Phone interview etiquette

August 7, 2006 3:55 PM

A potential employer wants to conduct a phone interview. What's the best place to be when the call comes in?

Assuming the candidate is currently employed, does not take a car to work, lives too far to make it home during the lunch hour, and works in an open unpartitioned office, what's the best place to go for the phone interview?

I assume (correctly? incorrectly?) that it would appear rude or unprofessional to speak to a recruiter in a noisy place. However, every imaginable place seems potentially problematic -- a bookstore might have announcements over the intercom, a coffee shop would have noisy machines, it might be windy outside, and so on.

So, the question: what's the best place to go during the day to speak with your potential future employer? And since no place is necessarily immune from noise, what is the most polite / professional way to handle things if external noise interferes too much with your conversation?

posted by pricklypear to Work & Money (26 answers total)

I faced this a couple jobs ago. What I did was schedule a meeting for myself by booking a conference room in my building for an hour - as long as there are conference rooms with walls and doors, I'd go that route.

If that's not an option, are you close to a public library? Libraries sometimes have enclosed study carrels that could work. Or, a bookstore's not a bad idea either - find a remote corner and make yourself comfortable.

Good luck.
posted by pdb at 4:01 PM on August 7, 2006

Best answer: I do them at home before work. Typically, I would schedule for between 8-9 am and then come into work late. This works best if you have flexible hours and can be late for no real reason.
posted by crazycanuck at 4:01 PM on August 7, 2006

I worked at one cubicle oriented company in Iowa City years ago. There was a pay phone across the street. When anyone was spotted using the payphone, the assumption was that he was talking to some potential employer.

I think the conference room idea is best. And being by yourself in a conference room isn't so bizarre if it seems you might be talking to a client on the phone... (I'm assuming that the conference room has windows.)
posted by LeisureGuy at 4:08 PM on August 7, 2006

Is there a handicapped bathroom in your building? I took more than a few calls in the handicapped toilet; it was the only place with a locking door.
posted by fuzzbean at 4:09 PM on August 7, 2006

conference room seconded
posted by k8t at 4:09 PM on August 7, 2006

There are many employers who are savvy to the fact that you are currently employed and do not desire your employer to know about your job search. Many of them will accomodate phone interviews during "off-hours" as long as it is reasonable. For example, request the call before 9 or after 4. This gives you a chance to come into work early or leave late, if that is something your schedule allows. Time zone differences help, here, too. I had a phone interview at 7 am my time when it was really 9 am at the company, and I was able to make it to my job on time. Just be honest with the interviewer and ask for a time that works for you when you are either home or able to get somewhere quiet and isolated - most will understand and work with you to find an agreeable time.
posted by galimatias at 4:17 PM on August 7, 2006

Best answer: crazycanuck's suggestion is the best, if you can swing it and come to work a little late (or leave early). If not, and yours isn't the sort of workplace where you can just take one, tell the office manager or whoever might care that you need an unused office or conference room for a little while at 2pm to talk to your doctor/kid's teacher/something similar.
posted by jamesonandwater at 4:18 PM on August 7, 2006

If you're in an urban area, nearby hotels will often have places that will work, most often comfortable phone booths or at least chairs in random (quiet) lobbies and hallways.
posted by occhiblu at 4:24 PM on August 7, 2006

Also, atriums of places like theaters or symphonies, which are open during the day just for ticket sales (so you don't have lots of patrons coming through), can work, depending on the layout and echo factor.
posted by occhiblu at 4:26 PM on August 7, 2006

I often work from home on phone interview days. I've also scheduled fake doctor's appointments in the morning and come in late or in the afternoon and leave work early.
posted by echo0720 at 4:26 PM on August 7, 2006

Ask them to schedule the call at off-hours, so you can take it from home. If they're unwilling to accommodate this entirely reasonable request, decline the interview. When at home, lock yourself away in a quiet room, no kids, no other phones, no TV, radio, music, no-one is allowed to knock on the door etc.

You assume correctly that it would be bad to take the call in a noisy place, but I wouldn't call it rude, just annoying and makes the interviews difficult. Its hard enough to try and get a sense of someone's personality and attitude over the phone, without noisy interruptions and having to repeat the questions/answers. It can affect your perceived communication skills if I have to repeat every question multiple times, or you guess what I just asked, based on the few words you heard.
posted by Joh at 4:52 PM on August 7, 2006

Best answer: What would you do if this was an in-person interview? Do what you can to be home during the interview. Take a half-day if you have to.

I do not agree that you should demand that they conduct the interview during off-hours. Whoever is conducting the interview then has to be at work during off hours. If this is a job you really want, you do not want to make your interviewers accomodate you, you want to accomodate them.

