Executive phone interviews are very different from an in-person or video interview and pose special challenges. When the job position you want is on the line, you need to know how to make the right impression.

Employment interviews take place in person, via webcam, and on the telephone. The big difference for a telephone interview is the lack of your ability to see, or telegraph, important nonverbal cues.

To some, a telephone interview is a comfortable alternative to the exposure of a video interview, or the intensity of an in-person interview. Interestingly, a survey by Software Advice found applicants who had experienced a video interview preferred video to a phone interview. A big reason for the preference is the ability to share nonverbal messaging.

When you have a phone interview for an executive position, how can you use that format to your advantage?

From the top—techniques to crush the executive phone interview

A telephone interview usually means you are being pre-screened. As gatekeepers, recruiters, a hiring manager, or search committee are looking for specific abilities and traits. If you get through the phone interview, you will likely progress to a video, or in-person interview.

With that in mind, your phone interview could be the most difficult dialogue you face in the application process. You must be able to communicate your brand through voice alone—with the aid of your resume or CV.

To ace the interview you have to manage what you say—and what you do. We’ll look at both.

Keep these staging tips in mind when you are scheduled for an executive phone interview:

1. Schedule the interview:

While not likely, it is possible you could get a cold call from a company, or recruiter, where you expressed interest. While the request could be for a few minutes of your time, express appreciation for the call, and ask to schedule the interview on a mutually acceptable date and time. Even if later in the same day, rescheduling gives you time to collect thoughts and materials.

2. Dress the part:

While it is tempting to dress down for a phone interview, do yourself a favor and play the part. A downside to a telephone interview is perceived informality. Dressing for the interview, or at least straightening up, impacts how you present yourself. Project professionalism. Other physical points include taking a brisk walk prior to the call, standing for part of the time, and speak and smile as if you were being seen in person. The physical act of smiling lightens your mood and increases your confidence. Do not multi-task during a phone interview, and keep a glass of water close by.

3. Quiet space:

Be sure to locate a quiet office or other location in which to conduct the telephone interview. Ensure it is clear of interruption, noise, children, or pets.

4. Mind the phone line:

To avoid dropped calls or poor connections, try to use a landline. Otherwise, be sure your phone is charged and consider using a headset to free your hands. Why? Because you can more easily review your materials and gesture if that is your habit. Create an environment for an active, participatory interview on all levels.

What you say—and how you say it—is critical in a telephone interview. Consider these suggestions for engaging your telephone interviewer:

5. Be prepared:

With an executive position on the line, do not stint on preparation. Undertake an in-depth exploration of the organization, and the history of the job you seek. Be sure you understand the brand, its culture, history, challenges, financial performance, and interesting sidelights, such as key sponsorships. Research salary levels of the position, in case you are asked what salary you seek.

6. Crib notes:

While lack of visual context is a problem—it can also work to your advantage. Keep your resume, job description, and a summary sheet of achievements nearby. Make notes of dollars saved, acquisitions made, and other relevant financial or production numbers of worth. Write quick answers to common interview questions, and be sure to include details of action taken in the face of failure or difficulty.

7. Know yourself:

Be practiced and comfortable discussing achievements and the value you bring to the C-suite. Do not expect lengthy experience to get you to the next interview level—be ready to explain and discuss how you provide a competitive advantage.

8. Delivery:

At the outset of the interview, give the interviewer a full chance to speak. Respond throughout the call at a steady, if slow, pace. Vary the tone of your voice to express interest, curiosity, and confidence. Try not to speak excitedly because it betrays nerves and is not appropriate for a professional interview. If a difficult question comes your way, try to restate it back to the interviewer and ask if that is what they meant. Your job is to engage the interviewer in a pleasant and informative query. When the time is right, be sure to ask your own thoughtful questions about the company, and the position.

9. Name-dropping:

If you know connections within the company that could help you, mention the association during the interview, if appropriate. When you have worked with industry notables, or recruited top talent for your work teams, mention names if there is a natural opening.

10. In the end:

As the phone interview draws to a close, be sure to thank your interviewer, express interest in the job, and ask what the next step in the process might be. Avoid compensation discussions unless asked, and then use figures that are competitive in the industry. Follow the phone interview with a thank you email, or letter.

An executive phone interview is challenging. Be prepared, and be on point, in order to position yourself to land the offer.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

Stressful meetings, negotiations and complex projects fracture the perspective of many job candidates and executives. If nerves are draining your confidence, there are strategies you can use to succeed.

