Note: This post is for college freshman and sophomores who are looking to secure their first internship.
Over the past week, I’ve phone-interviewed 7 college students for the position of Social Media Intern at Minted Republic. I’ve been so completely underwhelmed by the candidates that I decided to write a post to teach college undergraduates how to do well in a phone interview and give themselves a chance at securing a Summer internship.
Before we get into my 3 rules of phone interviews, I’d like to start off with the universal principle of internships.
The Universal Principle of Internships
Previous work experience does NOT matter. The company has labeled the position as an internship because the company is looking to teach you to do the tasks that they don’t want to pay an experienced professional to do. Most likely, these tasks are very grunt-work heavy. What DOES matter is your attitude and eagerness to learn. A company wants to hear stories about how you’ve overcome obstacles, how you’ve stayed late at your previous minimum wage jobs to finish your work, and that you’ve taken leadership positions at student organizations in college. In summary, a company wants a go-getter who will soak up knowledge like a sponge and work super hard.
And now lets get to my rules for phone interviews:
Rule #1: Be different via a calendar invite and make the phone call
I am super busy. I hate having to send a calendar invite, write down the name and phone number of the candidate, and make sure I’m on time for my call because I always schedule the interview in-between business meetings.
Admittedly, I’ve forgotten to call a candidate for a phone interview because I simply got busy.
Important: this one rule could be the X-factor for getting you the internship over the other candidates
Be different by showing the company that you are organized and are here to make life easier for them:
- Send out a calendar invite for the time of the phone interview so that you both have it on your calendars
- Ask the interviewer for his or her number so that you can make the call
- Send out an email 30 minutes before the interview as a reminder and with a link to your resume for easy review
No other candidate will do this, making you stand out above the crowd. The interviewer will love you from the start because you’ve made life easier for him or her.
Rule #2: Be the happiest person in the world
People want to work with others that they like and enjoy spending time with. Because this is a phone interview, it’s impossible to get visual cues when you answer questions and tell stories. It’s therefore very important that your voice sounds like you’re the happiest person in the world and that you’re very eager and excited to be speaking to the interviewer.
When you answer questions and tell stories, talk about how much you loved your previous work experience because you learned valuable lessons at each one. This is important because an internship is meant to teach you skills that you do not currently have. The interviewer needs to know that you’re a very fast learner and that you appreciate and value every skill that you’ve acquired.
As an easy rule of thumb, smile throughout your entire phone interview – it’ll make you sound happy.
Rule #3: Become the prize
You want to sound eager and excited, but not desperate. To achieve this balance, you need to become the prize.
Say the following at the end of the interview:
Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity. I am currently interviewing with 2 other companies and have already received an offer from 1. I’ve let all the companies know that I’m looking to make a decision by insert date here. What are the next steps and can we work together to make sure we’ve arrived at a decision by date?
What this achieves:
- Shows that you’re wanted and valuable because you’re interviewing with other companies and have already received an offer
- Puts you in control because it makes the company have to work with your timeframe
Now that you know how to interview over the phone, go out and do it! And please use these techniques on me 🙂
Author:
Jun Loayza is the Co-Founder of RewardMe, a customer loyalty platform for restaurants and retailers. In his entrepreneurial experience, Jun has sold 2 internet companies and lead social media technology campaigns for Sephora, Whole Foods Market, Levi’s, LG, and Activision. Jun’s latest project with his mom: Professor Peru
