Phone interview success secrets

photo credit: Mirko Macari

The temptation with a phone interview is to be relieved.  No worries about finding the office, don’t have to get into a suit… whew!  Cake.

Not so fast.

Phone interviews can actually be more challenging than in-person interviews.  Without the benefit of body language, it’s more difficult to read the interviewer’s reactions and to build rapport.  So, phone interviews actually require a slightly different skillset than those conducted in-person.

Some tips to get you started:

• Know who’s calling. Make sure you know who will be calling you and what their role is.
• Prep. A phone interview might be a preliminary screening of your qualifications and interest.  Then again, it may just be the only method the hiring manager can tackle all those first interviews.  So, prep like you’re showing up at the office.
• Use a land line. If at all possible, bust out the old handset.  It reduces background noise/static and improves the chances of keeping the connection through the whole interview.
• Find somewhere quiet. Do whatever you can to eliminate background noise and other distractions that could interfere with your focus or the interviewer’s.
• Dress the part. Okay, don’t put on the suit, but also don’t do the interview in your pajamas.  How you are dressed subconsciously affects your posture and presence, and these things will transfer to your voice.
• Stand. You will likely find you have better focus and you’ll project more energy through your voice.  Give it a shot.
• Smile. This is an old customer service trick.  You can hear a smile.  Being friendly and engaged on the phone will help you build that rapport you need.

By putting as much energy and effort into a phone interview as you do in person, you’re well on your way to securing that face-to-face meeting.

Related posts:

1. Interview Question of the Week: What has been your greatest success?
2. Interview Question of the Week: The Curveball
3. Top 10 Interview Questions You’ve Gotta Be Ready For
4. Interview Question of the Week: Communication and project success
5. Interview Question of the Week: What can you do for us that others can’t?

Tagged as: Career, interview, interview prep, job change, job hunt, preparation