Secret… I like cheese balls (ps did you know they are gluten free?).
Secret… I want to own Hip Hop Dance Revolution. You can learn the actual moves to hip hop songs like 1, 2 Step. HOLY MOSES my dream.
Secret… I don’t wash my running clothes every day (don’t worry I let them air dry, gross I know).
Secret… talking to some friends is like therapy.
Secret… I got a phone interview for a job, round one baby!
Oh, did you catch that? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to share my big news but that job I applied for contacted me on Monday asking for an interview. Granted this job isn’t until June when my current contract is up but holy moly would it be nice to feel secure. Knock on wood my phone interview at 10 am goes well. I would appreciate some pretty killer vibes my way this morning. ( I also worry that saying all this and not getting it could be pretty depressing but I am just going to keep rolling with it…) Side note, my current job does not really know I am even searching, I think they assume I will be doing another year with them so that’s another hush hush of this situation.
I have a lot of prep work to do for the interview so instead I thought I would create a ‘how to nail a phone interview’. (Disclosure: I am no pro, I actually prefer interviews in person BUT first rounds most always include a phone interview)
- Be prepared. Plain and simple. You should know your stuff. If you are not seeing them in person take advantage of that by using a notebook to keep notes straight while you talk. You should know about the company, its beliefs, its missions. Also, you should know about the role you are applying for. In this case, having too much prepared is always better.
- Don’t be afraid of silence. This is necessary for phone interviews because babbling on for ages because you fear that awkward silence can sometimes work against you. Without being able to read their expression people have the tendency to babble on. Get to the point and stop. They will appreciate it.
- Don’t be distracted. Hiding behind a phone can be good for some but make sure there is nothing around you to let your mind wander. You need to be even more on your game when they are not sitting in front of you.
- Have some non-negotiables. For everyone and every position this will be different but based off of what you are interviewing for, make sure you have your list of what you definitely want them to hear. Maybe it is a past job or leadership position that really speaks to their mission or maybe it is something about their company that drew you in.
- Network. I reached out immediately when I heard I got this interview. Not only was I able to speak to a current employee to get tips but my mentor also got in touch with someone who knew the person who was going to be interviewing me aka putting a good word in. Don’t be afraid to ask for this help, networking can be so beneficial when you are applying to a larger company.
- Make them remember you. Most jobs you will not be the only one up for the position. Most likely not even close. That means this, if anytime, is when you sell yourself. Capitalize off of those unique experiences you have had or opportunities you took advantage of. No time to be modest in this game.
… shhh I’m prepping! Let’s hope I don’t….
Questions: What is your best interview tip? What makes you nervous about interviews?
!!!!! Oh girl, you KNOW I’ll be thinking of you at 10 am sharp and sending you good vibes! I’m going to do my best to refrain from texting you while you might be having your interview, but PLEASE text me as soon as it’s over and tell me how it went! Squee! Excited for you
I will I will, I am going to channel some killer Amanda vibes. You be sure of that.
Oh my goodness CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! I hope you do well and I agree with Amanda- I think a mass text might be in order for afterwards. You deserve this! Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh I literally cannot contain myself right now. Maybe that means it’s time to sleep so I can hear how things go for you tomorrow!
P.s- DDR is my jam. Definitely played it on christmas eve with my photographer (aka the woman who used to come to my sporting events/senior pics) and her daughter. So. Much. Fun.
Wait I so think we should have a blogger meet up and just dance. Is that ok? Cause I really really want to own it now.
YES. I’d totally be down for that. Time to start planning it!
GOOD LUCK!!
Thank you lady!
omg cheeseballs are the best!! i have to go email my gf friend!
They are the best, amen to that.
I’m with you preparation is key!!! Really great and helpful post! I agree in person is easier but im sure you’ll smash it! Jobs are kinda like guys though if you don’t get it it usually means it wasn’t right and something better is around the corner.
I think most jobs do the phone as a first interview because it is easier but boy do I hope I get to do one in person as well, so much easier for me
Ooooh, congrats! I’m sure you’ll impress them in the phone interview already.
