Here’s how to ace the phone interview.

Play the Part

When you pick up the phone, pretend you’re in a face-to-face interview. Even though you could be in your pajamas lounging on the couch, wear business attire and practice good posture. You can even sit in front of a mirror and watch yourself. Your professionalism will transmit through the phone.

Act Naturally

Some people come across as unenthusiastic over the phone because they can’t use body language to show who they are. Just because you’re on the phone doesn’t mean you need to be still and quiet. If you’re an animated talker in person, use your hands while speaking. Stand up if you feel more comfortable, and don’t forget to smile.

Stay out of Starbucks

Make sure you’re in a quiet spot to conduct the interview. If you’re on your cell, be sure to have good reception. If you’re on a landline, don’t do the dishes or check e-mail. Focus on the call and questions.

Get off the Computer

Have a hard copy of your resume in front of you. You may also want written copies of your questions and the research you did on the company. Paper documents may be “old school,” but clicking your keyboard during the interview will send a “not interested” signal. You may be checking the company’s service offerings, but your interviewer could think you’re updating your Facebook status.

Listen Up

Since you won’t have the advantage of reading the interviewer’s body language, your listening becomes paramount. Focus on the questions and make sure you understand them before you answer. You may also want to wait a beat after the interviewer speaks so you don’t interrupt.

Practice

Anticipate the questions you’ll be asked and rehearse your answers. If you’re usually chatty, practice curbing your responses. Typical phone interviews last 20 to 30 minutes. Use the time to impress the hiring manager with your skills, not talk about the weather.

]]> http://www.dployit.com/6-ways-to-ace-the-phone-interview/feed/ 0 http://www.dployit.com/dployit-launches-new-website/ http://www.dployit.com/dployit-launches-new-website/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:08:47 +0000 Shawn Maynard http://www.dployit.com/?p=209 Staffing and Human Resource services provider, DPLOYIT, Inc of Addison, Texas announces launch of its new web site which can be viewed at www.DPLOYIT.com

DPLOYIT President, Ralph Harper states “our new web site will simplify our day to day management of having to update our site daily along with offering a more professional look catering to the information technology industry which is what we specialize in”. The new site has many administrative features like real time job posting with our content management system, web forms that collect data, and others that allow us to keep the updating in-house which reduces the cost of having to outsource our IT related work.

About DPLOYIT

DPLOYIT Staffing, a minority owned firm, provides temporary staffing, permanent placements, executive placements and payroll services to Fortune 500 and mid-range companies. The company limits its staffing service lines to Information Technology, Professional Services (i.e. Finance, Accounting, Legal, Education, etc), Administrative/Clerical and Call Center staffing. Last year, DPLOYIT provided jobs to over 1000 employees and conducted business in over 20 states.

How much time do organizations spend to retain their current employees? Due to the lean staffing trends of organizations, losing even one employee creates a void.  I started to say, a key employee, however I believe that any employee in your organization who has knowledge and experience in your business is a key employee and thus the void felt in productivity has an impact on the financial success of the organization.

Google “employee retention” and you’ll find around 13,900,000 references.  So I will admit, I did not read them all.  However, I did read a sampling, like this article, “Honey, Employee Retention is Much Beyond Money” by Ashok Grover, many agree that employees leave managers not companies. When I ask friends and family, how things are going at work.  I find it interesting that their first comments are often more about their manager/bosses than the work they do or what is happening in the organization.  How they feel about their boss influences everything about their work.

Regardless of the economy, every company needs a hiring strategy and a retention strategy.  Are you developing a management strategy that once you hire the best for your team, leadership is focused on retention?  Here are seven strategies to use:

• Get everyone involved – I’m not talking about the work they do but involved in helping the organization become better, smarter, and more competitive!
• Communicate to everyone what is happening – When people don’t know what is going on, they come up with their own interpretation.  Give your people the facts and a vision for the future.
• Manage by walking around – People are managed by people.  Managers should talk to their team more.
• Recognize performance – A formalized evaluation and recognition program is very important.  However, a personalized pat on the back, a written note or team meeting recognition will go a long way.
• Training – Do you train managers to lead?  Most supervisors never get formal leadership training. Organizations who invest in leadership training also have higher employee satisfaction and retention rates.
• Work/Life Balance – How does your organization rate in the area of work/life balance?  Are employees encouraged to bring their life interests into the organization through social events or community involvement?
• Employee Training and Development – Does every employee have a professional growth plan included in their annual performance plans?  Training is an investment that gives back to the organization.

