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.

Dress professionally

Aim for business casual. This means that men dress in slacks, a button-up-the-front shirt and a tie. For woman, a pair of slacks, or a nice skirt and a blouse will work. This may seem silly to do, because the interviewer can’t see you. However, this can help boost your confidence, which the interviewer will hear in your voice over the phone. By taking a phone interview as seriously as a face-to face-interview, you have a better chance at not being weeded out of being asked for a second interview.

Practice questions

"What’s your greatest strength/greatest weakness?" and "Tell me a little bit about you" are standard questions in an interview setting. Be ready to give the answer and give specific examples to back these up. When telling about yourself, focus on personal/professional goals or achievements. This way you can stay focused on you and what you can bring to the company. The interviewer doesn’t care if you have a dog and three cats. They want to know what you have done that makes you unique. A good example is the goal of running a marathon and how your training is going. This shows a side of you that is driven and loves challenges.

Show Not Tell

"I believe my greatest strength is leading people. For example, (situation) I had to organize and work with a team of six people to create an ad for a brand of toothpaste aimed at kids. (task) Creating the ad was our main goal, but we had to make sure it was new and fresh. (action) So we all came together, brainstormed for an hour, and made two different ads. (result) At the big meeting with the client, one of our ideas was selected for their campaign."

This is a very short example, but it shows you how to use the technique. This is a very good way of approaching behavioral questions. These questions are open-ended questions with no right or wrong answer. The interviewer wants to see how you handle the pressure. Some may even throw very odd questions at you like what type of carousel animal would you be and why or what rock star would you be and why. The only way to prepare for these is to know they are possible, and relax when they are asked. There is no right answer.

Express yourself

The tone of your voice is the way you are going to convey yourself over the phone. When you talk to a friend it sounds different then talking to your boss. It’s the same thing over the phone with this interviewer. In a face to face interview you want to get across that you are bright, clever and the perfect person for the position, but you have to work twice as hard over the phone to convey the same thing. Smiling helps with this. It helps you sound happy and engaged in the conversation. When trying to answer harder questions take a few moments to collect your thoughts. This helps with keeping yourself calm during the interview, and this will make you sound relaxed over the phone.

At the beginning of the interview it is always good to try some small talk with the interviewer, maybe ask how the weather is there or how the day has gone for them. This will help you connection with the interviewer and break the ice, which helps you stay confident and focused on the interview.

Thank you notes

No matter what type of interview you have, send a thank you note either via email or through the mail. Just thank them for their time and consideration of you as a candidate. This is greatly appreciated by the interviewer, and they have a tendency to remember those who do this step. Also, this can give you a connection into the company. So if another position comes up, you have a better chance at it.