The impact of acute or chronic stress on the human body is well-documented. While rapid release of cortisol and adrenaline may save your life in an emergency, the continued release of these stress hormones may damage your health—and career opportunities.

Enter the monkey-mind

The monkey-mind is a centuries-old Eastern concept. The term loosely refers to the endlessly chattering, curious, distracting and sometimes fearful self-talk experienced by most humans at some point in life.

In 2012, author Daniel Smith published a memoir entitled, Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety. The book explores the concerns faced by millions of Americans who suffer depression and anxiety disorders.

Simply put, the monkey-mind is a state of distraction, of living in the past, or a future task—anywhere but the present, thoughtful moment. It is a mind too full to be itself.

Why does it matter?

While being mindless seems a negative term, it is a good descriptor for the way most of us live. Rise to work, go from task to task, make phone calls, take meetings—a daily swing through the trees until the next day dawns. It is the automatic living of life until we are stymied by a job loss or other personal emergency. Then what?

Mindfulness is the process of fully cultivating a moment by remaining in the present. In recent years, movements espousing mindful living, like the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, made significant cultural and corporate inroads. Meditation practices and techniques are an important cornerstone of mindful living.

Some of the benefits of mindfulness include:

• Mindfulness practices impact wellness by reducing stress. Results can include lowered blood pressure, management of pain and heart disease, and reduction in gastrointestinal discomfort.

• Working with mindfulness techniques may reduce tendencies toward alcohol or drug abuse, improve the ability to deal with relationship conflict on or off the job, and improve your general quality of life.

• Executives, professionals and others report that mindfulness helps them increase focus, improve memory, reduce distraction, boost creative problem solving, manage complex work pressures and reduce self-imposed career limitations.

How can you incorporate mindfulness into your job search?

Training your mind, to free your mind, allows you to be fully present in the interview chair or other important events in your day and life. While there are apps to help with mindfulness and meditation practices, they can only support the effort you are already making.
Harvard professor of psychology Ellen Langer states, “At the very highest levels of any field—Fortune 50 CEOs, the most impressive artists and musicians, the top athletes, the best teachers and mechanics—you’ll find mindful people, because that’s the only way to get there.”

Consider these points to help yourself cultivate mindfulness:

• Breathe: There are many practices that center on breathwork as a calming method. Investigate and choose one that allows you to use your breath silently and responsively in the face of emotional, physical or interview stress.

• Meditation: Most mindfulness practices incorporate meditation techniques. Experiment and decide what works for you.

• Witness: Mindfulness involves observing sensations, ideas and emotions that arise in your mind and body. Watch, witness and let these qualities go. Repeatedly identifying troubling thought patterns, emotions, and physical feelings allows you to exist outside the grasp of the monkey mind.

• Avoid polarizing your life: Try to move away from black and white thinking. During a job search, curiosity is your help mate. Consider events from multiple perspectives to broaden and invigorate your job search and opportunities. Do not condemn yourself for mistakes you make. Remarks Ms. Langer, “When you’re mindful, mistakes become friends.”

• Be present: Mindfulness means sinking into experience. When you approach an interview mindfully, active listening allows you to fully engage with the interviewer, freeing you from the obvious anxiety of the moment. Author, poet and peace activist Thích Nhất Hạnh notes,“Machine thinking is the opposite of mindfulness.”

• Move beyond balance: By itself, striving for balance creates categories. Mindfulness flows, accepts, notices, and moves forward, allowing you to incorporate, rather than parse. A non-judgmental attitude is essential to accepting and exploiting what could otherwise be perceived as shortcomings in your life and the lives of others.

Mindfulness is tough to register on a resume, yet it resonates in a handshake, an agreement, or a tough decision. The monkey mind leaves you wondering why you said what you did in an interview. It threads its way through your workday, chewing at your confidence and your corporate persona. Practicing mindfulness can help you bring your most important asset to the table during a job interview—you.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

Everyone knows that the job search can be a stressful time marked by hopeful ups and defeating downs. You get excited about new leads and suffer disappointments on your hunt for that perfect job that can become the next step in a successful career. This is normal. However, during your job search, you could be your own worst enemy by not accepting this is normal and, instead, taking it personally. Without even knowing it, you could be throwing up resistance and making mistakes that will kill your job hunt success from the start and throughout the process. These mistakes can be both physical and even emotional and will hamper your ability to land that great new job.