Oh, also, we can both be gross as I don’t wash my running clothes every day, either. Where’s the point in doing so if you didn’t sweat buckets and will use them the next day again in anyway???
Thank you I am so glad you agree with that, plus I hate doing laundry and that would be a butt load of laundry
Haha, me, too! It’s one task I keep putting off until I have “nothing” to wear anymore
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great tips. i am sending you super strong supportive vibes ALL morning but i have my morning break at 10 am so i will be concentrating solely on you at that hour. awesome tips by the way – you’re so damn smart. how are you so young?
oh good, I need all the molly power I can get at that hour. you are making me blush, you know I am a 70 year old woman inside
Great tips Alex! Definitely be yourself!
. I wanted to work for this company a year or so back and they interviewed me three stinking times! I was eventually go to start asking for gas money!
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Um, I totally wear my workout clothes at least twice
Have a great day!
Now a days the interviews are more and more, like there are multiple rounds. I guess they do what they have to do!
I think that the networking one is biggest for people who don’t come from … let’s say, incredibly well connected families. For many, this is the way that they’ll hear of the job and be recommended. For us commoners, we need to do that leg work ourselves. Way to be all over it.
Also, the non-negotiables. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I’ve been able to somehow steer the direction of the interview conversation towards my non-negotiables that I want to mention.
I think that another big one to remember is to pretend that these people know NOTHING about you. Even if it’s in your resume or cover letter, mention it again. Use key words that employers like to hear (if you can pull those words from their posted job description or from their company views, all the better — it sends along the idea that you fit their ideals). Also, if you don’t know the answer, that’s alright. Interviews are supposed to be tough, you’re not supposed to know all the answer. But tell them you don’t know, and then tell them the steps that you’d take to figure it out. Shows them your problem solving skills.
Hm. Can you tell I’ve been through my fair share of interviews? haha. Best wishes. You’d better believe that I’ll be allllllll over those good vibes. And kudos to you for mentioning it.
Girl you are an interview pro. Glad I read this right before the interview, you are right though. Pretend they don’t know you, go over your resume even if they have it right in front of them. I am good at steering it toward my non negotiables too, you have to!
CONGRATS! Good vibes heading your way! And thank you for this post! You are really knowledgeable about this stuff girl! You are going to nail this interview
Be yourself!
I have done way too many interviews in my college years let’s just say… hope these help you!
Good luck!!! Cheese Balls definitely are amazing, I’ve been on a dozen interviews in my time. I think my best tip is have confidence and find a way to make them remember you.
You are so right, confidence is something that can come across in so many forms and they like that!
Best of luck. I guess my tip for interviewing is to prepare for any question thrown your way. In FFA competitions they literally would give us a list of commonly asked interview questions and we had to practice our answers for all of them. Very helpful I think.
Yep, that is where my networking helped. I was able to know a few questions they most likely will ask. Phew!
Good luck!! You are going to do so great
I can’t wait to hear how it goes! This is so silly, but I always tell myself going into an interview, that no matter what happens, my mom still loves me. Haha! For some reason that gives me the added bit of confidence that I need!
that is adorable, you are right. My mom will always love me. (Now I am going to be thinking this throughout my interview! )
Congrats and good luck! Can’t wait to hear about it! And ps. I also let my clothes air dry… gag I know
I do the same thing, air dry it is!
Yay, congratulations!!! Those are great interview tips. In the last interview I did (where I was interviewing the person) I learned how important it is to be yourself (which is so cliche, I know). Be personable and make yourself stand out, like you said in your post. Be friendly, don’t be so nervous that you’re sitting there without a smile! You got this! PS I LOVE THOSE DANCE GAMES. I have one for Wii, I forget which one…but it’s amazing!
You so just have to be yourself, I mean that is why they wanted to interview you in the first place. I wish I had the dance game, no joke I would play it all day.
good luck Alex, you will do great (:
Thank you!
