
Phone Interview - Tip 25 -- Getting the Face-to-Face Interview
Phone Interview - Tip 26 -- How and When to Follow Up
Phone Interview - Tip 27 -- Biggest Phone Interview Mistakes
Phone Interview - Tip 28 -- Small Phone Interview Mistakes That Cause Big Problems
Phone Interview - Tip 29 -- Things You Should Never Say
Phone Interview - Tip 30 -- Make a Phone Interview Checklist
Phone Interview - Tip 31 -- Relax, Be Calm, and Make a Good Impression
Phone Interview - Tip 32 -- Good Telephone Communication Tips
Phone Interview - Tip 33 -- Typical Phone Interview Questions
Phone Interview - Tip 34 -- Thank You Notes
Phone Interview - Tip 35 -- The One Question You Should Ask
Phone Interview - Tip 36 -- How to Keep Them From Screening You Out
Phone Interview - Tip 37 -- How to Prepare for a Phone Interview

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