Interview Preparation

• When a person is applying for a job or a college program, a telephone interview is often one of the required parts of the process. Before the interview even takes place, the applicant and the interviewer must prepare. The interviewer will typically meet with administrators from the school or company officials to go over what kinds of questions should be asked during the interview. The person being interviewed should sketch out some of the basic strengths he wants to emphasize.
  
  

Initial Contact

• During their workday, interviewers or recruiters go through the resumes they have received and begin calling applicants. If the applicant does not pick up, the interviewer will usually leave a message asking for the person to call back. But if the applicant is available, the recruiter will conduct a telephone interview lasting 10 to 60 minutes. During the first part of the interview, the recruiter will ask broad questions about the applicant's history and specific questions about the person's interest in the company or school. Near the end of the interview, the recruiter will typically allow the applicant to pose any questions in order to gather more information about the school or the job opening.
  
  

After the Interview

• After the initial telephone interview has concluded, the recruiter will type up a clean version of notes on the applicant and submit that information to the group that makes application or hiring decisions. Sometimes this group will request more information about a particular applicant, so the recruiter might need to call the person back and conduct a second, shorter follow-up phone interview. In other cases, the applicant might be contacted again to set up a time to come in for a personal interview.