Phone Interview Tips
Many employers are turning towards phone interviewing before a formal tête-à-tête with candidates. This helps them to filter the eligible candidates from a large pool of applicants. Phone interviewing is an option that outweighs the cost incurred by the company during the recruitment process. Phone interviews aid the employers in reviewing their potential employee. However, it gives you an idea about what to expect during the actual interview.
To do well in your phone interview means securing a date for a formal face-to-face interview with the employer. Following are the tips to ace your phone interview.
Tips to Prepare for the phone interview:
- A major advantage of a phone interview is that you do not have to face your employer. Thus, while answering, keep your resume and your notes in front of you and use them as ready reckoner.
- Keep a pen and a paper to take down notes while speaking to the interviewer.
- Select a place which can provide you absolute privacy with zero disturbance. Any kind of background noise is bound to distract you and divert your attention.
- Unless absolutely sure that your cell phone will not give in to network congestions or static, use the telephone for your interview.
- To avoid being frequently disturbed, turn off the call-waiting facility.
Tips to follow during the phone interview :
- If the time isn't convenient for an interview, politely request for a reschedule and suggest a suitable time.
- Do not forget your basic etiquettes. Greet your interviewer with a smile on your face. Even if the person at the other end cannot see you, he can easily hear you smile and guess your expressions.
- Use 'Mr.' or 'Miss.' along with their last name to refer to your interviewer. Do not call them by their first name unless they expressly ask you to.
- Listen to your interviewer carefully. Let him/her complete the question and only then answer. You may take some time to reflect before answering. It is better to think first than rush and spoil your reply.
- Out of anxiety, candidates tend to speak fast or at a high pitch. Speak slowly and maintain an equal tone. Do not get too excited; it becomes difficult for the interviewer to understand.
- Phone interviews usually go on for 15-30 minutes. Keep a glass of water near you to avoid running a dry mouth during the interview.
- Wrap your conversation with an optimistic note. If you think the job is worth taking up, communicate your genuine interest in working for that organization.
- Lastly, do not forget to thank your interviewer for the opportunity.
Your overall performance, right from the introduction to closing the interview, will be reviewed by the interviewer. This 30 minutes talk with the interviewer decides whether you have succeeded to set a date for the formal interview.
