[caption id="attachment_3317" align="alignright" width="199"]<a href="http://www.danamanciagli.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Phone-Interview-Secrets-to-Success.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3317" alt="Phone Interview Secrets to Success" src="http://www.danamanciagli.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Phone-Interview-Secrets-to-Success-199x300.jpg" width="199" height="300" /></a> Phone Interview Secrets to Success[/caption]
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<p>Janet, an attorney and looking for a new job, had about 15 phone interviews since January.<i> “…but I'm having a hard time getting to the next level, an in-person interview. I am very confident in my skills when interviewing in person, but I never seem to make it there. I do follow up e-mails, thank you letters, and ask good questions during my phone interviews. How do I ace a phone interview and turn it into an invitation for an in-person interview?”</i> </p>
<p>Phone interviews are hard! You can’t see the interviewer to build a personal connection, you can’t read their non-verbal language, and sometimes it’s downright awkward. Yet phone interviews are on the rise to minimize the high cost of face-to-face interviews and to efficiently weed out a stack of applicants. </p>
<p>The good news: <b>a phone interview is an open-book quiz!</b> <b>You get to cheat on phone interviews!</b> You get to have notes in front of you with scripted answers to every one of the most commonly asked interview questions. And the key to a great phone interview is to know when to stop talking. </p>
<p>Here is <i>Dana Manciagli’s Law of Threes</i> for interviews:  Say no more than three bullet-point answers to every question then stop talking. Again, 2-3 short answers and <b><i>shut up</i></b>. This will not only make you more at ease, you will appear confident to the listener. If they want more information, they will ask! </p>
<p>Three more ways to get to the face-to-face interview level:</p>
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<p><b>Don’t underestimate anybody.</b> Whether the person on the other end of the phone is a 22-year old screener, a recruiter, a human resources manager, or the hiring manager, you need to be positive, energetic, and focused. Find a quiet location, stand up so you project your voice, and listen to the questions very carefully.</p>
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<p><b>Make yourself relevant to them</b>. Be sure you have studied the job description and answer with skills and experiences that are important to solve their challenges. Interviews are not about you!</p>
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<p><b>Go for the close.</b> Many interviewees tell me, “<i>They hung up before I could ask for the next step</i>.” <br /> Even if the call is running late and they are saying goodbye, you need to read your scripted close that shows your passion and asks for the face-to-face interview.  An example: “Ms. Jones, I’d like to express my passion for this position and ask for the opportunity to have a face-to-face interview.”</p>
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<p><span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;"> Write me with your job search challenges at any time!</span></p>