Best Telephone Practices when Hiring Contract Trainers

With the increasing presence of virtual and global contract training teams, resorting to the traditional form of in-person interviewing is obsolete and no longer relevant. The current global way of conducting business has demanded an unprecedented level of remote interviewing, specifically in the contract trainer world. 

Don't risk the chance of missing out on sound opportunites during your interview. The value derived from a well-prepared and devised interview far outweigh that of one being improvised. Before jumping into your telephone interviewing process, take note of the Employer Interview Tips list below.

Employer Interview Tips

1. Take Advantage of the Nature of the Interview – If virtual communication is expected for the job of interest, this will serve as an ideal opportunity to see if this particular consultant is suitable. Ask the training consultant for a teach-back demo on a topic of their choice or one provided by you. The topic does not matter.  Pay attention to the message and delivery.

2. Schedule in Advance - Ensure that you book enough time for the interview, including advance preparation time. Pay special attention to time zones, and have all the necessary dialing information, including phone numbers, passwords, and emergency contact information.

3. Be Prepared – Take some time to familiarize yourself with the training consultants resume before the interview, as moments of silence while scanning their profile is even more awkward over the phone.  As you review their profile, look for overall patterns of accomplishment. This candidate may not be a good fit for the specific position at hand, but they may fit a future position perfectly. Learn more about this pattern by asking project specific questions.

4. Write Notes - An advantage to a phone interview is that you can look down at your notes freely while conducting the call as well as make notes without making the person anxious.  Feel free to take notes, but inform the training consultant that you will be doing so. This will help the consultant understand why there are pauses between each question.

5. Non-Verbal Body Language - The quality of your voice over the phone can be affected by your non-verbal body language.  Keep smiling, as it will project a positive image to the listener and will change the tone of your voice.  Maintain proper posture, as your voice quality will improve as you conduct the interview.

6. Maintain Professionalism - Just as in an in-person interview, use professional language.  Listen carefully to the responses provided by the training consultant, and ask him or her to repeat misunderstood words for you.  Do not interrupt the training consultant while they are responding, and redirect the consultant if they are off track.  Though it may seem logical, do not chew gum, eat, or drink during the interview, however keep a glass of water handy in case your voice becomes hoarse.

7. Be Upfront - It is especially important with a telephone interview to be upfront since it's easier for miscommunications to occur when both people are not in the room to interpret body language.  Don't make any promises you cannot keep.

8. Maintain Open Communication - Be clear about what you’re looking for and what the job entails.  And ask questions that really get at whether they can do the job by probing past experience – both successes and failures.

There is one last point to remember.  Try providing at least some constructive criticism to candidates that did not receive an offer.  This isn’t policy in most places, but the little effort involved in this small act of kindness can make a huge difference to a training consultant in search of their next project.