For many people being called for a telephone interview raises a number of concerns and worries. Interviewing can be stressful enough but many find the thoughts of doing it over the telephone even more stressful. I think a lot of it stems from a fear of the unknown as over the years I have set up many telephone interviews and invariably as soon as I mention the medium the reaction is “oh how do I prepare for that”. To help turn the apprehension into a successful telephone interview I wanted to outline some tips to help you perform to your best on a telephone call and to take some of the worry out of it.
1) Use a Landline
If you can I would advise you to use a landline because losing connection or having a bad signal can be very frustrating for both you and the interviewer. If you don’t have access to a landline make sure that you are in an area where you know you will get good coverage on your mobile.
2) Quiet as a Mouse
Being in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed is essential. The last thing you want is to be in a meeting room and to have people barge in on you or have your children scream at you for a drink if you are on the call at home. If you have popped out of your office to take the call while in work make sure you are not standing right beside traffic.
3) Good Posture
You would be amazed how much more confidently your voice comes across when sitting up straight compared to being slouched down in a chair. Just because the other person can’t see you is no excuse to relax your posture. Standing up can also work but be mindful that if it is quite a long call it might be advisable to have a chair close to hand.
4) Preparation is Still Key
Prepare technically, just the same as you would for a face to face interview. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that a telephone call is just a short pre-screening exercise and not prepare properly for it. It often happens that, even if the initial purpose of the interview is to screen you, it can flow into other areas so you need to be just as prepared as you would if you were attending a professional face to face interview.
5) PJ No, No
Even though the interviewer won’t be able to see you it will definitely affect how you come across and how you sound if you are doing an interview still in your pyjamas. So make sure you’re dressed, showered and fully awake before making the call.
6) Short & Sweet
It is important when answering questions to be as succinct as possible. Since you can’t see the person at the other end of the phone it can be difficult to gauge whether you have been speaking for too long or not. The best way to overcome this is to be as accurate as possible with your answers. If you feel that you have been speaking for a while and are losing your interviewers attention don’t be afraid to ask whether you are giving too much information or whether to keep going. It’s ok to ask.
7) Not Too Short
Also note that it is possible to be too short with your answers. Don’t be afraid to let your personality come through. I know this can be difficult over the phone but if your voice comes across as friendly the interviewer will feel more of an affinity towards you. Just try to avoid waffling.
8) Computer Friendly
One advantage of being on a telephone is that you can have access to information should it be required. For example, you can have the company’s website open on your pc/laptop and your CV with some bullet points laid out in front of you. Just make sure you don’t get too carried away reading what’s in front of you and either don’t hear what the interviewer is saying or have the dreaded ‘radio silence’ as you spend 10 seconds rooting around their site to find the answer because you hadn’t looked into it before the interview.
Hopefully you find these 8 tips helpful but I’d still like to hear about your best and worst telephone interview experiences?
