Telephone Interviews...

**Bagpuss** · 27 February 2007, 14:03

Originally posted by dotnetter

How do you handle these? I work in Central London and believe me there is NO quiet spots, so I normally do them in my lunch hour, find the quietest spot I can wait for the call.

Anyway had one today, and it was going ok until the client put me on conference call with his tech lead.

Every other sentence the thing kept cutting out, and I kept having to ask him to repeat the questions, which is highly frustrating! Anyway it got too much and the client said well had to ring you back when your on a landline!

It's nothing to do with me being on a mobile it's the tulipty conference system these companies use, this has happened to me twice now!

You're

**dotnetter** · 27 February 2007, 14:06

Originally posted by Bagpuss

You're

Maybe I can't spell you're but I can spell pedantic

**Paddy** · 27 February 2007, 14:22

On the moon landing they used half-duplex transmitters with that beeped at handover.

I have been in similar situations at interviews and I have said to them, as there is a delay because of the conference call equipment; when you finish talking it is best if we take orderly turns in speaking.

Works fine for me.

**dotnetter** · 27 February 2007, 14:24

Thing is it wasnt a delay, the interviewer would say a whole sentence that I would just plain not hear, then all of a sudden cut back in and I'm there saying 'sorry didn't catch any of that'

What winds me up is the client making out it's my fault!

**Euro-commuter** · 27 February 2007, 14:35

Originally posted by dotnetter

Thing is it wasnt a delay, the interviewer would say a whole sentence that I would just plain not hear, then all of a sudden cut back in and I'm there saying 'sorry didn't catch any of that'

What winds me up is the client making out it's my fault!

Does that tell you anything about whether you want to work for them?

**Jawz** · 27 February 2007, 14:36

Tell them you don't feel comfortable with a telephone interview and ask if you can use Msn Messenger instead.

**dotnetter** · 27 February 2007, 14:36

Yeah sure, not going there now sod em

**dotnetter** · 27 February 2007, 14:40

Originally posted by Jawz

Tell them you don't feel comfortable with a telephone interview and ask if you can use Msn Messenger instead.

I tried that but they had intermittent network problems

**lukemg** · 27 February 2007, 14:46

These are a nightmare, no way to get feedback/body-language, I work best on picking up the signals and changing emphasis accordingly, checking understanding etc.
I've had 2
First - decided against it after considering the location/terms but did it anyway without showing any knowledge or enthusiasm for anything mentioned - you are just what we are looking for says the client !!!
Second - Out of my depth for a security job, tried to work it but got a knockback.
Had a call about a job at one of our consultancy friends and they said they would start with an hours telephone interview. I was going to arrange a meeting room and proper conference phone but I was not up for this. Got offered another 3 months so put them off.

Telephone Interviews...