Telephone Job Interviews - 5 Top Tips For Success
By Clare Jaques
Telephone interviews are usually used as the first stage in the screening process.
Although people sometimes get nervous about them, theyre actually a chance for you to make a great first impression.
Being offered a phone interview is a really good sign. It means the company is seriously considering you for the job. It also saves you the time and expense of travelling to a face-to-face screening interview.
Telephone interviews are normally quite basic, without too many trick questions.
Typically, a company will want to get to know you a little - get a feel for the personality behind the CV. Theyll probably ask you a few questions about your CV, work experience, skills, background and why you want the job. Its easy to prepare for this type of question, before they call you.
Its really important to take a telephone interview seriously. Its more than just a chat: the interviewer will be deciding whether to invite you to a face-to-face interview. You should treat it as seriously as any other type of job interview.
To prepare for a phone interview, its critical to:
1. Set the call up for a time when youre able to relax and not be disturbed.
This might mean asking to be called outside of office hours.
2. Dont do it at work.
Youll be too nervous to do yourself justice. And what would happen if your boss walked in?
3. Dress as you would for a face-to-face interview.
Sit upright in your chair and hold the phone as you would at work. All of this helps you present a professional image. If youre at home, in your jeans and lounging on the sofa, you could come across as being too laid back.
4. Really listen.
You cant see the interviewer, so youll need to concentrate on their tone of voice and what theyre saying. You wont get the visual clues that tell you what they thought of your answer, so youll need to put in the effort to listen to their response. You might be surprised how much information a 'pregnant pause' can give you.
5. Think about your body language.
Try to imagine the other person sat on their end of the phone and move your body as though you were looking at them in a normal conversation. If you would normally smile, then smile. This will help you avoid sounding 'wooden' on the phone
In summary: as long as you take it seriously and prepare well, you should breeze through the telephone job interview and make it to the next round of recruitment.
To find out more about how to be a job interview success, visit InterviewStuff.com
About the Author:
Clare Jaques is Director of InterviewStuff.com
Clare is an international consultant, trainer and coach, specialising in business communication skills. Her considerable recruitment experience has led her to become the Job Interview Expert for Monsters online job seekers forum.
She is passionate about helping job-seekers get the job they want.
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