Telephone Interview – Round One

When the phone had rung that afternoon, it took me by complete surprise. Surprisingly, this surprise surprised me even more. I had been awaiting this call for almost one week and had prepared myself thoroughly.

I had informed myself about the company (the history of the company, mission and vision statements, annual reports, global locations of offices and departments, career development opportunities, interviews with the current CEO, stock listings, corporate social responsibility projects, scandals in the media, composition of the logo, interpretation of the slogan, etc.) and the position (I had read up on Marketing, Communication, Sales and eCommerce). I had counted the days and even counted the hours that particular morning. So, in a way you might understand why I was surprised about my surprise.

You are not getting nervous, are you?

I dropped my eCommerce book and looked at my phone. My heart started beating harder all of a sudden. “Are you kidding me?! You are not getting nervous, are you?” I scolded myself and picked up the phone with sweaty hands. After I introduced myself a woman greeted me friendly and finally I could put a voice to the name I had been hunting down for days – Stacy Hightree!  My joy of finally hearing her voice and not her voice mail was sincere. “San, I am glad I reached you. Do you have some time for me to ask you some questions?” What was that? Some kind of trick question? I have been only waiting for this moment for one week. “Certainly, Miss Hightree. I had scheduled this time for your call.”

The little voice in my head was louder than my own

And then the storm of questions began and with that something strange happened. Instead of getting more relaxed, which was usually the case, I got more nervous. Maybe it had to do with the fact that, initially, this interview really seemed like an interview: a bit stagnant and chopped. It probably was my fault, because I was thinking about hundred things at once and the little voice in my head would not stop to instruct me: speak slow, articulate, pause before answering questions, smile while you speak, illustrate your experience with examples, actually find the right examples, and stop walking back and forth! Um, don’t usefiller words, you know? Get comfortable, tamper your ENTHUSIASM!!!!! RELAAAAX!!!

And then it happened

But then something happened that made me lose my tension. Miss Hightree laughed and said: “Oh, I feel the same way sometimes!” From that moment on, something magical occurred: The interview transformed into a conversation! My heart beamed and finally that little dictator voice in my head fell silent because know I felt comfortable enough to speak with my own voice. With that little laugh and phrase, Miss Hightree had built a personal bridge between me and herself and you have no idea how grateful I was for this connection. The conversation went on and felt swift and natural like the summer breeze. When we ended the conversation, I felt light and confident at first. I was relieved that the first step was taken and that I could focus on the next step – feedback within three weeks.