I will soon be starting up the lateraling search process and was wondering some good spots that you guys have used in the past to take phone calls.
From past experience, the stairwell and tight elevator hallways provide a loud echo and are terrible settings to take a call. What have you guys used in the past? (assuming you don't take one in the office).
I am in NYC and everywhere I seem to go is a bit too chaotic to focus and take a call.
Thanks guys.
go down to the street and take it in an alley. go back to apartment and take it in the bedroom.
.....lol
Is this really a thread
Always on the shitter. Always.
Are you serious? What if someone walks into the bathroom...and also, what if someone hears you talking in the bathroom... terrible in the first case and just plain weird in the second
If someone walks in, you're in the stall. They know SOMEONE is interviewing in the bathroom, but they don't know who. It really keeps employers on their toes - makes them up their game.
Try a hotel lobby or lounge. They're everywhere in the city.
+1 ... this is a really good idea.. 'can't believe it hasn't occurred to me before..
just walk into an empty conference room
this...
legit question.
1) take the call on another floor of the building (have a friend swipe you in)
2) stationary taxi cab which is away from the midtown blitz
3) off-peak eatery (around 3-4 pm)
4) another firms lobby (you will have to scope out the place and determine if it will be quite enough, also determine peak traffic)
I think hotel lobby sounds like a great idea. Stealing one of those business rooms for 30 mins might be the move.
bank lobby (there are some quiet ones, especially for random smaller banks), upstairs of major drug stores (try walgreens upstairs near Morgan Stanley) where there is minimal foot traffic, empty parts of the very large size post office locations, the andaz hotel has a quiet secret area upstairs as does the lexington hotel...as you can tell, have had many networking/recruiter conversations and had to step away to somewhere close and quiet
MD's offfice. Then ask him for a raise.
Hotel lobbies. Most have a sitting area commonly used by business types.
If in Midtown, the second floor of the NY Palace Hotel. Very quiet, and has pay for use computers if necessary.
haven't tried this personally, but some Fedex locations have computer areas for people to work in/get wifi that are usually empty
Stop being a wet towel and use your own conference room (use your cell phone not the room speakers). This is what I do when I need to bitch at my cable company too, and if someone walks in there's one of two outcomes.
Book the call early morning or late afternoon to minimize risk.
All these suggestions about winding through luxury hotels to find a space three blocks away that will still have ambient noise and elevator music should be worst-case options. If you're scratching down technicals on the edge of the fucking toilet paper counter on the second floor of a Duane Reade...reevaluate your problem-solving skills.
Where Do You Guys Do Phone Interviews? (Originally Posted: 09/20/2013)
Just wanted to see how and where you monkeys conduct phone interviews.
I'll start. I've had phone interviews all over the place, in a meeting room using the companies phone, going "home for lunch," and even in the car (it was raining like crazy that day, was horrible but I ended up making it to the next round).
What about you guys?
Library group study rooms
On the toilet
Bastard, you beat me to it.
The car or extended lunch have always been my go to places as well.
I think the majority of my phone interviews/conversations have taken place in my car. I'm most comfortable on the phone if I'm driving around a neighborhood or something.
I tried to schedule most of my phone interviews in the morning so I could just do them at home. If I couldn't get a morning slot I would just take the call in my car.
Whenever possible, use a land line.
That is the real question, since it is really hard to find one. I booked a conference room for an interview and told the interviewer to call me to that phone. I walk by the room and saw people in it! Haha, I guess I should have planned, but easier said than done.
Recruiters on the street, close to the office. First rounds with the hiring firm preferably at home aka "dentist", "having the washing machine fixed", "sorry for being late".
used last one w/o regard 4 human life after I knew i was going to get the offer
Been having this issue a lot lately. I have an open office environment and there is a total of 1 conference room (usually in use). I have to go into my car, or sometimes I'll find a quiet coffee shop/restaurant and take a call there. Although it's really difficult because of all the white noise. I try to schedule most of my interviews in the late evening so I can take calls in my car before driving home (or if it's a late night at the office, I'll just say that I'm stepping out for dinner).
I've never had one, but I'd just do it at my desk. I'm lucky enough to have my own office and noise doesn't carry through the walls, plus speakerphone is a must for me to relax. Close the door and lock it. Plus people would think "ah gee, that guy sure is working hard".
Have one tomorrow afternoon - will be leaving early for a 'doctors appt' - i.e. to take it at home. My office has thin walls, and midtown's too noisy to take it on the street.
Seriously, the kids section of the library. When the interviewer asks what the noise is all you have to say is that you are doing the interview at the library because you have a charity called Holy Shirts and Pants.
Good point Magneton, it's amazing how you get used to these things. When I got my first recruiter call about one year into my first job, I did an awful job pretending I had a friend on the phone while trying to gtfo of the room my case team was located in. I nearly choked myself once back while attempting to explain who had called. A few years later, with exit option 1 secured, I did the unthinkable and took the liberty of flying into another country on a Wednesday during an on-going engagement for a doctor's appointment, claiming that specialist was the only guy on the continent who could fix my messed up knee (good day by the way as the final round on that Wednesday got me into my current role).
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