Preparing for a Telephone Interview
Posted in Phone Interviews
The best way to create a good impression during phone interviews is by being confident in answering the questions. Make sure that you prepare yourself in answering the most common questions. What are other things that you should be prepared in conducting a phone interview? Here are our phone interview tips to create major impressions on you.
Practice - Talking on the phone, as well as talking on an interview, is not easy as it seems. Try having your friend do a mock interview on you while you record yourself through an audio tape. Play it back after the interview and take note for some awkward silent moments, the "uhms" and the "okays" (which should be "Yes, Sir/ Ma'am"). Practice reducing your errors by applying them in your conversational speech.
Don't do anything else while on a phone interview - Never smoke, chew gum, eat, prepare lunch, watch TV, or talk to other people while in a phone interview. Not only you lose your focus, but it would also annoy the recruiter.
Keep a glass of water handy - Drink a little amount of water in between questions, just in case you need to wet your mouth after answering.
Smile while answering - Smiling would project a positive image to the listener. It would even change the tone of your voice into something pleasant.
Speak slowly and clearly - It is best that your caller understands everything you say. Remember to pause in between sentences and phrases, as well as saying the words with the correct pronunciation.
Take your time before answering - Let's not pretend to be some science whiz kid who can answer everything in a flash. It's pretty okay to take a second or two to collect your thoughts before answering.
Go for short answers - You don't have to explain everything. In fact, giving the most brief answer provides the recruiter the gist of what you want to say, as well as it saves time.
Express gratitude after the interview - It is good manners that you say "thank you" to the caller after you conducted your interview. It shows your interest to the job and provides additional "good points" to them.
Ask if a face-to-face interview is possible - Remember that this is the main goal in a phone interview. If the recruiter does not provide information right away, then leave you job options open while at the same time waiting for a call back until two weeks.