Haha, cheese balls. We were never allowed to eat them as kids because my cousin choked on them once. It was always fun to sneak them at friends’ houses. Truth be told, I don’t wash gym/running clothes until about 3-5 days after worn. I do my own laundry now – ain’t nobody got time to do laundry every day!
Oh no really? gosh that cousin ruined all the fun. Exactly, how can you do laundry so much… I just wash them when I do my normal laundry like every two weeks. Gosh i’m gross
Another great way to have them remember you is to send a personal hand written thank you!! Best of luck!!
“Keep Calm and Carry On”
Yep yep yep! You are so right about that.My mom always taught me that one.
Ahhh can I first say CONGRATULATIONS on the phone interview! Gosh that is so darn exciting and of course, best of luck to you Alex! These are good tips to know, especially because I have never done a phone interview before but I can imagine them being awkward at times, even if you are prepared!
Can’t wait to hear how it goes
Phone interviews are not my favorite, I am more for the in person but now they do the first round through the phone. Eh got to go with the flow I guess!
Ahhh girl… stay confident and KICK ASS on that interview! You will be phenomenal, DUH.
Thank you, I am a bit nervous but ready.
I’ve never had a phone interview so that’s new to me, but GOOD LUCK! You’ll do great!
Really? wow I have had a ton but thank you.
Great interview tips! I seriously need to bookmark this post
Good luck! I am sure you will kill it, sending lots of good vibes your way!!
I hope you use them, I have done my fair share of phone interviews
Ah that’s so exciting on the job interview! Woo! There’s a hip hop dance dance revolution? That sounds awesome. I’ve actually done little workout videos that are supposed to be like music video dancing but they were kind of lame. Ah I want DDR! We can have a blog meet up one day and we all play DDR and eat healthy foods
You need to try this dvd, like man I want to dance all day. I wish I owned it. One day. That is what I said, a blog meet up and play would be amazing. I am bringing cheese balls… those are healthy right?
Lol they must be if they are gluten free! Whatevs we’ll just eat cheese balls and dance. What a great time we’ll have!
I’m guilty of not washing my workout clothes everyday, too – so gross but it’s cold and I don’t think I sweat too much when it’s 11 degrees out. Good luck today!
Ya, I just hate doing laundry. No lie.
I am sending you soo many positive vibes right now!! good luck
Thanks lady, it went so well. I can’t even begin
Good luck, lady! You’re gonna nail the interview
And those are some great tips. BTW I always love your video clips, hysterical.
I am a fan of gifs now a days, thank you it went so well
I hope the interview went amazingly well! I’ve never had a phone interview before, but I’ll keep these tips in mind if I find myself in that situation.
It did thank you!
SMILE!!!! Be very excited about the job at hand!!
Through the phone it is hard to smile but during a real interview, oh ya!
haha I totally let my sweaty running clothes dry on my drying rack and wear them at least twice before washing…no shame. hope the interview went well, i’m sure you killed it!
Thank you, it went super well so i am one happy girl. yep, sweaty clothes hang around my bathroom. thank goodness I live alone
This is so ironic, because I actually just had a phone-call yesterday with a possible job opportunity.
If it doesn’t go well, I’m here and I understand because that’s how my deal went yesterday. Basically, I didn’t get to the job first and they’re no longer hiring. Boo. I was really upset at first and then 3 hours later I had already decided on another job that would be even BETTER. I’m a little lost right now but hoping that this new job can work! Haha however, I think you’re totally going to kill this one. You seem completely prepared and it really sounds like you have the people skills to get you through an interview like this. Good luck, girl!
Hey, that is the best part. it is just an interview and there are many more. I am in a weird position because I am actually searching for June when this job ends so I have to communicate that. Good luck to you on the new one
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Congrats on the phone interview, girl!! That’s SOO exciting! I will most definitely be thinking of you at 10 a.m. on Monday! Now, if only this job could get you to move to Chicago…haha.
I was *some* of my running clothes after each use…but not all of them. I’ve got enough t-shirts to clothe a small nation, so I don’t need to reuse those without washing. Other items, however, not so much…so they get tossed in the laundry when I’m doing laundry, but otherwise they air dry. No judgement here, my friend.
