Scott - They're also very short on descriptions of current and past positions. As a hypothetical example if they were a receptionist they might say "I answer phones and assist visitors." A woman would describe every minute detail "I answer phones directing callers to the appropriate employee. When visitors come in I assist them and offer them refreshments. I handle the incoming and outgoing mail...."
Kenneth - I actually work in human services. It's disappointing when males don't do well in their phone screens because there's so few good male candidates in the first place.
Ian - I'm glad this post helped. It was something I had to learn through trial and error.
Miguel - You think I always sound ask perky as I do talking on the phone at home as I do at work? No, I don't. As far of my job I put on smile and sickeningly sweet voice. One of the major points you want to go across in the phone screen is your enthusiasm for the job. For men, because their "brains work differently," using their normal tone of voice and conversation style does not behoove them during a phone screen. Awareness goes in both directions. If you want to be all manly and grunt in phone screens because why should you change for any woman - go right ahead, just don't expect to get many interviews.
This may be dependant on the sector. The most deadpan person I have ever spoken to on the phone was a woman. She lacked energy in every sense, and as a result brought down the whole conversation to an unnecessary low. It really killed my next two hours of progress in that particular project.
Anyhoo. It must also be a personality thing - in which case I would accept that men would be less descriptive and attentive. Age would also be a factor, as well as the fact that they are talking to a woman. That, unfortunately, would affect many men.
It has become okay these days to rag on guys for they way the accomplish tasks. When I was in college, it was okay to rag on girls (about 15 years ago). I guess we didn't learn from the mistakes of the past.
Oh man, I wonder if you're doing phone interviews for technical positions. I used to do interviews for software engineers and you have never heard less inflection or interesting discussion than an interview with a software engineer!
September 11, 2008 1:20 am
Kenneth Younger
@Rachel, If you don't mind answering this question, what industry do you work in? I would think that matters heavily. I work in IT, and could very easily see what you are saying - most guys I work with are terrible oral communicators.
I would be willing to bet that's different for other sectors, though.
Men & Women's mind just work differently. The talking thing & reading between the line comes naturally to females, while guys has to learn it.
So if you want to know more, you probably have to dig to find the answer.
or ask for examples.
Good post, as a guy, this a good lesson to learn. I didn't even realize that was a barrier.
September 8, 2008 5:17 pm
Miguel
I am always amazed at the audacity of this type of thinking. Men are inherently different from women in communication. Our brains work differently. Can you really expect all men to change biology for the benefit of a phone interview?
If you are having difficulty screening men, I would suggest you make changes and understand those differences. It is part of your job description not theirs to be able to adequately screen applicants. If you don't, you can open yourself to claims of discrimination when you discount male applicants.
September 8, 2008 6:29 pm
Scott M
I wonder if you could provide a few more examples of how men have responded to your questions. I have a working theory on why we/they asnwer this way, but I'd like to have more information.
September 8, 2008 8:33 pm
Scott M
Rachel,
Yep, that's about what I expected.
I hope you noticed that they answered the questions accurately. Your issue is that they didn't answer it the way YOU would have answered it.
For men, conversation is all about the exchange of information. It's about what, who, when, how. If you ask a yes/no question, you'll get a yes/no answer. If you ask what they did in previous positions, they will give you the basic facts, because they assume that's all you want; the rest is just superfluous.
Women tend to be more 'chatty'; having a conversation just for the sake of talking. (I should mention I am generalizing, and neither approach is better, just different).
You job as an interviewer is to draw out these men (and women too) with additional questions. Ask for details. Once the men get an idea of what you want, they may open up a bit.
Also, what kind of job are these men interviewing for? If the position is going to involve working closely with employees or the public, then yes they should be chattier. But if it is just a desk job that involves developing and updating procedures and manuals, then a less chatty person will do just fine. Just because you are in HR doesn’t mean you have to be a perky person.
September 9, 2008 1:22 am
Joel
This sounds like a failing on your part, not theirs.
Perhaps you should tell the candidates this at the start of the interview- " This is a 10 minute phone screen and it is your job to show me they have a personality".
That might take care of situations where you are losing good male candidates ...
you've pretty much summed up every conversation I've ever had with my brother. . . he's completely monosyllabic and doesn't know how to volley a question back at his conversation partner
Though I hear from my mom that he's been known to write up flash cards with conversation topics when calling a chick he'd like to date, to keep nervousness to a minimum. He makes the effort when it matters to him.
September 9, 2008 9:16 am
Ann
You might try asking more specific, open-ended questions and more behavior-based questions. This would apply to both male and female applicants. For example, you might ask "Walk me through a typical day in your current job" followed by, "what is the most challenging part of your work?", "What gets you excited about your work?" "What are the top three things you've learned in the last year?, and questions that begin with "Give me an example of a time when..." -- fill in the blank with something relevant and likely to be experienced in your job. These kinds of questions are more likely to get the person to talk.
September 9, 2008 6:50 pm
KateNonymous
While there may be some ways to tweak the questioning for the phone, it's also important for job-seekers to recognize the limitations of whatever communication method is in use. If the interviewer can't see you, you need to put more into your voice and words.
Ultimately, though, this is the same advice I've seen for any kind of interview, whether it's on the phone or face-to-face. I've never seen "deadpan" or "inexpressive" be recommended.
September 9, 2008 7:06 pm
beeftip
If I were to be screened by phone by a company I was interested in working for, I'd no longer be interested. Especially if they only way the people who work their foot in the door was by your arbitrary assessment of their personality.
