This must be said...

Ok, we all know that I have been complaining like a mo-fo lately. That's pretty much a given right now. The cycle of lame, dull, uninsightful interview questions only makes me more likely to complain. But I will say one thing. I am a BIG fan of the phone interview. Seriously, what other situation affords you the opportunity to get a feel for the person you will be working for, or the kind of job you'll be doing and yet allows you to act all professional and put your best foot forward while in pajamas? Seriously. If I were to walk into a financial firm for an interview in a t-shirt, sweatpants and pink fuzzy slippers ... Well let's just say I wouldn't so much be walking into the building as I would be carried out by security. And yet with the phone interview, you get to do EXACTLY that. You are in a situation where you are your most comfortable, you are interviewing while sitting in your own turf, wearing what you want to wear, totally unkempt at 2PM if that's how you roll, and yet, if you can sound somewhat intelligent and coherent, people just assume you're dressed to the nines and picture perfect. It really is the best way to do the interview.

I mean really, if you think about the first interview, nine times out of ten you get all gussied up only to go into an office and realize that (A) it's not someplace you want to work, (B) they are clearly not feeling your vibe, (C) you are clearly not feeling their vibe, or (D) they describe a job or mention something that makes the job tantamount to scubbing toilets at a rest stop in po-dunk. Basically I think you should always have this kind of an opportunity to feel things out. Both parties are in a certain comfort zone, you get a feel for each other's personalities, you both have an opportunity to ask the questions you need to ask and if everyone comes to an amenable place of agreement, THEN and ONLY THEN do you any of you have to bother with the spit and polish routine. If I'm ever in the position to do some hiring, I plan on doing the phone interview first... It would save everyone a lot of time and effort.