January 7

Phone Interview Tips – #9: Research the Company

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

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Don’t be surprised in your phone interview if the hiring manager asks, “What do you know about our company?”  It’s a reasonable question.  Why would they want to bother talking with someone who doesn’t even understand what they do (and didn’t care enough to find out)?

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.

Some candidates think the telephone interview is a get-to-know-you information session, but it’s really a screening process for the employer.  They’re looking for reasons to cross you off their list and narrow down the field for the face-to-face interview round. Don’t let them screen you out. Instead, earn yourself big points by knowing a lot about the company.

Where should you start your research? 

  • Start with the corporate website. You’ll get a solid foundation in what the company does. You’ll learn about their products or services. You’ll probably get an idea of how large the company is. You’ll see how technologically-savvy they are based on how well the website’s done.  You can even get a sense of corporate values from their mission statement.
  • Then go to Google. A Google search will yield news about the company. Are they growing? Have they been hit with lawsuits? What are others saying about this company?
  • Definitely check them out on LinkedIn. Corporate pages on LinkedIn provide you with additional  information you can’t get from the official corporate website. Also, check out the profiles of employees who work at the company. What’s their background? How long have they been there? Those are big clues for you.
  • Look at the company’s Facebook page. Lots of companies maintain a Facebook page with more casual information than what’s on their corporate site or LinkedIn, so you get a different perspective.
  • Find them on Twitter. You might or might not be able to find company tweets. But you might easily find employee tweets, which can be pretty valuable for you.
  • Ask your network. Just ask around among your friends and colleagues what they know about the company. Your recruiter is a good resource, too.

phone interview tipsThis might seem like a lot of work for just a phone interview, but it’s very much worth doing. A phone interview is never “just” a phone interview. It’s the first step in the hiring process. You won’t get to the second step (the face-to-face interview) if you don’t do a great job here.

Plus, what you find out about the company will help you do better, even in the phone interview, because you will understand more about the company and what their needs are and what they’re looking for.  That knowledge will help you shape your answers to be more impressive and more likely to move you forward in the process.

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

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