You've made it! Your cover letter and resume got you to the interview
process...now what? First of all, a BIG congratulations for making it this
far. Pat yourself in the back, do a happy dance...okay, now let's get down
to business.
Not every work at home job will require a telephone interview. Some just
hire you from what they see on your cover letter and resume, but you need
to be prepared for those dreaded phone interviews. I say dreaded, because
often the thought of a telephone interview scares people.
What you need to realize is that they understand it's a nerve racking process.
So, take a deep breath and have faith in yourself and your abilities. The
most important thing to making the interviewer believe in you as a potential
employee is that YOU believe in YOU as a potential employee. Again, the keyword
of "SELL YOURSELF" comes into play.
Be friendly and upbeat on the interview, but don't talk too long or about
unimportant things. Don't give away too much personal information either.
Basically you just want to answer the questions asked of you. What I would
do was really study the job and the requirements and the company and then
write a "cheat sheet" before the interview to have on hand.
Here are some telecommuting interview tips and common questions I've run
into:
Why do you want to work from home?
I personally would never say "Because I want to be home with my child". I
think thats an obvious one and most interviewers will figure that that's
a reason. I would say something that would make me look good for telecommuting.
Such as: "I really enjoy working independently, I feel I really
shine and thrive when working independently. I want to feel that satisfaction
everyday when I'm working"
Why are you the best person for the job?
SELL YOURSELF! Again, those two important keywords! Listen folks, if you
can't sell yourself to this interviewer you could lose this job to someone
else who sells themselves better. You don't need to brag but really delve
into why you would be the best for the company and job. Look at the job and
company before hand and jot down reasons why you would be best for the job,
so that you're prepared for this question.
What your worst quality?
Yuck, I hate this question! I could never really come up with a great answer
that didn't sound like an outright lie. You don't want to really point out
your worst quality. Never say "I'm lazy" or "I get distracted easily" or
anything that casts you in a bad light. But, you don't want to say something
that looks like a complete lie like "I'm a workaholic and I don't know when
to stop". I don't see that as a bad quality and most employers won't either
and may call you on it and ask you to give them a real answer. If you want
examples of what to say you can go to www.mommysplace.net/interviewcenter.html
Don'ts of Interviewing:
Don't chew gum on an interview. Don't eat mints or have anything in your
mouth. It's simply not professional and someone cracking their gum in your
ear is very rude and annoying!
Don't eat or drink while on the phone. Make sure you get all of that done
before the interview.
Be sure to set aside time so that your household is relatively quiet. An
employer will understand that you're looking to work at home and, more then
likely, want to be home with your kids so there may be noise from time to
time. And they should be okay with that. (If they place a lot of importance
on a quiet environment and yours is not quiet, you better pass on this job
because you will probably lose the job. Don't waste your time or theirs if
you know it's not a good fit.) However, if you can't even take this interview
seriously enough to devote yourself 100% to it, then you may lose the job
because of it. The interviewer wants to know that they are the most important
thing during the interview. So having the dogs barking or kids yelling and
you interrupting to quiet the house looks bad.
Don't go on and on about how much you want this job and how badly you need
to get this job. It's a given that you want the job or you wouldn't be
interviewing and it's a given you need the job. The only time I would bring
up that you want the job is when they ask you something like "Why do you
want to work with us" then you can express why you want to work with the
company. Just don't say anything like "You can't even know how bad I need
this job" or "I really want this job, it would be perfect for me." The employer
needs to know why they would benefit from you working with them. They want
to hear more "You's" then "Me's".
Resources:
MommysPlace provides you with an in depth Interview Center that covers many
important topics and interview situations. Get a leg up on the interview
by being prepared for the questions before hand!
www.mommysplace.net/interviewcenter.html
Nell Taliercio is the owner of a leading work at home mom resource website
packed full of unique information for the telecommuter, business owner and
virtual assistant.
So how does someone decide
which
home business is right for them? Research is the key by reading honest
articles from a variety of sources. This web site seeks to collect
a host of ideas and opinions on a variety of business ideas that your
can read and assess for yourself.
Good luck - live long and prosper!
The Perfect Options Team
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