The Gaming Den

[Morzas]

I'm applying for a job and I guess they liked my resume enough to offer me a phone interview. This is my first time doing this kind of thing. What am I supposed to do in the phone interview?
_________________
David Hill, David A. Hill, Shadowrun

[RiotGearEpsilon]

Depends on the field and the job. What's the job in?

[Morzas]

It's an entry-level position, a Game Tester. Not glamorous, but better than my current state of unemployment.
_________________
David Hill, David A. Hill, Shadowrun

[Cynic]

Well, the first thing is that you can dress at what is your most comfortable.

If this means, cheetos stained underwear, sure. Just don't tell them or us.

Unlike a regular interview where you aren't allowed to have a computer or a reference book at hand, here you do have it. You'll just have to make sure that they aren't aware of typing or pages being flicked. Be as prepared as you would be for a normal interviews.

But there are some cons to this as well. At a face-to-face interview you can usually see visual cues that can help you. Here it isn't that easy.
Your voice is the only thing that can show your confidence. So, uhing and umming is actually a big and bad deal in this situation.
_________________
Koumei's The Last Laugh campaign - Murphy: Part man, part woman, part robot, mostly stolen from Robocop

[Josh_Kablack]

[K]

Smile while you are talking on the phone. It's an old sales trick.

Also, try to be somewhere quiet with no distractions. Don't watch TV or try to multitask.

Otherwise, it's like any interview: convince them you're bright and not a pain in the ass.

[Koumei]

How do you give a blowjob over the phone?
_________________

[fbmf]

You mean you don't know?

Game On,
fbmf

[Whatever]

A brief pause in a real conversation is totally normal, they can see you thinking. On a phone interview, ten seconds of silence is an eternity, so be careful.

As with any interview, figure out what they want and present yourself in the way that best matches that.

[Cynic]

[fectin]

This may be a bit after the fact, but...

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Sometimes the current usage of 'phone interview' has come to mean a video conference. I mean, you'll know beforehand, but it's possible any aspirations to be nude in front of potential employers may have to be put on hold. I agree with dressing as if it's an in person interview; adopting the trappings of a situation is the easiest way to get in the proper headspace.

[Cynic]

I do agree that professionalism is something that should be maintained at all times. But this also goes with the idea about what the job is going to be. As a video game tester, is the dress code going to be formal? It could be but it's really strange to see a bunch of testers playing 8 hour shifts of Mass effect 5 in white shirt binary tie shouting at each other.
_________________
Koumei's The Last Laugh campaign - Murphy: Part man, part woman, part robot, mostly stolen from Robocop

[Ravengm]

Dress codes at software-related companies are usually pretty lax. "Business casual" is probably the strictest you'll get, sometimes edging down towards "don't be naked."
_________________

[Morzas]

I stuttered and paused a lot in the phone interview. I think I was a little uncomfortable because I was wearing the suit. But, they called me in for the office interview. Thanks for all of your advice, if you have any advice on job interviews in the real world, that'd be appreciated too -- I've never been interviewed by a large company before (I won't say who they are right now, I get the feeling I'm not supposed to do that.)
_________________
David Hill, David A. Hill, Shadowrun

[Starmaker]