ACEOTD: In an interesting turn of events, the guy who pulled the whole girlfriend stunt on Manti Te’o is, apparently, actually in love with Manti Te’o himself. This story just gets stranger and stranger.
I saw that story, holy moses so apparently it was a guy pretending to be a girl but who was in love with him. that is crazy. I don’t even know what to think of this.
Congrats! I like to know what to expect and what’s going on, so having a job locked down would be the best thing. ( I had a performace eval today, and my boss basiclaly told me my next step would be a promotion, so I know I have a secure future here!) Yay!
I’d assume you have great communication skills- that’s like gold. I’ve been told before I’m “good on the phone,” which I was surprised by (I hate talking on the phone), but times like these are when those things can make or break you. Also, my current job (not to toot my own horn), but I won out over people with wayyyy more experience, and even a doctor. YUP. I was 24 and feeling like the economy and life loved to hate me. But I brought passion for the cause (suicide prevention- which I had zero experience in), but I wanted to help people, and brought examples of how I was committed to that– this may not apply to your field. And you’re right, prepare! Prove you want it! I also did some leg work and researched their website to show how I would overhaul it (It was one of my initial responsibilities- also had no idea on how to build a website). They also brought me on from PT to FT within 3 months, yay. I think Conan had it right, “work hard, and be kind to people, and amazing things will happen.” Stay positive! Fingers crossed for ya!
that is such a great perspective and man you just blew me away. You are one hardcore worker and that is what I love to hear about.
Good luck on your interview! I’m sure you will rock it. Will be thinkin’ bout ya!!
thanks lady, felt those good vibes!
Ummm I have been known to go a week without washing my workout/running clothes. And I use them everyday almost. Gross…haha. GOOD LUCK!! You will rock this interview! I have never had an over the phone interview, but I am sure I would be whoa nervous.
Yep I do the same thing, smelly workout clothes for the win. Luckily I workout alone so hey doesn’t make much of a difference. Phone interviews are not my favorite but it went really well
I hope the phone interview went well this morning!! That video of Deena tripping made me just laugh hysterically in my office. Luckily, the door was closed.
Secret…I air-dry my gym clothes after a use, too.
Oh Jersey Shore, such a guilty pleasure. Always gives me a laugh. Yep air dry for the win
Talking to friends is therapeutic, no question about it!
I have to agree.
Yeah, I’m with you on the whole air dry thing…I don’t have time to do laundry all the time! I hope the interview went well!
I just can’t, never works out so laundry twice a month is good by me
I don’t wash my workout clothes every day either. I hang them to dry on my towel rack and re-wear them. Ha!
The videos/gifs are cracking me up!!! Too funny.
Good luck on your phone interview, you will rock it, as your ‘how to nail a phone interview’ tips are very true!!! Go girl!!!
I am glad you got a little laugh from it. I am also happy to hear that you air dry rather than wash all the time.
I totally giggled at your first secret. and I totally relate to not washing my running clothes every time… oops… Awesome tips btw! Perfect because I have a couple interviews coming up!
I guess they are not secrets anymore, thank you!
Good luck on the interview!!! Phone interviews are very tricky and I actually find them to be a bit more nerve-wrecking than in-person interviews. I think it’s because first impressions are so important during interviews, and doing them over the phone really limits the chance to activate the sense of sight (if that makes sense). Another good piece of advice is to not have too many notes/papers in front of you. Too much to sort through ends up being an extreme distraction and the interviewer can often tell if you’re shuffling through papers or reading directly from notes.
I agree, I would so much rather have one in person. Exactly with the sorting through, in this case too much is not good.
I hope your interview went well! I used to play Dance, Dance revolution every day for like 3 years. I freakin’ loved that game!
Man I really want to be able to play it, I would so get my groove on.
Congrats on your phone interview! You’re going to rock it!
It went really well, super pumped.