Whether you are top level executive looking for that next big advancement in an already successful career or you are a recent college graduate seeking that first job to kick off your career, you could be guilty of throwing up emotional roadblocks or making common mistakes that will stop you in your tracks from ever setting foot in the door of many companies.

6 Job Search Mindset Killing Mistakes

There are many common mistakes that job seekers make when looking for that next big job. Some of the most common you see are in their actions before they ever land that first interview.

• Research Fails – Often candidates believe they are properly prepared for their interview by researching all there is about the company. However, they fail to research their needs and their history and aligning what they bring to what the company they are looking to join needs. This can cause a candidate to flounder in the interview and erode confidence.

• Talk Down Accomplishments – During the interview, many candidates seeking to appear humble often talk down their own accomplishments making it seem like they really didn’t do anything in their past employment. Be proud of your accomplishments, but don’t be boastful.

• Go It Alone – Often job seekers feel they must pursue their next job like a lonely hunter in the night. The truth is, you can get a lot of valuable information and learn something from others in your position as well. Talk to them. Seek out the help of recruiters, similar positioned colleagues and job search experts, but don’t rely on them as your only source for new opportunities.

• Begrudging Attitude – No one likes searching for a new job. But in the end it all comes down to your attitude. Approaching it with a bad attitude will only result in poor quality work on your part. Be excited for your new opportunity and enjoy the hunt as you broaden your horizons. You may even learn a thing or two along the way.

• One-Size-Fits-All Resume and Cover Letter – One of the biggest mistakes you can make is sending the same cover letter and resume to many different companies. If you are truly interested in a position, you should do your homework and tailor both your resume and cover letter specifically for that position.

• Negative Head Trash – Assuming all setbacks are because you are not a desirable candidate or only unique to you is the biggest emotional and mental drain at the root of stalled job search. It is important to realize ALL job seekers have positives and negative aspects of the search and it is normal. It does not mean you suck. It means that was not the right employer for you.

Emotional Roadblocks

Your own emotions could be getting in your way as well. What’s worse is you may not even know it. Often if you aren’t getting where you want to go it is because of your emotions. You don’t believe you are worthy or are capable of that next big step. These feelings are often felt deep down and you may not even be aware of them. So, on the surface you are seeking that next big career advancement, but on the inside you don’t think you are ready even if you really are. This can cause you to appear less confident during an interview and you may not be willing to take the risks you need to take to get where you want to go.

Final Thoughts

Remember, when you are job seeking, look at your actions in an objective manner. Really look inside yourself and ask yourself why you are having a hard time and not finding the type of job you want. You could find that it isn’t because you simply can’t find something, but that you have become your own worst enemy creating unnecessary resistance in your job search. Don’t be too hard on yourself. We are all guilty of it at one time or another. Just pick yourself up and recognize what you are doing and correct it. You will soon find that you not only find the perfect job for you, but you nail the process every step of the way so your job search comes to an end.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer

If you are interested in working with Lisa Rangel, an accomplished executive resume writer, social media profile writer and job search consultant, to achieve social media exposure and interviews you want, sign up for an exploratory call now and learn about the Chameleon Resumes services that can help you land your next role.

In the world of career development the terms “STAR” and “CAR” get thrown around a lot. You may have even heard these acronyms on your job hunt.

Some people use them interchangeably, which can lead to some confusion for candidates. We’re here to give you a breakdown of each acronym so give you a better understanding of them.

When to Use Them

Both methods can be used during behavioral interviews, meaning interviews that focus on how a candidate acted in certain employment situations.

The logic behind this comes down to a common recruiting phrase, “The past predicts the future.” In other words, how you’ve behaved in past jobs is very telling of how you’ll behave in the job you’re interviewing for.

In a traditional job interview employers ask straight forward questions with simple answers such as “Why don’t you tell me about yourself?” In behavioral interviews they are specifically looking for actions you’ve taken in the past, such as how you handled a problem at your old job. They may start the question by saying “Describe a situation when…”

The acronyms STAR and CAR help you prepare for this kind of interview by forcing you to come up with stories that illustrate your behavior. You can also use them to write resume bullets in order to avoid any vanilla or generic job descriptions.

