Reply to: Face to Face or phone interview????

[kanulondon]

Really interesting comments on this thread.

Apologies if I came across shocked for thinking that telephone interviews and the subsequent landing of a gig weren't the norm.

KL

[Turion]

I've only done telephone interviews since 2002. I insist on it now and would never take time out and lose pay to satisfy some gits curiousity. My CV tells the story and if they don't like me than can fire me. That said, I'm a niche specialist so they only have a small candidate pool to choose from. In several cases I've been offered a contract without any interview.

[Shimano105]

The norm is for face to face but I have had a couple of phone-only and 3 where there was no interview - the idea being that if you were crap you were out after a couple of days.

Current gig was a 5 minute phone interview for a large bank. I had just spent a few weeks going here there and everywhere for interviews as well.

[tim123]

I just assumed they would make allowances for the fact that a lot of the times you may still be in a contract and losing a fair sum of money just for a 1 in 3 chance at a job.

Nope, that's YOUR cost of doing business and they don't give a flying **** about it.

tim

[d000hg]

I got my first contract (over a year now) based entirely off email correspondence, and my most recent contract from email & MSN chats. Personally I hate phone interviews, I'd rather do it via email or face to face.

[VectraMan]

Current gig was telephone first, then face to face the next day. But all the others have been face to face only.

I guess it depends on the sort of place and the number of contractors they have. All my gigs have been where there's mostly permies and only a couple of contractors.

[BolshieBastard]

Most of mine have been face to face but a number have been telephone only.

Bottom line is, you go with what the client wants. No harm in asking if you're already in a contract though.

If its a long distance away or at very short notice, I always insist on a telephone interview. If they say no (often they are happy to agree imo) then you have to decide whether to go or not.

[lightng]

I've got to say, I totally understand why people prefer face-to-face. When I was a permie, we needed a dev contractor for 3 months to help out. I did interviews over the phone. One guy really knew his stuff and on that basis I recommended we take him on.

It turned out that he had a really bad body odour problem. I mean REALLY bad! This compounded with the fact that our office was small meant that I suffered for the next 3 months. Strangely we didn't renew his contract. He was also one of the few contractors to get a leaving present. Personal hygiene products.

[TheFaQQer]

that's councils for you. All part of contracting do you need the contract badly enough? If so take the hit otherwise move on

The only (contract) interview that I've ever had that was face-to-face was for a council. All the others have been telephone interviews.

[dezze]

All makes sense really. The telephone interview I assume is only for screening, although I do know of people given gigs on the back of telephone interviews only

I once got a contract in the UK after a telephone interview whilst I was sat up in bed in California. Mind you, they were looking for quite a few people in (at the time) a specialised CASE tool.

[TykeMerc]

All makes sense really. The telephone interview I assume is only for screening, although I do know of people given gigs on the back of telephone interviews only

I've had 2 gigs off phone interviews, it's not a hard and fast rule, just the way many places work.
I must admit I prefer to actually see the place for myself before accepting a gig, the face to face thing is a two way street and not just for the clients benefit.

[ThomasSoerensen]

All makes sense really. The telephone interview I assume is only for screening, although I do know of people given gigs on the back of telephone interviews only

All my 3 contracts have been landed based on 15 minute phone interviews.

[Jubber]

All makes sense really. The telephone interview I assume is only for screening, although I do know of people given gigs on the back of telephone interviews only

Yep more than once

[Jubber]

The problem I have found in the past is the agent has got the 'nuts and bolts' of the job totally wrong. What the client wants, especially from a technical angle, most agents don't understand.

I always try and have a chat on the phone before a meeting to make sure I can offer the client the service they want. Once that has been established then I am more than willing to do a face to face.

J

[roadster198]

that's councils for you. All part of contracting do you need the contract badly enough? If so take the hit otherwise move on

Basically said all I needed to know about working for them IMHO. Qulaity avatar by the way