Phone interviews: help or hindrance?

Question

I have a phone interview (more of a screening) in 30 mins for a pharma-based agency. I've worked in pharma, but it's been awhile. Any quick thoughts and/or pep talk? Apologies for the short notice. It's FriYAY, y'all!

Anonymous · Answer

Good luck! Be yourself!Show your energy for the position - and don't underestimate yourself!!!

Jill L. Ferguson · Answer

How did it go?

Dawn S. Cross · Answer

Good luck!  Be confident, sit in an area where you will be uninterrupted.  Have a notepad and pen along with a couple of follow up questions that you can ask.

Anonymous · Answer

I would do a lot of listening and extraction of information. This phone screen is to see if you are a cultural fit.

Emma Rogers · Answer

Even though it's a phone screen, be prepared for a hard-hitting question or two! I recently did a phone screen that was mostly HR questions (are you legally authorized to work in the country, etc) but the final question was about how I was the most qualified candidate. I fumbled a bit because I wasn't expecting any 'real' interview questions. Stay on your toes and you'll do great! Good luck!!

Anonymous · Answer

Go get 'em glorious goddess of pharmaceuticals! 
First, breathe! Try to add pauses between your sentences so the other person can follow your words and take notes. 
Take a beat before answering questions to make sure you 1) actually answer the question they asked 2) Highlighting details with the most impact.  Without gestures and facial expressions, you voice has to do double duty. While you are talking: look up, try a power pose, and smile! People can totally hear a smile.

Sandra Diaz · Answer

When they ask you 'tell me about yourself', tell them about the results you have delivered that could be relevant to them. Since you have worked in pharma you know about some unique aspects of it (ex: there are a lot of regulations to operating in that field). So you could say, I have X years of experience working in industries that have many constraints due to regulations and processes. Despite this I have been able to successfully complete X types of projects achieving Y type of result. Always end your answers with a question that helps you get a sense for your fit for the role and their need. So here you could say 'How does this type of experience match with the most critical challenges of this role?'

Another thing - be prepared to answer the compensation question with a range (on the high side of the range you investigate online - do a Google search), and ask whether that is in line with their budget. If they press for your current compensation, you can say, my expectation is to be compensated competitively in line with your company's salary ranges and benefits plans. Based on my reserach I understand that a base salary could range from X to Y, how does that compare with your firm's policies?

Phone interviews: help or hindrance?

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