First of all, interviews can take place anywhere and can commence at any time. When you are on the telephone, making the appointment or inquir­ing about job openings, you should consider these actions part of the in­terview process. You never know whom you may be speaking with or what notes or comments they may make; you have no idea to whom they may pass on their impressions of you or what impression you are making.

Additionally, you should also be sizing up the organization by how you are treated on the telephone. Are you placed on hold for an unreasonable length of time; are you disconnected? Does the person you speak with willingly give you his or her name and title? Is there annoying back­ground noise or music? The same goes for your side of the telephone call—is there loud music or a television playing in the background? The environment should be businesslike and courteous on both sides.

When you make an appointment for an interview, you should always know your objective. Why do you want this interview? Is it to gather in­formation or to get leads? Is this person agreeing to see you as a favor to someone else? A courtesy interview can be a great way to get inside infor­mation about an organization or an industry, but only if the person is knowledgeable and willing to share. Doing research before the interview will assist you in determining what type of help you might expect from this person. Informational interviews, used selectively, can target a knowl­edgeable person who can be asked to share insights into the job market, the industry, or the profession. A question to consider if you want to use the informational interview as part of your job search strategy is whether an informational interview needs to be done in person or are you actual­ly more effective when conducting one over the phone. Our opinion is that the phone approach works effectively because it is less time-consum­ing and conveys a bias for action that will impress the person you are dealing with. If there is reason to meet, then continue the interview in per­son (in this situation, the phone call informational interview then may easily become the screening interview).

In response to a job opening or an advertisement, an organization will usually go through a recruitment and selection process. The purpose of re­cruitment is to gather together a pool of candidates from which to choose. Next, the selection process screens—in or out—candidates, leaving the or­ganization with several "top" choices from which to choose the "one." Usually a No. 1 candidate and a backup No. 2 alternate are designated; if No. 1 declines the job offer, the job could be offered to No. 2. Should there not be a sufficient pool of viable candidates recruited, another attempt is made (starting all over by placing ads, listing online, and contacting re­cruiters) to get more candidates to choose from.

Screening interviews can be as simple as someone asking whether you have had X number of years experience using a certain machine or tech­nology; or whether you have a college degree. Screening interviews may take place to determine if a candidate should be included or excluded from the first pool of recruits. These can easily be done over the tele­phone by anyone who is handling the resumes. It shouldn't, but fre­quently can, be an untrained receptionist or junior clerk. It may also be done by those whose organizations are more serious about attracting people and in those instances screening interviews may include the head of the human resources department, or a recruiter. This basic in­terview seeks to determine if certain requirements are met, usually in terms of experience, skills, and education. Mass screening interviews are often scheduled by organizations on campus or through job fairs. Some­times these screening processes eliminate the need for an interview—a cursory review of your resume will either gather you in or leave you out. (Another reminder of the importance of a targeted, focused resume and marketing letter.)

Due diligence interviews are conducted when the employer has already identified the "ideal" candidate and is interviewing you to either rein­force that opinion or to meet EEOC requirements. Chances are, you will be given only a cursory session and be told, "Don't call us, we'll call you" as you exit. This can be viewed as a waste of your time or as an opportu­nity to meet an organization (further openings may arise) and to hone your interviewing skills. Courtesy interviews occur when a friend of a friend has recommended you. A current employee is a neighbor. Your relatives are members of the same club as the public relations manager. However you come in, there may or may not be a suitable job opening. One point in your favor is that most hires are based on referrals. Even if there is not an opening at the moment, this is a terrific opportunity to make a favorable impression, make a powerful contact, and give a great interview!

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