During a career transition, your phone plays a significant part of your search in helping you quickly respond to potential employers. Your phone can be seen as either a friend or foe when it comes to receiving unexpected calls that often determine the next steps in your career. Phone interviews are an important part of the job search process and taking them lightly could hurt your chances of a face-to-face meeting.
When you are in an active job search it pays to plan for the unexpected such as a phone interview when you least expect it. Just ask the candidate who was shopping for groceries when his phone rang, without recognizing the number and coupled with the rush of adrenaline that it could be the employer he had been chasing for weeks, he went ahead and answered the call.
Sure enough, it was the employer and he found himself between the grocery aisles trying to carry on a conversation about the job description and giving an overview of his employment history in a discreet manner. The call ended in a positive way in spite of his feeling awkward about taking it.
A phone interview can be highly stressful if you answer the call unprepared, and even though fear of missing an employer can dictate your decision, you could be putting your chances of being a viable candidate at risk.
The secret to having a great phone interview is being prepared and having enough confidence to reschedule if you are caught off-guard, interviewers will appreciate your honesty in wanting to have a meaningful discussion.
Here are some tips to help you have a great phone interview:
• Keep in mind that being invited for an interview is really a compliment to you – it means the employer sees something in your background that could add value to their needs. Take all the questions seriously and focus on building good rapport.
• If the interview jitters attack, take a deep breath and remember to smile. Focus on what the interviewer is saying versus on how you are feeling.
• Always be honest with your answers and why you are interested in the job. There can be a fine line between flattery and sincerity when interviewing.
• Stand up when talking, if you need to give your voice a lift. Standing can often give you more energy and an enthusiastic voice will sound better on the phone versus answering questions in a monotone style.
• Keep the employer’s information or website in front of you for reference if needed as well as your resume. Highlight key skills in the job description combine them with your accomplishments when asked job related questions.
• Develop good questions you want to ask about the job, interviewers often make decisions on candidates based on the type of questions they ask. A phone interview provides you easy access to your questions.
• Be prepared for the salary questions. It will be to your advantage to delay an in-depth discussion about compensation until you have more information about the opportunity. If pressed for an answer, you could give a range or number, but let them know you are open to discussing it further during the process.
• Reduce your stress by planning ahead for the interview question you dread the most. Whether it’s why you left your last job to being fired, prepare your answer in advance by writing it down. Questions that provoke anxiety can lead to emotional reactions. Your job is to stay neutral by using factually based information in a brief way.
What has been your experience with phone interviews?
