The Phone Interview

[scorched]

I will post a few things about once I get the interview.

Assuming I did not already know about the company, I then break out my google search.
I google the job title and the company name and look for anything that can help me understand the job more.
Glassdoor.com tends to come up a lot when doing this search.
But now google just the company in general, look up the Executive staff, the directors, find out if they are public or private, if public what is the stock trading at, is it up, down, etc..
Also look for things like charities they support. Anything that can help you relate yourself or your skills to the company.
Many times I have used the charities info to ask questions to get personal. But guard this one, don't always ask, as some people do not agree with the company charities.
"Do you participate in the annual BLAH BLAH COMPANY cancer(other) fundraiser?" For me, I tug on their hearts with this one depending on how they respond. I say "yeah my mom past in 2009 from lung cancer, so you can bet I will be at the next one"
Two things, you just used future tense of being at the company, and of course you just became closer to them by sharing a personal story. Even if they have yet to participate or lose anyone to cancer, we all know someone who has or had it.

Okay so the next is quasi cheating by some people. Google the job category with interview questions. "Accounting interview questions" or Programmer, Systems Analyst, Legal, ...... on an on.
Read through them. If your not answering them the same way or you don't understand them, then you either learned differently and need to be able to explain that or your over ski tips so to say, and applying to a higher level than you understand. Don't use the interview questions to get a job your not qualified for.

Also google challenging interview questions. Read through them, some have ZERO to do with the job, and they just want to know that you can logically think through certain scenarios.

Then google interview questions that you can ask, and ones to never ask.

Once on the phone make sure your in a place that is quiet(obvious).
If you can, try to be sitting at your computer, with all the research from above, or in a panic to have google at your fingertips.
I use an application called evernote, pretty popular, but if I am away from my computer, I put my headset on to be able to have my phone with the evernote app running so I can see the research still.

Then as long as your not in a panic, type or write just like a lecture class, as much as you can possibly write what they say.
Repeat things back to them in your answers.
And don't be afraid to answer a question with a question.
Lets say they ask you a stats question, like what is the probability heads would come up three times in a row? Well that depends on how many times was it flipped. So ask. Obvious I know, but just an example.
I will go back to my AWS interview, he tried to find out something I have long forgotten the details of at a deep level, but I responded by asking a question back, "did you want me to break it down to the OSI per layer or is keeping it higher level okay?" It showed I understood the question just needed clarity. Keep it high level he said.. Okay..blah blah blah. But had he gone the other route, I would have admitted its been a few years since, I had done that, but would do my best.

Anyway, I have rambled on a while.. Best of luck!