celtic warrior

I have a Telephone interview Lined up for next week, The agency i am using to find me a position said they would contact me at the start of next week to confirm time and date etc.

The position( chief counsellor/ Family liason officer ), is based in brooks, Alberta, What sort of questions would be asked on a telephone interview, and are they quite long and methodical? any advice would be greatly appreciated.

What sort of area is Brooks?, is it a run down area, or is it a pleasant canadian town? if it is run down, are there any nice areas within easy commute ?

Many thanks
CW

Gcauseway

Don't know a lot about Brooks other than the main industry is a meat packing plant. Maybe they need counselling after slaughtering all the wee sheepies and cows?

Just did a quick google as I was interested to know the population ... almost 12,000 so not too big and not too small. Here's a basic website for you to look around on:

http://www.brooks.ca/about/demographics3.asp

Good luck on the interview! Oh and talk slow so that they understand you through your accent

celtic warrior

Thank you Gcauseway for your swift response, i appreciate it, and thank you for the tip on talking slowly Is brooks far from where you are ?

Gcauseway

You're very welcome. Quite honestly, I've never even been to Brooks . I'm in Calgary and I think Brooks is about two hours away. You just get bits n pieces of news now and again when there are meat issues/strikes/etc.

Troublesome

I did a phone interview when I was in the UK. And to my surprise they were fools enough to give me the job!

Anyway, plan out what you want to say and have a pen and paper nearby to make notes. All the usual stuff.....Best of luck

The Ross Family

Celtic Warrior - my OH has telephone interview tomorrow night so we are in the same boat. We looked at the Wiki article entitled job interviews - found it very helpful.

Also ensure that you find out all you can about your prospective employer and obviously be prepared for the classic 'where do you see yourself in 5 years time?' Other than that I would make sure you have pen and paper handy and remove all distractions - I will be taking my daughter out of the house for an hour.

Fingers crossed and let us know how you get on.

celtic warrior

Hello Ross Family !

I Wish your OH all the best for the interview, I think i might just get my wife to take the 3 kids out for a while, so i can actually here the person on the other end of the phone

Let me know how your OH gets on, but i'm sure all will be fine.

CW

swoopdutch

Lake Newell is very close to Brooks and they are building there at the moment.

Was there last summer.

If I was to live in that area, I would aim to be on or near the lake.

Good luck with the interview.

Gcauseway

celtic warrior: How did the job interview go? Does it sound like a job you'll be interested in?

celtic warrior

Hi Gcauseway,

I have'nt had the interview yet it is lined up for Thursday, it is a job that i am very interested in, it is based around helping families with children who have addictions,and trying to find away to resolve the problems that they have.

I will keep you posted

Thanx.
CW

Surrey Expat

Be near the phone at the appointed time, allow it to ring a couple of times before picking it up (make sure it does not go to voice mail), stand up when talking on the phone, even walk around a little, helps the breathing a little. Be prepared. Focus on the conversation, allow them to speak and a very short pause to make sure they have finished before replying. Think out your answer before speaking. The problem with too much silence on the phone is they begin to wonder if you are still there.

A lot depends on how good the interviewer is and if they know how to conduct an interview, especially over the phone.

Know what you want as well as what you are offering. Be prepared for open questions that demand more than a yes/no answer. Don't ramble on though, be clear and concise. Try to use good voice inflection, not monotone. If you can practice with a friend or family member on the other end of the phone to hear how you sound and to make suggestions.

RN1

That's great advice. Good luck!

I got all prepared for my phone interview - ready to use all those above types of techniques (yup - did my research) but my "interview" turned out to be nothing much at all. In fact they spent more time telling me how much I'd be earning - obviously knew how poorly nurses were paid int he UK!!

Hope you have a nice easy time of it too!!

celtic warrior

Well the interview seem to go quite well, It lasted about 40 mins. I must admit i was a little nervous, however the interviewer sounded really jovial and put me at ease.

She went through what i had done in the past, and confirmed my work references( current employer included )
In ending the Interview, she told me to expect another interview on Thursday or friday next week ( details to be confirmed ), and apologised if the interview seem to be over long, but she liked listening to my accent

Will keep you all posted as to how things progress, and thank you ALL for your sound advice and best wishes, i really appreciate it.

CW

RN1

That's great! Fingers crossed for round 2!!

The Ross Family

Hi Celtic Warrior

Sounds as though the interview went well. My OH had his last night and it lasted for oven an hour. Usual questions including 'where do you see yourself in 5 years time'. His was a conference type call with two at the Canadian end. He is to send copies of drawings (he is a Civil Engineer) and like you has another interview next week. Seems to be the norm that they grill you more than once.

OH thought it went well and thanked them for their time, they said that they were very interested in him and offered to support us through the PNP route

So like you we are waiting until next week now for the 2nd one. Let us know how you get on