Way to go love! You’ll rock this thing! And interviews make me nervous because I feel like the people doing them are judging me…which they are…but I’m always afraid I won’t measure up in some way…something to work on I know
I am all about interviews though, I really like being able to talk to them rather than just giving them a piece of paper about me
Soooo I kinda love how we’re both in like the same situation lol! Seriously though these tips came at the best time for me!! I’m sitting at my desk.. kinda freaking out (I think most of it is because my boss knows where I’m headed after work lol)
I hope they helped you, I was sending good vibes your way about your interview
I can’t even tell you how perfect this post is for me right now. I have a phone interview tomorrow and another interview next week. Thanks for the tips! Oh, and I don’t wash my workout clothes everyday either. If I’m not working out or running with other people, what’s the point? Yup, I’m gross.
You do? Oh lady good freaking luck. Exactly I am more gross but that is why I feel that way. Total ok on that front
Congrats on the phone interview – I hope it went well! I’m sending lots of happy, interview-nailing, job-getting thoughts your way!
Thank you lady it went so well, great morning overall
good job on the phone interview! congrats!! good tips! I love phone interviews because they can’t tell how nervous I am.
haha I more enjoy the real life interviews actually, these are hard to read the other person.
Congrats on the job interview girl! That’s awesome! Can’t wait to find out more about it! And that list of tips is actually really helpful! I like interviewing in person much better, so phone interviews always make me a little nervous. But those tips will definitely help next time I have one!
I am the same way, in person is so much easier. the phone you can’t read their faces which totally bugs me
OMFG GOOD LUCK!!!!! And congrats on getting the interview, that’s SUPER exciting for you – I think having a change of office scene (and potentially more sane hours and more $$) will be a huge relief for you next year so I’m really REALLY pulling for you. I love the tips btw, all true – it’s so easy to get distracted during phone interviews. I have two this coming month, and I always try to write out ALL the questions I have beforehand, make sure I’ve researched whatever it is I’m interviewing for (in my case I’m talking to potential faculty advisors at grad schools so I have to read all the resarch they’ve published), and like…sit at a clear desk with the list and all my notes with me. Also, I know this is retarded cuz its over the phone, but it really boosts my confidence and helps me focus if I do my hair and makeup and wear something a little classy lol. GOOOD LUCK aaah I can’t wait to hear how it goes!!
You are so like me it is crazy, I feel like our planning sides come in good use when you need to be prepared for interviews. it looks like your year next year is shaping up nicely as well. so excited for you.
Sending lots of positive vibes your way…good luck, Alex!
Thank, it certainly helped
Good tips! YAY for the interview. Keeping my fingers crossed for you. I got started on cheese balls after seeing honey boo boo talk about them. Is that pathetic? Probably. I don’t wash my workout clothes every day either; no worries. And um, funny story. When I was like, 12, I did a hip hop solo to Lose Control at a dance competition. Man I wish I could find that tape….
YOU DID oh man if i could I would learn every move to that song. i adore it more than anything else. cheese balls are heaven, just heaven
Great tips! Another tip I use for phone interview is to dress up like you’re actually going to the interview, it puts you in the right mindset and keeps you from letting the conversation too casual like it might if you’re taking the call in PJs. I read that in a book somewhere and it was super helpful for me.
I don’t wash my running clothes every day either, or I’d be doing laundry every other day!
That is such a smart idea, I never thought of that but if it helps you then go for it!
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i love the ‘lose control’ music video! i used to try to emulate the dancing! (in private).
idk how my mom the health food junkie ever let this happen but we used to buy those big economy size cheese bowl tubs from costco when i lived in florida as a kiddo. man they were good. gluten-free, oh hell yeahhhh.
i do not wash my workout clothes everyday. this morning i just did weights. the only part of me that sweated a lot were my armpits so i will wash my top but everything else? no way jose. i hate laundry.
I love that video for that reason, I want to learn that dance. yes, those tubs are what I wish I could buy regularly. I never buy them because one tub is one serving for me… so good. I do laundry every two weeks… I sweat, I have no excuse. haha