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Careers: Secrets to phone interview success

Secrets to phone interview success

By Michael R. Neece, CEO Interview Mastery

Phone interviews are frequently used by companies to save the company's time by pre-qualifying your interest and expertise. The following are some recommendations to ensure your next phone interview is successful for you.

Isolate Yourself
Phone interviews place you at a disadvantage because you only have one tool of communication, your voice. The interviewer's impression of you is shaped by all the sounds coming through the phone. Insulate yourself from distractions and background noises. Do not have your phone interview when you are surrounded by a lot of noise like an outdoor cafe at a busy intersection. If the call is on your cell phone make sure the caller can hear you clearly.

When the phone interviewer first contacts you, make sure it is comfortable for you to talk on the phone for at least 20 minutes. If it's not convenient, recommend scheduling another time for the call.

Schedule the Phone Interview
If you can not speak comfortably when the first call arrives, ask the interviewer if you could schedule a specific time for the phone interview. Be sure to define who will call who. It is recommended that you offer to call the company. This ensures you are fully prepared and in a situation where you can speak without interruptions. Schedule the phone interview just like you would any face-to-face interview.

Stand Up
During the call standup, walk around and smile. All these things make a big difference in the projection and quality of your voice.

What's Next
At the conclusion, ask the interviewer about next steps and timing of their hiring process.

Get Face-to-Face
If you are interested, ask for a face-to-face interview. Remember that your objective (during the phone interview) is to secure a face-to-face interview. You will be most effective discussing your background and assessing the company in a face-to-face meeting.

Prepare Your Responses
Phone interviews follow a similar pattern of questioning with the purpose of screening you out of consideration. Below is a list of questions most phone interviewers ask.

- Tell Me About Yourself.
- What do you know about our company?
- How did you learn about this position?
- What is our current (most recent salary)?
- What are your compensation requirements?
- Why are you looking for a new position?
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- Do you have any questions?

Questions You Ask
Questions are your primary tool of influence with an interviewer. Questions help you direct the conversation and assess if the company is right for you.