I have had a few phone interviews. They took place:

- On a bench at an office park across the street from the office park I was working at, at 3pm.
- In an empty conference room with the door shut.
- At home when I took a half-day for the interview. This was for a job I really wanted, and being at home not only guaranteed that I would have peace & quiet, but helped me to be more relaxed on the phone. And I got the job.
posted by tastybrains at 5:10 PM on August 7, 2006

A conference room is the best bet if you have access to one. I think toilets would be a bad idea because of the echo. Maybe a stairwell if you have access to one?
posted by Effigy2000 at 5:11 PM on August 7, 2006

Fuzzbean: I'm assuming you're from the UK? US handicapped toilets are just another (larger) stall inside the standard bathroom, as opposed to being a separate, single-occupancy deal like in the UK.
posted by spaceman_spiff at 5:30 PM on August 7, 2006

Skip the bathrooms, libraries and all that. If you are serious about being interested in the job, set it before work or take part of a day off and decide on a time in that interval.

You can't do well in a job interview if you're worried about noise, who's listening, a potentially flushing the toilet (that would kill your chance of ever getting the job IMHO)

Good luck.
posted by bim at 5:45 PM on August 7, 2006

I've done phone interviews .....
1. From my car in the parking lot. (got the job)
2. At my wifes office where she worked that was only a few blocks away. (didnt get the job)
3. At home, ran home during lunch and did it then. (got the job)
Which one was the best? 3. At home, nice and quiet with pencil and paper in hand and my computer in front of me.
Just so you know, I'm a programmer.
posted by BillsR100 at 6:48 PM on August 7, 2006

spaceman_spiff: Nope, US. In my old office building there was a separate unisex handicapped toilet with only one toilet and a locking door. I know it's abnormal; it was just a thought.
posted by fuzzbean at 7:06 PM on August 7, 2006

Doing the phone interview from the comfort of home is pretty much ideal, if you can swing it. It's quiet, comfortable, and familiar - nothing adding undue stress to you in an situation that may already be stressful.

Failing that, I've had reasonably good success doing interviews from my car in parking lots. It, too, was a pretty quiet and familiar environment, devoid of random bosses and other passersby who might break my concentration.
posted by youhas at 7:07 PM on August 7, 2006

It's incredibly important for you to be relaxed during the interview. You cannot be relaxed in a place you are worried about being interrupted in.

This evening, I phone-screened a guy who was driving during the phone screen. He did incredibly poorly, and I couldn't wait to get him off the phone. He was basically spewing key words at me, rather than trying to make a connection.

I would for sure reserve a conference room or stay home for a full interview over the phone. Your house is not appropriate if you have children, pets, door bells, ambulances driving by, etc.

I would also urge you to not use a cell phone.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the interviewer(s) should not notice anything but you on the phone.
posted by popechunk at 7:13 PM on August 7, 2006

The best phone interview I ever experienced was when I was sitting in my car in a park. It was very peaceful.
posted by christinetheslp at 7:28 PM on August 7, 2006

I've had quite a few phone interviews, I've always been asked what time is good for me and I've always asked to schedule them an hour after I get home from work. I've never been refused. Most potential employers understand your (and hopefully respect) somebodies reluctance to take an interview at work.

If I had noisy children, pets or spouses I'd take the interview elsewhere, though on a landline, not a cell phone. My first alternate choice would be a friend or co-worker who doesn't have loose lips.
posted by substrate at 7:52 PM on August 7, 2006

I've found that it helps to stand while you're taking that call, too, no matter where you decide to take it. But that could be me. I tend to think better when I'm on my feet.
posted by emelenjr at 8:09 PM on August 7, 2006

There are reservable conference rooms all over the place if you look. Besides hotels, as already mentioned, check for space at your local Kinkos, chamber of commerce, small business incubator, library, or even post office.
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 8:20 PM on August 7, 2006

I know your question is about where to take your phone interview, but here's a couple tips from someone who conducts phone interviews. Feel free to scroll down if you know it all.

Remember, the inverviewer is looking to spend a relatively small amount of time determining if you are worth bringing in to the office for a full interview. He or she is not looking for your life's story, nor is he or she looking for a new best friend.

Your phone manners are being noted. This is doubly so if the job involves phone contact with clients.

DO NOT communicate with people around you while on the phone interview except maybe to say "I'm sorry I'm on the phone. Can I see you in 10 minutes?"

Try not to say things that shoot yourself in the foot. Things like "Oh, my manager won't mind if I take a 3 hour lunch to come talk to you" and "Should I bring [insert proprietary data from your current job] when I interview?"

Try to have pencil and paper handy to take notes on what is said. And if the interviewer offers you directions to the office, TAKE THEM. Mapquest can be misleading at times, and your interviewer is sitting where you want to go.
posted by ilsa at 8:25 PM on August 7, 2006

A hot tub.
posted by delmoi at 12:10 AM on August 8, 2006

I have had two interviews that I took at home. I liked being able to spread out my papers in front of me and to be able to write things down on a solid table. I'd vote conference room over stairwell/loo/payphone for that reason. (And, please, not the library. They are trying to read, not listen to someone chat on a mobile phone. You might even get a mobile phone vigilante that goes ape on you during your interview.)
posted by philfromhavelock at 6:21 PM on August 8, 2006