Phone Interviews

Sweaty palms and nervous twitches are gone unseen when an interview takes place over the phone. But it also takes away from greeting the interviewer with a confident handshake, a brilliant smile and a strong first impression. A phone has become a powerful tool in the hands of employers. They can weed out potential employees with a single dial. The phone interview has become a growing trend for companies because it is cost and time efficient.

This is good for the company, but a lot of the personal aspect of a face to face interview is lost. In the first few seconds, the interviewer has already decided if they want to continue with the interview. With this in mind, there are several tips and tricks that can help with acing a phone interview.

Be prepared

When you are prepared, the nervousness is decreased, and confidence increases. Make sure you have your resume and information on the company in front of you. If this company is big on working in team settings, have that information so you can bring that up in the interview. This shows you have done the research on the company and will impress the interviewer.

Have your resume right in front of you. This will aid you in answering questions, and make you sound prepared. Nothing is more frustrating then getting stumped on a question because you don’t have the information in front of you.

Also make sure you have paper and a pen or pencil handy. This way if questions pop up that you would like to ask later, you can write them down. Many people forget these. With having these items right at your fingertips, you can relax and be more focused on the interview.

Clear all distractions

This is very important. Just like being prepared, this tip can make or break an interview. Make sure you clear at least an hour of your time for this interview. Stay away from the computer, people, or the TV. Make sure all your friends and family knows that during this time you will be unavailable. There is nothing as frustrating as a friend on call waiting, and it beeping in your ear as you’re trying to answer a question. The less the distractions the better chance you have to answer the questions clearly and concisely.