Phone Interview Tip

Page 1- The Preparation!

The most important Phone interview tip: make sure that you treat this as a real interview!

Many people mistakenly think that a phone interview is not a real interview. The opposite is true- a phone interview is the most important interview since it is used as a way to screen out candidates!

Most companies receive tons of resumes when they post a position. For that reason, phone interviews are a relatively easy, fast and convenient way to screen for high potential candidates. Not only can an interviewer speak with several people in a short period of time, he/she can interview people from a larger geographical area.

However, the benefit to the company may be a negative to potential candidates that do not take the time to properly prepare.

There are 2 types on phone interviews: the unscheduled and the scheduled calls. You need to be prepared for both.

Phone interview tip: Be Prepared

1-Have a copy of your CV near your phone at all times, for the unscheduled calls.
“Hello, I am calling from company A, I have a copy of your resume in front of me and have a few questions, is this a good time to speak?”
If you are not prepared, this can kill your chances of getting the job. My advice; if you are not prepared, ask the interviewer if you could call them back in 10 minutes.
“This is a good time; however I would like to move to my home office for more privacy. Would it be possible for me to call you back in 10 minutes?

2- Make a cheat sheet of your experiences, accomplishment and strengths to help prepare you to answer questions.

3- If you have sent your CV to several companies, keep a list of the companies, names of contacts and some pertinent info on each company beside your phone.

4- Have paper and pen available to take notes and as well as a glass.

5- Have your agenda close by so you can confirm your next interview time.

6- Change your voicemail message! Make sure it sounds professional.

7- Make sure that anyone else who may answer your phone knows that you are expecting calls. Have them answer the phone in a professional manner.

8- Turn off you call waiting. Nothing is more annoying than the beep beep of calls coming in!

9- Prepare a place that will be your “phone interview space”. This space should be quiet (no TVs or radios), with no distractions (turn off the computer!!). Ideally the space will be a desk or some other ‘professional’ setting to put you in the interview mode. Let everyone in the house know you are in an interview and put a Do Not Disturb sign on the door.

10- Practice, Practice, Practice.. see page 4 for some common phone interview questions. Practices the answers with a friend- over the phone! It is important to practice over the phone since your voice is your only selling tool… you need to make sure you sound enthusiastic and confident.

11- Prepare questions to ask the interviewer . This will show you are really interested in joining the company.

But remember the most important phone interview tip is to remember that this is a real interview. How you prepare will make all the difference in whether or not you get a call back for a face-to-face interview!

See page 2 for phone interview etiquette
Page 3 will give you a list of Do’s and Don’t’s.
Page 4 will give you a list of commonly asked phone interview questions.




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