What to do if You Need to Take a Call at the Interview

In the post a few days ago, we discussed what to do with your cell phone. Namely, that it should be both on silent (not vibrate) and off completely. However, in some rare cases you may need to take a call during the interview. Perhaps you have a sick relative or a family member is having a baby. Whatever the reason, there are going to be some rare, rare cases that you need to have your cell phone on and with you during the job interview.

What to Say

Before the interview begins, you need to explain the situation to the interviewer. Right after you introduce yourself, let the interviewer know the situation:

“Before we begin, I just wanted to let you know that I may need to answer a phone call during the interview. A good friend of mine is very sick, and I am her emergency contact should something go wrong at the hospital. I’d like to apologize in advance for any inconvenience.”

Your reason needs to be something like the one above. You also need to make sure that you do not give away personal information, for example “My wife is having a baby.” This type of personal information can play a role in your ability to get hired. If your wife is having a baby, say “a family member is having a child and she is 2 days late for her due date. I may need to drive her to the hospital if she goes into labor.”

What to Do

Your cell phone either needs to be on vibrate, or you need to turn every single ringtone for every one of your contacts off except for the one person that you are waiting for. Most phones allow you to set a ringtone of “silent” and then personalize ringtones for contacts. You do not want to check your phone because it is vibrating or ringing, only to find that it is not the person you are waiting for.

If the person calls, you first say to the interviewer “I am so sorry, I need to get this, it is the friend in the hospital” and only answer if they give you the nod. Then make sure you speak as briefly as possible, and you if you need to leave, apologize to the interviewer and ask to reschedule.

What to Expect

This is going to affect your ability to get the job. There is no way around it. If you are lucky, they may give you another chance, but do not expect it. Even the best excuses are still excuses. You should have rescheduled if there was a risk of you getting a phone call.

The advice above will help minimize the damage, but it will not negate it completely. If you present yourself as a great employee throughout the rest of the interview, you may still have a chance, but expect that the phone call has hurt your chances.

Take Away Interview Tips

• Warn the interviewer ahead of time.
• Turn the cell phone on vibrate or give only the one contact a ringtone.
• Expect it to hurt your chances.

What To Do With Your Cell Phone at the Job Interview

“Hold on, one second, I have to take this. Yo! Johnny! What’s up bro! No, I’m not too busy, just finishing  up this job interview here. Yeah, I think I’ve got this in the bag. This chick be all like ‘I’m impressed by your qualifications’ and I be all like ‘you know it baby, now why don’t you hop into my Volkswagon Rabbit and you and I can rent a room on my new found paycheck, you know what I’m saying? Yeah, you know… oh, hold on, hold on, this interviewer chick is trying to say something. What’s that? What do you mean you’re not giving me the job?”

It doesn’t take a genius to understand why you should not answer your cell phone at the job interview. Answering your cell phone is rude and unprofessional, and unless you are worried that someone is going to die if you don’t take the call, the call can probably wait.

Cell Phones Off, Not On Silent

Most people turn their cell phones on vibrate to avoid appearing unprofessional. This makes a lot of sense, since you probably don’t want the interviewer to know that your ringtone is “Every Girl” by Lil Wayne.

Vibrate, however, is also bad. It may come as a surprise, but interviewers are not actually hard of hearing. They can hear the buzz, buzz, buzz sound coming from your pocket every time you get a phone call or text message. Your phone needs to be off completely.

• When your phone is off the interviewer cannot hear it vibrate or ring.
• When the phone is off, you will not be distracted by the vibrations.
• When your phone is off, your pocket won’t light up because someone is calling you.

Don’t just turn off your cell phone for the interviewer. Turn it off for you. It’s hard to avoid temptation to check the cell phone when you have a moment because you know someone called or sent a text message, but your interview is about you and the job, not about who is texting you. Keep your cell phone off at all times, so there is no motivation to check it before, during, or after your interview.

Before You Turn the Phone Off

Cell phones have a lot of buttons. Before you turn your cell phone off, make sure you have turned it on silent, so that if the phone comes back on by accident, it does not ring during your interview. Many interviews have been ruined by previously-turned-off cell phones turning themselves back on in the middle of the interview.

Your cell phone needs to be completely silent and completely off. Only then can you make sure it doesn’t distract you or the interviewer, and won’t detract from you getting the job.

Take Away Interview Tips

• Keep your cell phone on silent.
• Keep your cell phone off.
• The real lyrics to “Every Girl” are rated R.