A Phone Interview Tip to Get you Ready

My most important Phone Interview Tip I can give you, is to 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!