I work with a couple of ladies who my manager claims "aced" their interviews. He really liked their personalities and their answers to the interview questions. Granted, they are pleasant and charming people. But they can't do the job worth a crap.
17 RESPONSES TO "WHY MEN SUCK AT PHONE INTERVIEWS"
Scott - They're also very short on descriptions of current and past positions. As a hypothetical example if they were a receptionist they might say "I answer phones and assist visitors." A woman would describe every minute detail "I answer phones directing callers to the appropriate employee. When visitors come in I assist them and offer them refreshments. I handle the incoming and outgoing mail...."
Kenneth - I actually work in human services. It's disappointing when males don't do well in their phone screens because there's so few good male candidates in the first place.
Ian - I'm glad this post helped. It was something I had to learn through trial and error.
Miguel - You think I always sound ask perky as I do talking on the phone at home as I do at work? No, I don't. As far of my job I put on smile and sickeningly sweet voice. One of the major points you want to go across in the phone screen is your enthusiasm for the job. For men, because their "brains work differently," using their normal tone of voice and conversation style does not behoove them during a phone screen. Awareness goes in both directions. If you want to be all manly and grunt in phone screens because why should you change for any woman - go right ahead, just don't expect to get many interviews.
This may be dependant on the sector. The most deadpan person I have ever spoken to on the phone was a woman. She lacked energy in every sense, and as a result brought down the whole conversation to an unnecessary low. It really killed my next two hours of progress in that particular project.
Anyhoo. It must also be a personality thing - in which case I would accept that men would be less descriptive and attentive. Age would also be a factor, as well as the fact that they are talking to a woman. That, unfortunately, would affect many men.
I'm with Scott M.
It has become okay these days to rag on guys for they way the accomplish tasks. When I was in college, it was okay to rag on girls (about 15 years ago). I guess we didn't learn from the mistakes of the past.
Oh man, I wonder if you're doing phone interviews for technical positions. I used to do interviews for software engineers and you have never heard less inflection or interesting discussion than an interview with a software engineer!
@Rachel, If you don't mind answering this question, what industry do you work in? I would think that matters heavily. I work in IT, and could very easily see what you are saying - most guys I work with are terrible oral communicators.
I would be willing to bet that's different for other sectors, though.
Men & Women's mind just work differently. The talking thing & reading between the line comes naturally to females, while guys has to learn it.
So if you want to know more, you probably have to dig to find the answer.
or ask for examples.
Good post, as a guy, this a good lesson to learn. I didn't even realize that was a barrier.
I am always amazed at the audacity of this type of thinking. Men are inherently different from women in communication. Our brains work differently. Can you really expect all men to change biology for the benefit of a phone interview?
If you are having difficulty screening men, I would suggest you make changes and understand those differences. It is part of your job description not theirs to be able to adequately screen applicants. If you don't, you can open yourself to claims of discrimination when you discount male applicants.
I wonder if you could provide a few more examples of how men have responded to your questions. I have a working theory on why we/they asnwer this way, but I'd like to have more information.
Rachel,
Yep, that's about what I expected.
I hope you noticed that they answered the questions accurately. Your issue is that they didn't answer it the way YOU would have answered it.
For men, conversation is all about the exchange of information. It's about what, who, when, how. If you ask a yes/no question, you'll get a yes/no answer. If you ask what they did in previous positions, they will give you the basic facts, because they assume that's all you want; the rest is just superfluous.
Women tend to be more 'chatty'; having a conversation just for the sake of talking. (I should mention I am generalizing, and neither approach is better, just different).
You job as an interviewer is to draw out these men (and women too) with additional questions. Ask for details. Once the men get an idea of what you want, they may open up a bit.
Also, what kind of job are these men interviewing for? If the position is going to involve working closely with employees or the public, then yes they should be chattier. But if it is just a desk job that involves developing and updating procedures and manuals, then a less chatty person will do just fine. Just because you are in HR doesn’t mean you have to be a perky person.
This sounds like a failing on your part, not theirs.
I think Scott M has some very valid points.
Perhaps you should tell the candidates this at the start of the interview- " This is a 10 minute phone screen and it is your job to show me they have a personality".
That might take care of situations where you are losing good male candidates ...
you've pretty much summed up every conversation I've ever had with my brother. . . he's completely monosyllabic and doesn't know how to volley a question back at his conversation partner
Though I hear from my mom that he's been known to write up flash cards with conversation topics when calling a chick he'd like to date, to keep nervousness to a minimum. He makes the effort when it matters to him.
You might try asking more specific, open-ended questions and more behavior-based questions. This would apply to both male and female applicants. For example, you might ask "Walk me through a typical day in your current job" followed by, "what is the most challenging part of your work?", "What gets you excited about your work?" "What are the top three things you've learned in the last year?, and questions that begin with "Give me an example of a time when..." -- fill in the blank with something relevant and likely to be experienced in your job. These kinds of questions are more likely to get the person to talk.
While there may be some ways to tweak the questioning for the phone, it's also important for job-seekers to recognize the limitations of whatever communication method is in use. If the interviewer can't see you, you need to put more into your voice and words.
Ultimately, though, this is the same advice I've seen for any kind of interview, whether it's on the phone or face-to-face. I've never seen "deadpan" or "inexpressive" be recommended.
If I were to be screened by phone by a company I was interested in working for, I'd no longer be interested. Especially if they only way the people who work their foot in the door was by your arbitrary assessment of their personality.
I work with a couple of ladies who my manager claims "aced" their interviews. He really liked their personalities and their answers to the interview questions. Granted, they are pleasant and charming people. But they can't do the job worth a crap.
How lame! You probably have an MBA.
GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?