Dana Manciagli joins The Career Cue with advice to ace your interviews.

Named a top “Women of Influence” in Seattle, Dana lives and works in Puget Sound where she serves on the Worldwide Board of Junior Achievement. She is also a breast cancer conqueror, received her MBA at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, and speaks fluent Spanish. Dana shares her life with Mathis, is immensely proud of her two grown sons, Shane and Chad, and loves to golf and travel the world.

You now have a phone interview
Most people don't do a phone interview well
Don't fall into the trap of calling it a screening
Treat any interaction like it's an interview

How do you prepare for a phone interview

 - You get to cheat!
  ○ You get to prepare.
  ○ You should sound scripted, because you ARE.
 - Stand up if you can.
  ○ You speak differently when you're standing and you can hear it in your voice.
 - Have great questions to ask.
  ○ A phone interview is not a screen, it's an interview.
 - Study and dissect their job description.
  ○ Avoid using terms like, "I" and "me".
  ○ Use terms like "your position needs…", "your company needs…".
 - Picture the other person on the other end of the phone.
 - The Law of Threes
  ○ Answer questions with three points.
  ○ Then Zip it!

Face to Face Interview

 - Be sure to take notes from the phone interview that lead to questions for the face to face.
 - If you don't know the building, drive the day before.
 - NEVER be late.
  ○ If you're not there 30 minutes early, you're late.
 - Don't bring too much.
  ○ Bottle of water and a snack
  ○ Copies of your resume
  ○ Notepad
 - Sit down and make eye contact and smile.
 - If you need a break, communicate that. They might not provide breaks.

What if they stump you?

 - Prepare ahead of time, not the night before.
 - Trust the law of threes.
 - Don't second guess yourself.

What about a "…how would you handle …" question?

SAR
 - Situation
 - Action
 - Result

What about the candidate interviewing the hiring manager?

 - Don't overdo it. You'll come off as high maintenance.
 - You want to get the offer first.
 - Sell yourself.
 - After interview, ask for the job, go for the close.
 - Get everyone's contact information.

Follow Up

 - Email within 12 hours.
 - No phones, computers only. Don't what thumb typing errors.
 - Compose individual messages to each recipient, no form letters.
 - Follow up  seven days later, three times.
 - Err on the side of being a pest.
 - Include the recruiter on each message as well.