• 16
  Jan 2023

• Prepping up for a Telephonic Interview

  
  

  Ms. Aditi Gosalia | Mass Media

In my earlier blog, I discussed the keys to an impactful resume .

When you decide to apply for an opportunity, you must do homework, including research about the organization, their work & culture, the role and travel time.

Of course, you will not get work next to your home all the time but do take into account your daily travel time, your stamina and its possible impact on your productivity.

But study all of this before you apply. These questions shouldn't be coming to your mind when you get an interview call or after a shortlist, for that matter.

Do not forget to customize your resume to the targeted opportunity before you apply!

Salary also plays an essential role surely, but that's one of the parameters, especially for entry-level candidates when applying.

There is one thing that you must never forget that is a Brand or a Company Name, Profile and Pay are the three keys with which your job door opens.

You may not have all these keys to your access all the time but remember, if you hold two out of the three, you are good to go!

Here is the thing :

Candidate A has received a very high CTC at the entry level. Candidate B has also received a good offer but lesser compared to A. Both are entry-level postgraduates and their performance is superb across the year. The organization decides to appraise and promote both.

Keep in mind when you are promoted or even with getting senior in a company your responsibility increases and what is expected from you also does. But the economic rise mainly depends on targeted vs actual business for the year and many other elements that are way beyond only employee performance.



Besides, for every designation slab, there is a salary bracket or a range, and most companies have pre-framed. I mean five employees of the same designation will not have the same salary which is an obvious thing but, the range will obviously be the aligned one. 

So coming back to Candidate A and B, while both did well, the incremental percentage will vary but the endpoint will get them both in the pre-framed range. This is to keep up with the environmental harmony in the organization.

Again, as you get senior, your work increases but the appraisal percentage may not increase at the same speed.

Mass Media is a growing field with tremendous career opportunities, in case you need some insight!

Hence the saturation point of entry-level candidates who start with higher CTCs comes earlier than others and the job switches frequencies as well.

This definitely does not signify that you don't consider salary standards but just ensure you keep in mind all of this.

Well-informed and half-ready!

I will discuss more on salaries and negotiations in my upcoming blog.

Telephonic interviews are an exceptionally essential part of the selection process of many organizations, especially in the media fraternity, since it's an incredibly dynamic segment. It makes it easy for prospective talent to be spontaneous, confident & poised across forms of communication over and above he/she has the domain knowledge & the other criteria specified by the company.

Having applied for an opportunity, ensure you are well-read as interviews come at short or no notice, be it – Telephonic or Face to Face.

For a pre-scheduled telephonic interview, be ready with your resume, expertise in soft skills, all the job details with the highlights of the organization.

It's a good idea to keep with you a paper & pencil to make notes. If your telephonic interview is not a scheduled one, it’s all the more important for you to keep yourself in prepared mode!

If the telephonic interview is an unplanned one, request the caller for 30 seconds to get to a quiet place & organize stuff.

Introduce yourself clearly. Keep your voice modulation in tune with the conversation at all times. A smile makes a big difference in a conversation, even on the phone. Your voice reveals both your personality and your attitude towards the caller. While you communicate, sound well-informed, talk with dignity & never sound all over the place

During the tel-talk be calm & precise in your communication. Understand the question well before you answer. Do not fidget with things or papers around. No shuffling papers in the background!

Your ultimate aim should be to communicate to the interviewer that you are the best candidate for the position, Without sounding desperate, please!

If you think this would help a friend or a relative, feel free to share.

Your thoughts are welcome!