Here’s a thought …“ Star performers, even when concentrating on their work, are hunted by recruiters and competitor organizations with attractive offers. As such, there is regular evaluation of their current situation vs. alternatives not only in terms of money, but with respect to higher responsibilities, work environment and growth opportunities. So if the current company does not value their top performers, somebody else will.”  Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6451627

Employee retention should be at the top of everyone’s agenda.  Hiring the best and keeping them allows your organization to grow even in the toughest economy.  If you would like assistance in implementing a retention strategy, contact Yvonne Abel, ABEL CONSULTING, at  972-517-9085, yvonne@yvonneabel.com or visit our website www.yvonneabel.com. 

“Outliers, The Story Of Success” is a book written by Malcolm Gladwell the famed sociologist.  Mr. Gladwell is also the author of The Tipping Point and Blink.  Outliers is based on the notion that “practice makes perfect.”  According to an article from the Times and Sunday Times archives, Mr. Gladwell says that “if you want to shine, put in 10,000 hours.”  The book Outliers is based on this notion.  Mr. Gladwell uses Tiger Woods and the William sisters as prime examples.  While Mr. Gladwell is very well educated in his own right, the idea of investing significant time in a particular skill or activity, as a way to make you better, is fundamental.  On the other hand, by investing excessive time in a skill or activity an individual can ultimately become an “outlier” a member of that elite group whose skills far exceed the norm.  Ironically, as simple as the idea is, most of us don’t get it.  In fact, that is why “outliers” exist.  Those who choose to take the outlier approach to certain skills like programming will eventually end up amongst the best-in-class for that skill.

CLH Foundation has made a conscience decision to leverage Mr. Gladwell’s theories related to the investment of 10,000 hour in a skill for our program.  Our plan is to work with underprivileged students to get them on a path to achieving 10,000 hour building their unique capabilities in information technology, databases, programming and software development.  We will challenge our protégés (ages 8 to 19) to spend 2 to 3 hours per week mastering the aforementioned skills.

It has often be said that success is where preparation meets opportunity.  Our goal is to ensure our protégés are prepared when they are faced with the right opportunity.  Given the current state of the US economy and the fact the US is continuing to fall behind countries like China and India in education, the time is now to ACT.  CLH Foundation’s program will be based on a model that stems from Mr. Gladwell’s book Outliers and is called ACT – Access, Collaboration and Teach.

Access – CLH Foundation’s first priority is to provide access to information technology infrastructure. Our technology centers will include all of the components, literature and human resources necessary to allow our plans to be successfully executed.

Collaboration – It is extremely important that we collaborate with industry leaders including Chief Information Officers and other information technology professionals as a way to continuously validate our programs.  We will assure our programs are aligned and current in terms of information technology trends related to current versions, new technologies, software and tools.  We will also collaborate with other education programs to include classroom exchanges between international students in countries like China and India via Cisco’s Telepresence and other conference or collaboration technologies.

Teach – CLH Foundation will thoroughly teach our protégés the value of learning and investing in their careers early by staying on track to achieve 10,000 hours of training in information technology, programming and software development.  Our protégés will contribute to resolving real business issues by developing information technology solutions.  Our goal is to have our protégés complete a minimum of 6,500 hours of programming and other Information Technology training before they enter college and a minimum of 10,000 hour by the time they graduate from college.

ADDISON — In a remarkable debut, DPLOYIT Staffing landed in the top 20 percent on a list of the 5,000 fastest growing businesses for 2008-2009 in the most recent INC. Magazine, a worldwide business publication known for its annual company rankings.

This honor serves as validation that DPLOYIT has been established as a viable staffing option in a very competitive service industry,” said Ralph Harper, CEO and Principal owner of DPLOYIT Staffing.

The magazine ranks the top 5000 companies annually primarily based on a company’s revenue growth during a three-year period. DPLOYIT was selected and ranked 903 nationally after achieving more than 400% growth from 2004 to 2007. DPLOYIT also earned the 39th spot in North Texas during its first showing on the prestigious list.

DPLOYIT Staffing, a minority owned firm, provides temporary staffing, permanent placements, executive placements and payroll services to Fortune 500 and mid-range companies.  The company limits its staffing service lines to Information Technology, Professional Services (i.e. Finance, Accounting, Legal, Education, etc), Administrative/Clerical and Call Center staffing.  Last year, DPLOYIT provided jobs to over 1000 employees and conducted business in over 20 states.