How to Do Well on a Telephone Interview

Telephone interviews can be just as trying as an in-person interview– but how do you sound and act your finest over the telephone? Reader J just had her very first phone interview, and questions if she can do better, so we believed we ‘d discuss Ladies, what are your ideas on how to do well in a telephone interview?

Here’s J’s question:

I had my first telephone interview recently (formerly, I’ve talked to for summertime positions, and taken part I in OCIs and other much more structured employing processes and only had in-person interviews) and I wasn’t sure what to expect and how to prepare. I looked through your posts on speaking with, but didn’t find anything dedicated to speaking about telephone interviews. I think it might be an useful subject to go over (and get the hive’s input on)– in specific, how to know what type of telephone interview to anticipate (the check-she’s- not-crazy with a low-level recruiter/firm HR individual, the check-she’s- qualified with higher-level recruiter/firm working with committee individual, and the we-don’ t-want-to-fly-you-across-the-country-for-an-in-person-interview-yet with the employer), how to prepare for various telephone interviews, and any telephone interview rules or pointers.

Intriguing! I believe increasingly more business are doing phone interviews as an initial action, so we must absolutely discuss them. (We have actually spoken about Skype interviews , however those makeup tips appear a bit … irrelevant for a phone interview.) Here are my ideas, but I’m curious what the readers have to state. associated: video interview suggestions for your online task interview Treat this as a gatekeeper interview.

Reader J seems to desire to suss out how crucial the person on the other end of the phone is, maybe so she knows how seriously to take the call. If you work in a niche with special jargon, go ahead and utilize the lingo– I think you can presume that the interviewer will be familiar with it, and if not, you’ll figure it out pretty quickly. Is a dealbreaker for you, ask it on this call; if the recruiter can’t answer it ask for a follow-up call.

Clear your calendar, and go to a very quiet place. If you’re not particularly told how much time to expect, I would clear 60 or 90 minutes of your time. Go to an extremely peaceful location– your workplace, a conference space, your home.

Lower your voice … This might be simply my personal cross to bear, but I have a relatively high-pitched, breathy voice over the phone unless I’m consciously believing to myself, lower your voice. (I’m that person who records my outgoing voice message 15 times trying to get the message and the pitch correctly).

Smile. Nope, they can’t see you– however I ensure they’ll hear it in your voice. Plus, you’ll sound more confident.

Clear your desk and have your resume and a clear notepad in front of you..When I’m on an essential phone call– mostly simply to help me focus and to keep me from messing on the computer, I like to take notes. Some people do advise meaning telephone interviews.

Know everything. Know your resume and any forgettable realities from your work history (metrics, jargon, dates, promos, etc). If you can, know the job interviewer (Google as soon as you find out their name, or go to their page on the company site).

Readers, what are your best pointers for how to do well for a telephone interview? Have you had more of them over the last few years?

I had my first telephone interview last week (previously, I have actually spoken with for summer positions, and taken part I in OCIs and other much more structured employing processes and only had in-person interviews) and I wasn’t sure what to anticipate and how to prepare. I looked through your posts on speaking with, however didn’t find anything devoted to talking about telephone interviews. I think it may be a helpful topic to discuss (and get the hive’s input on)– in specific, how to understand what kind of telephone interview to expect (the check-she’s- not-crazy with a low-level recruiter/firm HR person, the check-she’s- certified with higher-level recruiter/firm working with committee person, and the we-don’ t-want-to-fly-you-across-the-country-for-an-in-person-interview-yet with the company), how to prepare for different telephone interviews, and any telephone interview etiquette or ideas.