Tag Archives: management job search

How To Ace Your Next Phone Interview

Telephone interviews are easy to gloss over. They aren’t as formal as in-person interviews, and you can get away with participating in your pajamas. However, phone interviews are a critical step in the process, as they give both employers and candidates a chance to evaluate fit.  Acing a phone interview all comes down to preparation. With the right amount of advanced work, you can enter each telephone interview with confidence and poise.

Revisit Your Research

You likely spent time researching the potential employer before you applied for the position, but as you gear up for your phone interview, you should revisit that research, and spend some time digging a little deeper to get a better understanding of the company’s history, structure, and current position in the market. Spend some time researching the people you may be interacting with, as well. LinkedIn can be an invaluable research tool for phone interview preparation.

Prepare Questions

Your interviewer will ask you if you have any questions. It’s important to have some thoughtful questions prepared to show the interviewer that you are truly interested in the positon. Good questions may cover topics such as training and onboarding processes, career development opportunities, and the steps involved in the hiring process itself. Be sure that your questions are open-ended, rather than yes or no style questions. Always, always, always remember to ask the interviewer about the next steps.

Let Your Enthusiasm Shine

Even if your interview is scheduled first thing in the morning, be sure that your tone of voice is cheerful and enthusiastic. Take advantage of the fact that you’re on the phone – it’s far less intimidating than face-to-face interviews, and you can sit in a position that is most comfortable for you. If you are extremely nervous, a great tip is to smile while you speak. After a while, your “fake” smile will become a real smile and you will start to relax.

Don’t Forget to Say Thank You

At the end of the call, be sure to thank the interviewer for his or her time. If you are still interested in the position, be clear about that interest and get a firm confirmation of the next steps. Make a note of the interviewer’s timeline so that you can follow up if you do not hear back.

Partner With A Recruiter

An excellent way to brush up on your interviewing skills is to work with a professional recruiting firm. Recruiters know their client companies inside and out, and they can help adequately prepare you for each step of the process.

If you are looking to work with an effective recruiter, contact The Prevalent Group today. We are a nationally recognized management and executive placement and recruitment agency that works with experienced managers and executives in sales, marketing, engineering, technology and more. We can help you locate job opportunities that align with your long-term personal and professional goals, and we can help you perfect your interviewing skills so that you ace both phone and in-person meetings with hiring managers.

How To Develop A Strong And Beneficial Relationship With A Recruiter

Recruiters can be a powerful tool in your job search. They can act as a cheerleader, a guide, a salesperson, and a coach. In order to get all of these benefits from a recruiter, however, you have to establish a strong and beneficial relationship.

One: Be Sure of Your Search

Don’t contact a recruiter as a knee-jerk reaction to a bad experience at work. Be sure that you’re truly ready to move on. Recruiters are busy and they invest a lot of time in their candidates, so be respectful and only work with a recruiter if you’re absolutely sure it’s the right time to make a change.

Two: Be Specific About Your Needs and Goals

If you know in your heart that you will not uproot your family to move for a job no matter how much it pays, do not tell your recruiter you’d consider relocating. If you absolutely must be home at 5:00 pm in order to care for your aging parent, be honest about this. While your personal needs and requirements may make your opportunities a little thinner, your recruiter won’t waste time sending you on interviews for jobs that don’t match those requirements.

Three: Give and Receive Feedback Like a Pro

When you go on interviews, your recruiter will speak with the hiring manager to get feedback on how you did. They will then relay that feedback to you. This process helps you to become a better interviewee. Accept the feedback and act on it. At the same time, if a recruiter offers you an interview for a job that isn’t right for you, say no – but explain why you are turning it down. This feedback will help the recruiter know what types of jobs you are truly interested in. Always give and receive feedback with respect.

Four: Be an Active Participant

Your recruiter can only do so much – as a job seeker, you have to pull some of the weight, as well. Share the names of companies you have previously interviewed with so that the recruiter knows not to contact them.  Provide references and all necessary paperwork in a timely fashion. Return calls and emails promptly. Check in occasionally – don’t make the recruiter call you all the time. When you’re actively involved in the process, you’ll feel more invested in it, and you’ll build a great relationship with your recruiter.

If you are looking to work with an effective recruiter, contact The Prevalent Group today. We are a nationally recognized management and executive placement and recruitment agency that works with experienced managers and executives in sales, marketing, engineering, technology and more. We can help you locate job opportunities that align with your long-term personal and professional goals.

4 Reasons Why It Is So Important To Follow Up And Stay In Touch

Jobs, bosses, colleagues and interviewers will come and go, but connections can last a lifetime.  It is imperative to stay in touch with your professional network, even while you are happily employed, because you never know when those connections may help you in your career.

1. Keep in Touch With Interviewers

It can be frustrating to make it to a final round of interviews, only to lose the position to another candidate. If you made it that far, however, it means that the hiring team saw something in you that they liked. Once you find out that you did not get the job, ask the hiring manager if it’s alright to keep in touch. Connect via LinkedIn, and check in sporadically. It is possible that their needs will change over time, and you may be a better fit for an open position in the future. It is also possible that the hiring manager will move on to another company. When she has an open position that suits you, you’ll have a much easier time getting your foot in the door if you’ve been diligent about remaining on her radar.

2. Don’t Lose Contact with Former Bosses

Hopefully, you’ve resigned from your former positions on a good note. If you parted ways amicably with an old boss, it’s not out of the question to keep in touch. Connect on LinkedIn, and when you see your former supervisors out and about at professional events, take some time to say hello and catch up.  Why? You never know where your career, or your former supervisor’s career, will go. Your old boss may move on to a new company, your old company could expand, each providing opportunities for you to return in a new capacity.

3. Follow up with Connections Made at Networking Events

People attend networking events to make connections. In order to make those connections work, you have to stay in touch. After each event, make time to sit down and email those people who made an impression on you – or those people you hope to impress. The emails should be short, but friendly and professional. Remind each person who you are and what you discussed at the event. Follow up by sending a LinkedIn invitation. Keep those people on your touch-base list and be sure to check in regularly.

4. Don’t Go Overboard

Staying in touch means sending an occasional email or placing an occasional phone call. Each point of contact should have a distinct purpose. You might attach or mention a news article about your connection’s company, or a piece of industry news they might find interesting. Don’t reach out once a week asking for a job. That is a surefire way to make yourself known as a nuisance. The point of networking is to establish professional relationships, not to hound people into doing things to further your career.

If you are actively seeking new career opportunities, the recruiters at The Prevalent Group would love to connect with you. We are always on the lookout for talented professionals in sales, marketing, engineering and technology. As a nationally recognized recruitment and executive placement agency, we work with some of the most innovative and forward-thinking companies in the country. We invite you to visit our job board and then contact us to learn more about current openings and potential opportunities. We look forward to meeting you.