STAR – Situation, Task, Action, Result

First you need to determine the situation or task. With STAR you can use either or. A situation may be that you lost three employees and needed to come up with a solution. A task may be that you were given the responsibility of getting the company’s e-commerce site on a mobile friendly platform.

The first example is a major problem that needed immediate attention. The second example may not have required immediate attention but had the potential to spiral into a massive profit dilemma if left unaddressed. The second situation also leaves room to mention things you were told to do rather than emergencies that came up.

You then must detail the action you took and the result that followed.

CAR – Challenge, Action, Result

Similar to STAR, CAR helps you focus on a challenge you once had while on the job. The only real difference is that STAR leaves some room for you to mention a situation that didn’t necessarily require immediate attention or was simply on your to-do list.

With CAR, on the other hand, the “Challenge” is almost always a situation where catastrophe was looming. Maybe products weren’t getting delivered to retail locations right before a big launch. Maybe you needed to install a new database system and your team members were all over the world with time and language barriers.

Once you get to the Action part of this equation you’ll want to relay if you used a new methodology, made adjustments or came up with some out-of-the-box solution to your problem.

And finally, you must tell them what resulted from you saving the day. Naturally you’ll want the results to be positive, and if you can use quantitative examples you’ll really get their attention.

Overall, there isn’t a huge difference between the two acronyms, which is why you probably hear the both of them so often. Which one you may depend on what you feel the employer wants to hear.

Six seconds is the window of time you have to catch a Hiring managers attention as they are busily flipping through resumes. Resume summaries can be the key to having your resume examined versus just being tossed into the trash. However, in order to be successful, they need to be written with great care. 

A resume summary should be written by job seekers who have three or more years of experience and should give a future employer some insight of the benefits you can provide them. Remember your resume summary should be no longer than 3-4 sentences so getting right to the point is key.

Here are the 7 Key Components that you must have for an eye-catching resume

1. Eye-Catching Visual Layout

Use Microsoft Word’s Borders and Shading function sparingly. to great white space and visual breaks to draw the eye through the document. The goal of the summary is to keep the reader’s eye moving through the document using a visually compelling layout.

2. Clear Target Position in the Title

Hiring managers scan hundreds of resumes when they are searching for the right candidate. Studies have shown that they often make the decision to call you or just discard your resume in only a few seconds. So, you need to hook them quickly if you hope to have a shot. When creating your summary, begin with something that will make them do a double-take and encourage them to read on.

3. Emphasize Your Top Selling Points

Once you have their attention, you need to then quickly emphasize your best selling points that demonstrate why you are the right person for the job. When hiring managers are searching, they will quickly skim resumes looking for the right criteria. In order to increase your chances, put your best foot forward right away and show them what makes you the best candidate for the job.

4. Correlate Career Achievements to Job Requirements

Once you have them reading and they know your best selling points, it is time to briefly go over your career so they get an idea of how your experience is relevant to their position. This gives them an insight into your experience so they begin to understand what you can bring to the table if they decide to bring you on board.

For example: If you are applying to an AV sales job your resume summary may look something like this.

" Professional AV sales manager with five years of experience. With certifications in Crestron and Avixa, I bring a wealth of information and experience to the table. Exceeding sales goals by 25 percent in 2021 allowed for team growth and company expansion".

5. Communicate Motivation

While the simple objective statement may be out of style today, that doesn’t mean you can’t briefly share your motivation, when applicable. Are you a great team leader that has led your team to success? Go ahead and tell me as it pertains to the job you are applying for and let the rest of the resume tell the hiring manager about this success.

6. Be Concise

Remember, you have the rest of your resume to explain in detail everything you have accomplished and why you would be the perfect candidate for the position. Think of the summary as a hook that will keep the hiring manager's attention and prompt them to continue reading your resume.

7. Don’t Underestimate Keywords

While you should never just write your resume for keywords, you shouldn’t forget about them entirely. When creating your resume be sure to use keywords found in the job description in the summary and throughout your resume to help ensure it ends up in the hands of the hiring manager.

While you may think the interview is the most difficult process of your job search, the truth is just getting your foot in the door and getting an opportunity for an interview is often far more difficult. However, you can improve your chances just by crafting the perfect resume summary. A well-crafted resume summary will help you get noticed and allow you to quickly put your best foot forward so hiring managers will give your resume a closer look.

Written by Lisa Rangel, Executive Resume Writer