January 5

Phone Interview Tips – #8: Research the Interviewer

Finding a Job, Getting Hired, Interviewing Skills and Tips, Job Interview Advice, Job Interview Preparation, Job Interview Skills, Job Search, Job Search Success, Job Search Tips, Jobseekers, Phone Interview Tips, Phone Interviews

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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.

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 the person buying the product.

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.

Got a big phone interview coming up? Let’s make sure you’re ready with a half-hour of coaching!

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  1. On this series you really emphasize on doing research on the interviewer. How does a person find out who is going to interview you so you can do the research. On Linkedin to see the hiring managers you need to pay and get the Premium Linkedin – I cannot afford that at this time. What else can a person do? – Jane

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