A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Have a phone interview and need help - terrified

Posted: Nov 02, 2012

I have not had an interview in probably 17 years and I am freaking out. It is for a Transcription Specialist position, which is basically the customer service person in the transcription department, coordinates workflow, administrative suppor to the manager, and clerical support to the transcription and central scheduling areas.

What kind of questions are asked on phone interveiws? I am assuming the phone interview is to first hear if I have a pleasant phone voice, which I am pretty sure I do not. UGH... I am just totally freaking out. Maybe I should just keep working from home. I wanted to get into this facility for so long because maybe I could get tuition reibursement and finally go to school for something, but I think I am going to set myself up for failure here. :(

First, take a deep breath and say I can do this. - JC

[ In Reply To ..]
Second, remember they must have liked something about your resume to have picked you to interview. Third, also remember you can't do anything unless you try. Just be yourself and answer questions honestly. You will do fine.

what if you... - cmk

[ In Reply To ..]
Try going into the interview with the mentality that you're seeing if it's a good fit for you, rather than the other way around. That might give you a mental edge, and the confidence will come out in your voice.
Good luck with it!

Phone Interview - Know the feeling

[ In Reply To ..]
I am not sure if it will help, but what I did was make notes ahead of time of potential questions and answers for common interviews (strengths/weaknesses, example of a situation and resolution, etc.) so I sounded more confident in my answers. I also had my resume and the job description in front of me during the interview. I made sure to jot down a few questions for them as well, as they apparently find that a positive :-) Good luck!

I have no example of job situation/resolution - and unsure about strenths/weaknesses

[ In Reply To ..]
What could possibly be a job situation/resolution when working from home?

I will smile and will make a list, and I thank you all so much for the words of advice. I have to work on being more positive... I am such a negative person.

for example - downtime

[ In Reply To ..]
think of a time that QA corrected you on something, and how you learned from it.

Strengths: Self motivated, detail oriented

Weaknesses: Tend to take on too much (see it's a strength disguised as a weakness)

yes they tend to ask these kinds of questions - downtime

[ In Reply To ..]
I hate those questions! It sure does help to have answers to those kinds of questions in advance. Also they might ask what is your learning style? how do you balance your home and work life? how do you deal with stress?

I wish they'd just stick to "do you know how to do this?" but they don't.

When those types of non-MT questions are asked, - often its because you are getting the - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
"hard" or "non-hire" interview. Oftentimes companies only plan to hire from within, but for some reason (legal?) they still post ads online that say the job is "open to the public". Then they waste our time with a job interview. I've been interviewing in person for on-site MT/secretarial jobs, and when the questions turn from regular nuts-and-bolts type questions to the less concrete, management-type questions, it's because they have no intention of considering me for the position, and want me to feel like I "don't qualify". Questions like: "Where do you see yourself in five years?" And the situation-resolution question. (Jeez - I was an MT for crying out loud! Not a district sales manager! MTs just listen and type, we don't resolve conflicts or sales slumps!) Also, when they ask you what your "weaknesses" are, but don't bother to ask you what your STRENGTHS are.

Also, if the circumstances and surroundings of the interview don't match the job being applied for, that's another red flag. Once I applied for an inhouse full-time MT position at a teaching hospital. The interview was conducted like I was defending myself in the Supreme Court, or something. Huge conference center, and 4 people interviewing me simultaneously, and sternly. (For a frickin MT job? REALLY?) And no transcription test was even given, either. I'm still trying to figure THAT one out! Another job interview was in a busy private practice office for a full time document mangagement specialist/MT. No management duties there, either, but lots of front-office work when not transcribing. THAT interview was conducted in a supply closet!

Another tip-off to something fishy is when you actually get an email telling you "the position has been filled" (and not by YOU), and yet the ad keeps running and running.

I'm so sick of the scams out there, that I think in the future, mainly out of exasperation and boredom, that whenever I know the interview is tanking, when I start getting all those management-job questions for an MT job, I'll probably start giving them made-up answers. If they're gonna jerk me around, I might as well jerk them right back.

Phone Interview - Nancy

[ In Reply To ..]
CMK is correct; you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you.

If you are worried that you don't have a good phone voice, smile. It's amazing what difference smiling can make to your voice and your attitude.

good advice from the other posters - MT

[ In Reply To ..]
I would also suggest you change your internal dialogue. For instance, change TERRIFIED to EXCITED. My phone voice is fine. I'm setting myself up for SUCCESS! Remind yourself of why you would be a valued asset to the company. Write it down if necessary. Having all your notes in front of you is a very good idea. If you start thinking negative thoughts, turn them around to something positive. If you feel confident that you can do the job, that will come across to the interviewer.

Good luck! I hope you get the job!

my hubby had one and - meh

[ In Reply To ..]
it was a precursor to an in-person interview (which he didn't get). One set of the questions they asked was, "what is your favorite part of your job?" and "what is your least favorite?"

It was very, very informal.

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