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The coolest thing about being a candidate for a position that you’re relocating for (minus the thrill of a new city, new people, new life) has got to be a phone interview. I have recently gone through a total of six phone interviews for my newest position, and I’m here to tell you, it’s not scary. I used these tips to prepare, and now I have compiled a list of my own. (Thanks, Penelope, for getting me all squared away!)
- Go somewhere quiet. For me, this was my car, for all six interviews. A lot of important business happens in my car, because it’s a quiet place away from the classroom, work and my apartment. I can’t get a good silent spot on campus unless I’m in my car. If I tried to do an interview at work, I’d have servers yelling about medium-rare steaks, which is not the best background noise.
- Dress the part, if you want. For me, I’m not comfortable in super-formal business attire. I never have been. So I wore what I am comfortable in, business casual. I wore something that I look great in, I was having a great hair/makeup day, and you could tell. You can hear confidence on the other end.
- Have water handy. I get wicked dry mouth when I’m talking for a long time, so I had water handy. I also am prone to little cough-attacks, the little tickle in my throat comes up at the most inopportune times, (think finals in a 1200-seat auditorium… are you SERIOUS?) so I was prepared. But not slurping it. Don’t slurp water, or chew gum, or smoke, etc when you’re on a phone interview.
- Smile. If you’re smiling, your voice sounds upbeat. Really. It’s a huge difference. Think about when you call a friend and you know they’re upset. It’s the same thing. You can hear emotions.
- Don’t be afraid to think about your answers. Yeah the pause will feel like forever since the person on the other end can’t see you thinking as they would if you were face-to-face, but don’t just jump into an answer because you’re afraid of the pause. Believe me, they’d rather wait for an awesome, well-thought-out answer than to hear you ramble while you try to gather your thoughts.
- Ask questions. The normal interview rules still apply. Everything you do in an in-person interview needs to be done on the phone, with twice the enthusiasm. Ask questions about the person interviewing you. Make sure your questions are relevant to the conversation. An interview should be about two-way communication, so help facilitate that. Don’t just answer, ask as well.
- Follow up. Immediately. The best thing about my iPhone is as soon as I got off the phone with my interviewers, I sent them an email thanking them for the opportunity to learn more about the company and for the experience. Be sure to include something that you found particularly interesting. It shows that you were paying attention.
Do you have any other tips for phone interviews? What is your preferred method of interviewing - in person or on the phone? Do you rock interviews or do they scare you?
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Comments
04.08.09
These are very, very good tips that go a long way! I've just done a few phone interviews lately and I've been on both sides. I found that dressing to match your persona is the one that helped me most. If I was in my PJ's I would talk and sound differently, like a slob! haha!
take care :)
04.08.09
These are great tips. Another one I'd add: Some employers will call you and want to do a mini-phone-interview on the spot, without warning (as opposed to scheduling it in advance). Don't be afraid to say that it's not a good time and ask to schedule it for later that day or the next day (or whenever) -- it's completely reasonable to wait until you've had time to prepare and compose yourself.
04.08.09
#3,4,5 are extremely good advice and one's I can personally say work. Smiling and water is half the battle of a phone interview. One thing that's also difficult is staying clear of the umm & like syndrome that plagues many of us. I'd also suggest to prepare notes and possible questions. Include things like the company's basic information their product offerings etc and have a few questions in mind. The last thing you want is to only think of one question and then have it answered during the interview itself.
04.09.09
I had an interesting opportunity yesterday to conduct 13 phone interviews for an office manager position at my company. Half way through, I had to step out for a phone interview in which I was being interviewed, so I got to see both ends of the spectrum at once.
From my experience yesterday, I would only add two points to this excellent list:
1. Do not use one word answers. The point of an interview is not only make sure you are qualified for the position, but to get to know you. Potential employers want to see your personality. If you get a question with a potential one-word answer (example: "Are you comfortable with technology?"), think of a fully developed answer (example: "Yes, I am very comfortable with general computer use because at my old job I had to use a computer every day and whenever we had a problem with a computer, I had to figure it out.") You don't have to be perfect at everything, but don't miss an opportunity to show your true colors.
2. BE POLITE! Out of 13 people I talked to yesterday, only two of them said, "have a great day" at the end of our conversation. Both of those people were exceptionally polite the entire time, which made their whole interviews positive experiences. You know what? I'm bringing them both in for interviews next week. You know who I'm not bringing in? A perfectly qualified woman who said, "Did you even look at my resume?" in response to one of my questions.
04.15.09
Tyler:
>>A perfectly qualified woman who said, "Did you even look at my resume?" in response to one of my questions.
Did you?
09.22.09
I love the car trick! I've done the same thing many times before. I love the phone interview...it's a great way to start the interview process and in some ways is a little less nerve-racking. If you can sell yourself on the phone, you can definitely do it in person! Great post!
01.29.10
good advice. with no body language clues everything is what you say and how you say it. Do some deep breathing beforehand to settle yourself.
11.09.10
I have been through the whole content of this blog which is very informative and knowledgeable stuff, So i would like to visit again.
Ruby @ Mobile Phone Tracking
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