February 1

Phone Interview Tips – #35: The One Question You Should Ask

Finding a Job, Getting Hired, Interviewing Skills and Tips, Job Interview Advice, Job Interview Questions and Answers, Job Interview Skills, Job Search, Job Search Success, Job Search Tips, Jobseekers, Phone Interview Questions, Phone Interview Tips, Phone Interviews, Questions to Ask at an Interview, Questions to Ask During an Interview, Questions to Ask Interviewer, Questions To Ask On An Interview

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Phone Interview Tips Series

Table of Contents

Phone Interview Tips 1-10
  1. Phone Interview Tip #1 -- Check Your Voicemail Greeting

  2. Phone Interview Tip #2 -- The Best Time to Set Up Your Call

  3. Phone Interview Tip #3 -- Where’s the Best Place for a Phone Interview?

  4. Phone Interview Tip #4 -- How To Keep Your Focus

  5. Phone Interview Tip #5 -- How to Build Your Confidence

  6. Phone Interview Tip #6 -- How to Project Enthusiasm

  7. Phone Interview Tip #7 -- Use Cheat Sheets

  8. Phone Interview Tip #8 -- Research the Interviewer

  9. Phone Interview Tip #9 -- Research the Company

  10. Phone Interview Tip #10 -- Prepare Answers to Common Phone Interview Questions

Phone Interview Tips 11-20
  1. Phone Interview Tip #11 -- Practice Your Phone Interview

  2. Phone Interview Tip #12 -- How to Hit Your Phone Interview Goals

  3. Phone Interview Tip #13 -- The Best Phone for Your Interview

  4. Phone Interview Tip #14 -- Your Phone Interview Voice

  5. Phone Interview Tip #15 -- How to Give the Interviewer What They’re Looking For

  6. Phone Interview Tip #16 -- How to Project the Right Image Over the Phone

  7. Phone Interview Tip #17 -- Help Them Qualify You for the Face-to-Face Interview

  8. Phone Interview Tip #18 -- Speak the Right Body Language (Yes, Even On the Phone)

  9. Phone Interview Tip #19 -- Secret Tricks to Phone Interview Success

  10. Phone Interview Tip #20 -- Ask Questions

Phone Interview Tips 21-30
  1. Phone Interview Tip #21 -- How to Listen Well

  2. Phone Interview Tip #22 -- Don’t Talk Too Much

  3. Phone Interview Tip #23 -- Watch Your Language

  4. Phone Interview Tip #24 -- Phone Interview Etiquette

  5. Phone Interview Tip #25 -- Getting the Face-to-Face Interview

  6. Phone Interview Tip #26 -- How and When to Follow Up

  7. Phone Interview Tip #27 -- Biggest Phone Interview Mistakes

  8. Phone Interview Tip #28 -- Small Phone Interview Mistakes That Cause Big Problems

  9. Phone Interview Tip #29 -- Things You Should Never Say

  10. Phone Interview Tip #30 -- Make a Phone Interview Checklist

Phone Interview Tips 31-37
  1. Phone Interview Tip #31 -- Relax, Be Calm, and Make a Good Impression

  2. Phone Interview Tip #32 -- Good Telephone Communication Tips

  3. Phone Interview Tip #33 -- Typical Phone Interview Questions

  4. Phone Interview Tip #34 -- Thank You Notes

  5. Phone Interview Tip #35 -- The One Question You Should Ask

  6. Phone Interview Tip #36 -- How to Keep Them From Screening You Out

  7. Phone Interview Tip #37 -- How to Prepare for a Phone Interview

Click to expand question sets, then click individual questions to read the article.

Do you know the most important question you should ask in phone interviews?  Hopefully, you already know that it’s important that you should ask questions in your telephone interview.  But you might not know that one question in particular can ensure a good interview or even turn the tide of a bad interview.

What’s the question?

The question is:  What does your ideal candidate look like?  What’s on their wish list of skills and qualifications of someone in this role?  If a person with those qualities walked through the door now, they’d be drooling and trying to hire them on the spot.

Why should you ask about their ideal candidate?  Chances are…you’re not that person.  But chances also are…that person isn’t going to come walking through the door, either.  It’s an ideal.  So what’s the point of asking about it?  It’s because their answer tells you what they really care about in a candidate.  It’s like saying, “What would you really like to hear from me in this interview?  What can I say to you that will get me this job?”  That is POWERFUL information.

When should you ask this question?  Ask it fairly early in the interview, before you start to get too deep in talking about yourself.

Does it have to be those exact words?  No.  Use whatever words are comfortable for you:  Tell me about your ideal candidate.  If you had a checklist for a perfect candidate, what would be on it?  What are the qualities of someone who would be perfect in this role?  This is a question that should feel like a natural part of your conversation, so ask it however it works for you.

Do you really have to ask this?  Yes. Can’t you just go by what the job description says?  Nope.  It’s entirely possible that someone besides the person interviewing you wrote the description—so maybe it’s not entirely accurate.  It’s just too much of a gamble to take for this important conversation.

What do you do with this information?  You use it to help tailor your answers to their interview questions.

If they ask about your proudest accomplishment, you can choose one that speaks to their wish list.  You don’t want to talk about something that they won’t care about hearing.

If they ask why you think you’d be a good fit, then you can talk about the skills that match up with what they told you.

Every time they ask you a question, you say something that answers that wish list as much as you can.  Delivering these types of super-targeted answers help you CRUSH the interview.  It’s being strategic and smart in how you approach the entire process.  It will help push you along to getting the face-to-face interview.

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Over 50? You need to watch my free webinar, Beat Age Discrimination and Get a Great Job! I’ll show you how to overcome the 5 biggest biases against Over 50 jobseekers with powerful yet simple strategies for your resume, job search, and interviews.

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