So you have a great updated resume that has captured the employer’s attention. And you have scheduled a pre-screening phone interview, which is your entry pass to the next level.
You might think – Are there any quick tips on acing your next phone interview?
A job seeker can ace Phone Interviews by first taking phone interviews seriously. Other tips are researching the company, finding a quiet location for interviews, listening carefully to the interviewer when they are talking, staying calm, and speaking slowly and clearly. Finally, prepare for common interview questions and create a cheat sheet of questions to ask the interviewer.
Due to the vast number of job applications, employers usually schedule a preliminary phone interview to pre-screen candidates before going for the face-to-face or final interview.
Acing the phone interview is crucial to getting to the final phase and grabbing that job offer.
In this article, let’s go through the top tips that can help you repeatedly nail your phone interviews.
Take Phone Interviews Seriously – It’s Not a Casual Chat
Phone interviews are usually used as a filter process because employers try pre-screening and shortlisting the best candidates for the final face-to-face interview.
It’s not a casual chat; treat this as an actual interview and prepare accordingly. Remember, you worked tirelessly to update your resume, which got you this interview.
A phone interview is your first opportunity to show your skills to the hiring manager and demonstrate the value you could bring to the organization.
The first step is good preparation. Going into an interview without proper preparation is not a good idea.
At the end of the interview, it sucks to feel that you could have performed well only if you’d prepared well. And on the other hand, if you know that you’ve prepared well and performed to the best of your capability, it feels so satisfying, no matter the final results.
Phone Interviews are critical interviews and should be taken seriously. Prepare well, as you would prepare for your final interview.
Research the Company Before Your Phone Interview
Always research the company before attending any job interview – this puts you at ease and reduces stress and anxiety. Your knowledge of the company comes in handy during interview discussions.
Listed below are the various methods you could use to research your prospective company:
- Go to the company website – Get a general overview and vision of the company.
- Take note of whether the company is a start-up or an established business.
- Research on revenue-generating sources of the company – What are the primary products they sell and services they offer? The interviewer usually wants to know why you want to work for them.
- What are the immediate concerns of the company, and imagine how you could provide value to help? Remember, interviewers constantly try to find out how you could help them.
- Read through the latest news relevant to the organization.
- Find out who their major competitors are.
- Is the company undertaking any major projects? For example – any significant acquisitions, mergers, etc., to beat their competition? Is that why they hire people who could help execute the projects?
The research process takes time – ensure you allocate sufficient time to research and get adequate answers. It’s ok not to complete research in one sitting, and it’s normal to take a few days to complete your company research.
Imagine how your skills and experience could provide value to the company and help achieve its targets and vision.
Sufficiently researching the company before your phone interview puts you at ease, and reduces your stress and anxiety
Find A Quiet Location With No Distractions, For Your Phone Interview
Ensure you take the phone interview from a quiet location without distractions or background noise.
Throughout the interview, you don’t want to keep saying, “Sorry, what did you say” or “Can you hear me.” It’s just a bad experience and takes the focus out of what could otherwise have been a great conversation.
Also, ensure the network connectivity is good; you don’t want the phone interview to end abruptly due to a poor network. That, unfortunately, would be a lost opportunity.
Sometimes, even if you take all the necessary precautions above, it’s still possible that things might not go exactly as planned – after all, it’s technology beyond your control.
So in cases where there’s slight disturbance and the conversation is unclear, try rephrasing the question and asking the interviewer if that’s what they’re looking for, rather than repeating the entire question.
And if the network is terrible, and you can’t hear anything, say, “I’m so sorry, but I can’t hear you, so I’m going to send you an email right now.” Then hang up, send a follow-up email explaining the circumstances, and request to reschedule the interview.
Do your best possible to find a quiet location with no distractions. But, if network connectivity fails you on that day, do not panic and politely ask to reschedule for a later slot.
Listen Carefully To The Interviewer During Telephonic Job Interview
Allow the interviewer to take the lead – do not try to take control or cut the interviewer. Let them take the lead and drive the conversation. Listen intently, and speak when it’s your turn.
If you have a natural tendency to think about something else or try to frame your answers when the interviewer is talking, you could miss the crux of the question being asked to you. It’s a bit frustrating for the interviewer to repeat the question repeatedly.
Pay full attention and practice active listening. Keep your mind entirely focused – no multitasking and no thinking in advance about the answers you will say.
Also, be sure to smile when you’re answering. Even if the interviewer can’t see you, your smile will come across in the tone of your voice as lively and vibrant.
During telephonic job interviews, listen intently to the interviewer and speak when it’s your turn.
Slow Down, Stay Calm, and Talk Slowly And Clearly During Your Phone Interview
Make sure you slow down and take your time while responding to interview questions. It’s ok to pause and think before you answer the question.
For example, when the interviewer asks you, “Tell me a time when you had to overcome a difficult situation while executing a project,” take a few seconds to think through what you’ll say and how you’ll structure your answer.
Take your time to think before answering questions; this creates a natural pause, and you should talk slowly and clearly. This gives you ample time to structure your answer while you talk. Don’t rush your responses; this projects confidence.
Slow down and take your time while responding to interview questions. Talk slowly and clearly.
Prepare and Practice Well for Standard Interview Questions
99% of interviewers ask standard and general interview questions. Be prepared with answers to these questions. You don’t have to remember a scripted response, but thinking it through in advance and developing a skeleton structure helps.
Some of the common questions that you have to prepare for in advance are listed below:
- Can you tell me about yourself and describe your background in brief?
- Describe your current job responsibilities.
- What about this position attracted you to apply?
- Why are you leaving your current employer?
- Why do you want to work here?
- Can you tell me more about _____ (the interviewer might ask something specific from your resume)?
Remember to prepare your answers in advance before you attend an interview.
Prepare and practice well before the interview, primarily the standard interview questions and your resume-specific experience and skills.
Create a Cheat Sheet Before Your Telephonic Interview
Prepare a cheat sheet for the standard interview questions with bullet points on significant points you want to tell the interviewer.
The advantage of phone interviews is that the interviewers cannot see you. Take advantage of this.
Have this cheat sheet in front of you during the interview. You can refer to this cheat sheet while you answer the common interview questions.
Before your telephonic interview, create a bulleted cheat sheet for answering the common interview questions.
Prepare a List of Questions To Ask At The End Of The Interview
Towards the end of the interview, you will get an opportunity to ask questions to the interviewer. Be ready with at least one question to ask the panel.
Asking relevant and sensible questions shows you’re serious about the position and excited about working with that company.
Not having a question to ask could hurt your chances of getting that job offer, even if the interview went well.
The best approach is to prepare a few questions in advance, and depending on how the interview conversation goes, select one question from your list and ask them.
Be ready with a collection of relevant and sensible questions to ask the interviewer towards the end of your interview.
Final Thoughts
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
Abraham Lincoln
Preparation and practice is the key to success in any interview.
Do give phone interviews all seriousness as a regular face-to-face interview. Proper preparation will ensure you perform well, clear the screening process to get to the next level, and finally grab that job offer.
All the best!
