So, I just found out today that I have a phone interview for a full time position on Tuesday of next week. This position is working at a halfway house, so the hiring process is pretty extensive. So, there really are a couple of questions that I have. 1. I have never done a phone interview. I am going to look at the specific job description, and the information about the company and take some notes. Is there anything else that I should do to prepare? 2. They are going to be running a full federal and state background check on me. Since I am trans, and have mismatching documents, this could become complicated. I have included some of my transgender leadership positions on my resume. Should I tell them in the phone interview that I am transgender, or should I wait to see if I am called in for the in person interview?
I'm a recruiter, so I know a thing or two about phone interviews. If you have the name of the person you'll be interviewing with, look them up on LinkedIn and the company website. Have a few questions prepared in advance. Also, make sure you're somewhere quiet with good phone reception. Try and stand up or sit at a table or desk if you can. It'll make you sound more attentive. As far as being transgender, I'd wait until they make an offer to get into that. I figure if your transgender leadership positions are on your resume they will assume you're transgender yourself. Some background check forms that new hires fill out will ask if you've gone by any other names, so it might be a nonissue. It may be worth checking with the HR department, but again, I'd wait until the offer stage before worrying about it. Hope this helps! Good luck!
Congratulations on the interview! In addition to what SemiCharmedLife has mentioned, I would suggest that you dress up as if you would be going into a face to face interview. It can make a difference in how you approach the interview overall. Try sitting at your desk or dining table and have a notepad ready to take notes (if need be), or to write down some questions of your own that you could ask the interviewer. It would also be good to place the answers to the questions you have prepared to the side, so not to be tempted to look for the answers. I would however not suggest to stand up as there might be a tendency of wanting to take a step here and there, which could impact the tone of your voice. Try to speak as clearly as you can, and perhaps a bit slower than you usually would to make sure the person speaking with you can understand everything. It is possible that you will be on speaker - as other managers and/or potential co-workers might be listening in as well. Speaking up and slower becomes even more important. But still try to bring across enthusiasm for the position and what you can bring to the role. As in any interview, it is okay to ask for clarifications, or to have a question rephrased if you are not sure what the interviewer is trying to get at. Given that they have an extensive interview process, it is possible that the phone interview is a screening interview after which they will determine who is going to be invited to a face to face interview or panel interview. If this is the case, be ready to confirm that you have the skills and experience for the position. It is definitely a good idea to review your resume (and cover letter if you have submitted one) as screening interviews usually will start with questions about skills, experiences you have mentioned on your resume. Sometimes, it is also designed for the confirmation or clarification of information. I would suggest that you try to formulate an additional example of how you have applied your skills, to what you have already written in your resume. I would agree with waiting until they do make you an offer before letting them know about having documents with different names. Plus, it could also be a non-issue because most security/background checks documents have a question on whether you have had any previous names. Good luck with the interview. I'm sure you'll do great!
Congrats on getting the interview! Great advice so far. I'll add a couple of thoughts... -- I'd prepare for it to be both a screening interview and a full first-pass interview. In the screening interview, they're just trying to get basics, so think in advance about your strengths and be able to put your strongest skills out from the first question. Be confident but also cordial and friendly. -- Try to think how to apply your skills and experience specifically to the position they're hiring for... remember that every interviewer is listening to WII-FM (What's In It... For Me?). They want to hear the indicators that you would be the perfect match for what they need. Framing your skills and experiences in the context of how they might be useful to this employer will help them connect the dots (sadly, some interviewers are pretty dense.) -- If you can, find out a bit about the potential halfway house where you'd be working. Is it a halfway house for chemical dependency recovery, or for people leaving incarceration? (Or something else...) Very different populations with some overlapping skills and some different ones. -- And don't miss out on (if its appropriate) mentioning your role at ECCS. Some of the responsibilities you carry here are directly transferable to skills you'd use in a halfway house.
Thanks everybody! I will plan on dressing in my nice clothes for the interview and sitting at the table. I'm glad that the interview is at 4pm, because I'll be fully awake then.I'll make some notes about both my past experiences and the company, so that in case I forget things I can have it all in front of me. I'm sometimes terrible about being on the spot with questions. I'm not sure which one I will be in. This company has multiple facilities. I could be anywhere from electronic monitoring to a resident assistant. They have some transfer clients and some chemical dependency clients. It really depends on the facility, and I'm not sure what one they are interviewing me for at this time. I planned on mentioning my experience here if it becomes relevant as well
