Simple Tips on Successfully Having Phone Interviews

Before listing the 10 basic essentials of a telephonic or phone job interview, we all know that phone interviews are tough to face and crack. Most phone interviews last to about 30-45 minutes where mostly you would be speaking to the interviewer.

Be online/available at least 10 minutes prior to the call. Have fun, don’t be timid. It shows off during interview. Visualize that you are actually speaking in front of the interviewer.

Have conversations. Joke around but only to an extent. Feel the air, Make sure your phone battery is considerably charged to take you through the session of the interview.

Sitting correctly at a desk with pen and paper and water, or standing at ease, and having a smile at the top and where appropriate throughout. Names are very important, write them down. Also, the ability and space to move one’s arms in order to emphasize or add nuance to a point are also important.

For pet owners, remember to put the dog in the garden and the cats in another room and shut the door. They always decide to start barking or playing at the most inopportune moments!

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It is totally based on our way of talking and our word control, because we can’t see the reaction of interviewer due to any wrong word. Sometimes, the silence on the other end after you have given your best reply can snuff the air out of your lungs. But at the end, its up to the person to dissect and upload the “lesson learned” across their collective mind.

The 10 essentials of PHONE interviews:

1. Get dressed as if going to an in-person Interview. Why? It creates professional attitude and mindset.
2. Don’t slouch on the couch. Chair and table/desk or stand and pace. Standing promotes voice projection.
3. Quiet room; no interruptions.
4. Wear earphones or pods to eliminate background noise.
5. Silence all other notifications on your phone and laptop (if open).
6. Laptop, pen and paper, and a copy of your CV/Resume.
7. Have written prompts ready, especially for the questions that you wish to ask.
8. Answer the phone correctly. eg. “Good morning/afternoon. This is FULL NAME speaking.”
9. If it’s a phone panel interview, you need to attach voice to name very quickly. Write the names down and use them when you address each interviewer.(Ask competency based questions and make the interviewee relax please)
10. Thank the interviewer(s) for their time at the end of the call.  Send a follow-up “Thank you” email with 6-8 hours or a day following the interview. (That’s when you come to know the real attitude & response of the recruiter or HR.)

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Dressing up professionally and smiling may not be visible to the interviewer but it actually helps builds your confidence and attune your frequency to the same level of interviewer. Also, make sure that you have the phone interview in an area that has great cell phone reception. Don’t have it in a place that’s in the middle of nowhere. Otherwise, your call will drop during an interview and that’s no fun.

When you prepare and rehearse, make sure it is on the phone. Do not rehearse with a person sitting next to you. That rehearsal is for a face-to-face interview.  Practice on the phone. Get feedback and adjust. The importance of smiling can be put as a point as well.

Most interviewers who take phone interviews are used to that mode of interview and can easily recognize if a person is smiling or not. It can easily dissipate any tension that usually usually occurs at the start of a phone interview. Listen carefully before responding. Practicing some deep breathing can calm your voice and help you relax and focus. This will help keep your voice from cracking or shaking, and give you more confidence.

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Phone interviews are difficult because you only have your voice and your words. But remember, a smile can not only be seen, it can be “heard” in your voice too. The use of ear phones is a particularly hot one, especially if you are trying to make notes and balance your phone.

Have a copy of the job ad and or job description to key in area’s they are looking for – highlight your skills or your ability to do what is been asked for.

It’s okay to pause before you respond. Ask for clarification before answering a question if you are not sure how to make your response apply to the position duties. Pace yourself because this is just a coffee chat to get you in front of them.

Standing and walking around rather than sitting when on phone interview is magical. It gives more confidence and helps in voice projection and tension relief.

Make sure to go over your resume one last time, and go over all possible “what if” scenarios in regards to questions. Never interject in the middle of the interviewer’s question.

Throughout the interview, make sure, or at least, to your smart ability, try to steer the conversation in a way which reflects your leadership skills. Remember you are not only there to do the job but to master the process/lead the project. There is quite a difference between doing the job than delivering it efficiently.

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All other interview protocol and prep applies

Ref
Kirsty Bonner on LinkedIn