Phone Interview
Many hiring processes start with the phone interview as the first step to discuss the job opportunity and see if you may be a good fit for the role. It will be important to start off with a good impression and make sure you are very prepared for the interview.
Below are 5 tips to prepare for a phone interview:
Practice Makes Perfect
Although we talk on the phone frequently, it will be important for you to practice! As they always say – “practice makes perfect!” By allowing yourself to rehearse your answers, you will be able to notice any verbal issues you are doing such as speaking too fast or even too slow. As interviews face to face or on the phone can still bring out nerves, practice common interview questions and allow yourself to listen to how you are speaking. How is the volume of your voice? Are you saying “um”? Pair up with a friend or family member. Ask them to give you feedback. There is always room for improvement, so listen and use some time to practice.
Focus and make sure to avoid distractions
Make sure you choose a quiet place to take the interview, maybe a place that doesn’t have many distractions. It will be in your best interest to be fully focused on the phone. If you get distracted by something in your window, you may pause or say something you didn’t mean. Typically, a phone interview is the first step, so first impressions matter. You will not want the reason you didn’t move forward to be that you saw something running by your window.
Create a cheat sheet
During the interview you will want to have your resume in front of you as many interviewers will reference that in their questions. Another thing you will want to create is a mini cheat sheet of main points you want to remember to discuss and any questions you have of the interviewer. This can also be a form you may write on because questions could arise as you speak more to the interviewer. This will help you articulate the way you want to answer some of the questions and allow you to remember anything important you wanted to mention.
Take your time and listen
During the interview you want to make sure you take notes as sometimes it’s hard to remember everything you discussed. Take the time to listen to everything they are saying and take your time when you are speaking. Make sure to always remember to take a breath and speak.
Follow up
After you have completed the phone interview, you don’t want to forget to follow up. It is a great way to show your interest in the position. Plus, you can add anything you forget to mention in the phone interview.
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