phone interview
Many employers like to begin the interview process with a telephone interview. The telephone interview is an excellent opportunity for you to get more information regarding the company and job opening, without investing a lot of time. It's also an excellent opportunity for the employer to uncover your job skills and abilities without investing a lot of time.It's critical that you establish superior telephone interviewing skills because it's the only way to advance to the next step in the interview process which is likely an in person interview.So follow these tips for a successful telephone interview:1. Have your resume in front of you. The employer will be looking at your resume. Have your resume in front of you so that you can easily discuss the information on the resume. Many times candidates think that they can discuss their background without looking at their resume. They're wrong. The employer may ask you to verify a date that you put on the resume. For a seamless response, have that and other important information in front of you.2. Stand Up. You don't want to sound dry over the phone. It will bore your interviewer and they might want to end the discussion early. So keep your energy and focus high. Stand up!3. Make sure you have at least an hour of uninterrupted time. The last thing you want is for your child to walk in or another phone to ring. It's unprofessional. So make sure you are in a quiet place without interruption.4. Research the company and the interviewer prior to your interview. Many times the first question out of the employer's mouth is "What do you know about my company?" If you can't answer that question, the interview is likely to end the conversation. Knowing something about the interviewer will help you come up with good questions to ask, and give you an indication of who is conducting the interview.5. Smile. Ever heard the saying "you can feel the person smiling at you over the phone?" Well you can. So smile! If you were meeting face to face, you would smile. So, smile on the telephone too.6. Are you nervous? Does this article make you nervous? If so, do some jumping jacks prior to your interview. Jumping Jacks release nerves, will calm you down and help to take the quiver out of your voice. You want to sound confident and focused. Do as many jumping jacks as you need to accomplish the goal of sounding confident7. Have questions prepared. Take notes as the interviewer is talking. I rarely call someone in for a second interview that doesn't have questions regarding me, the company or the position. Questions indicate that you have good active listening skills. It also shows preparedness. Make sure to have 3-5 questions prepared.Caution: If one of your prepared questions was already answered don't re ask the question. You will appear to be a poor listener.8. Use the interviewer's last name. Preferably call the interviewer by their last name. It is respectful to call someone by their last name. Start with that and if the interviewer gives you permission to call them by their first name, then do so. Good manners go a long way.9. Close the interview by asking for an in person meeting. Use statements like: "I enjoyed our meeting today. Can we continue the discussion by meeting in person next week?" Always close the interview by requesting a second meeting. Even if you are not sure the job is the right match. In a challenging job market you have to put activity on your side. The more interviews you have, the more job offers you are likely to receive.10. Send a thank you letter. If you have the interviewer's email address, email a thank you letter. If not, mail one the same day.Bonus Tips:Actively Listen. Resist thinking about how you are going to answer the question while the interviewer is talking. Active listening, a skill that requires practice, so practice active listening. Actively listening means that you are purposely listening to every word. You are not thinking about your next response or about your errands.Restate. To confirm that you are actively listening, restate. For example:
Interviewer- John, you stated on your resume that you have delivered presentations in front of large groups. Can you elaborate?
Candidate- "Yes Mr. Jones, I am happy to elaborate on my public speaking background"Give your answer and then at the end ask: "Did that answer your question?"Ask follow up questions: After confirming if you answered the question to the interviewer's satisfaction, ask a follow up question.Continuing with the example: "Does this position require group presentations? If so, can you tell me about that?"Follow these tips and you will ace your telephone interview! Find details at phone interview