You’ve made it past phase one, the cover letter and resume submission.  Now it’s time for the phone interview.  More and more employers are questioning potential employees over the phone to cut costs and help weed out candidates.  Use this opportunity to shine and earn face-face time with the employer.

Avoid these simple (and common) phone interview blunders:

1. Do not stammer or use excessive slang. Uh, um, and like are horrible fillers in speech.  It is better to pause momentarily to collect thoughts than it is to explain that you were the, uh, like, uh head, uh cashier.  Practice answering potential questions with a friend or family member to help weed out these unnecessary (and unprofessional) words.
2. Do not reply in all yes’s and no’s. Answer with some personal experiences that are relevant to the job in question.  Yes/no answers do not help sell your personal brand to the interviewer.
3. Do not lose focus. Remember this is an interview, not an exposé.  Keep answers pithy and to the point.  Go to an area where there will be limited distractions and both people can hear each other clearly.
4. Do not volunteer information. This is hopefully a preliminary interview, so there’s no need to commit to a salary requirement at this point.  The salary the company is prepared to offer may be higher than what was expected, or, likewise, your requirements may be a bit more than they can afford.
5. Do not just roll out of bed. Since the caller cannot see you, it is tempting to appear disheveled.  Getting up early, eating a good breakfast, showering, and dressing (does not have to be business attire) will relieve stress and make you more prepared and alert.
6. Do not be a robot. Show the interviewer that you are excited about the position with specific references to what is fascinating about the company.  The energy and excitement will be apparent in your voice.  Have an upbeat, positive attitude, and smile.  It is surprising how much one can hear the change in a person’s voice when he or she smiles.
7. Do not wing it. Prepare ahead of time with some traditional questions and have your resume and the job description handy as well as any additional information about the company.  Have a list of your attributes with situational examples that would be considered important for this job.  Write down important questions that you have for the interviewer beforehand (focus on learning more about the specifics of the job, money can be discussed in person).
8. Do not have a hurried interview. When you are already running late for a meeting at your current job, or are dashing to pick up Jimmy and Janie from school is not the time to interview.  While one would ideally be in a quiet setting with no other pressing engagements when the potential employer phones, sometimes it’s just not possible.  Politely ask if it would be alright for you to call him or her back later and suggest a time (the sooner, the better).
9. Do not forget to thank the interviewer. After working diligently to answer questions, showing passion for the company and job offered, and standing up and smiling at someone who cannot even see your face, do not blow the interview in the last five minutes.  Be certain to leave a positive final impression.  Thank the caller and state that you are eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to discuss the position with him or her further face-face.

Relax and don’t let the idea of a phone interview overwhelm you.  Remember that the employer was once in the same position.  It may even help to have a short list handy of things that need to be discussed.  Most importantly, stay confident and be prepared.  Keep these tips in mind, take a deep breath, and ace the interview.

Bethany Stringer is a graduate of Texas A&M University (class of ‘08) and has her B.A. in English Literature with minors in History and Psychology.  Writing her first story at the age of 5 (with help from Mom), Bethany still enjoys writing and researching about everything from business and history to travel and fiction.  Enamored with languages, she plans to teach English in Russia in 2010 as a CELTA certified teacher.  She owned her own business working horses when she was 17, and still loves riding her horse Romeo.  Always appreciating a challenge, she loves sea kayaking and prefers Rachmaninov to Bach.

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Companies are global in today’s market place.  Businesses have operations all around the world and are also looking beyond their geographic limitations to find good help to make them grow.  Years ago, as the economy boomed, the companies were more willing to fly an applicant down to an office to do an interview but with the constant cost cutting that is being seen throughout the world, this is no longer a cost effective solution.

To compensate for this more and more companies are turning to phone job interviews rather than in person interviews.

The way you prepare for phone job interviews is drastically different than the way you would for in person interviews.

Here are some quick tips and pointers as you pull together material for phone job interviews.

• Know the time and place to call: Too many times phone job interviews are missed because one of the parties has a miscommunication of where the call is going to be held and who will initiate it. It gets much more complex when you start to throw in multiple time zones. Make sure everyone understands how to get on the call. Have a backup ready in case your phone dies.
• Get a headset: You should have your hands free at all times on a phone job interview. You should be taking notes, you should be able to look up stuff online. This is a lot easier if you don’t have to worry about dropping a phone.
• Silence is golden: This Is not relating to how you should speak! You need to speak up but you also need to have the call in a quiet place. Put a sign on your door, and let your friends know that you will not be free at that time.
• Take notes: It is important to always take notes during an interview session so that you have a good recollection of what happened on the call but don’t spend so much time taking notes that you lose the meaning of what is being said. Remember these questions are about you and you don’t want to have to catch up taking notes to answer a question.
• Prepare some notes: You should have a copy of all of the material you have sent the company before phone job interviews. You need to be able to talk about his material. It is also not a bad idea to have some sample questions that you think you will be asked with some good answers already drawn up in advance so you can answer challenging questions without stumbling.
• Listen: While you do not have the ability to see facial expressions if you listen to the direction of the question and the way questions are being asked you can get a better feel for what the interviewer likes and dislikes.
• Read the news: This is something you should do for all interviews but I find it especially important to do before a phone interview. Know what is going on in your field within the past month.
• Practice: I cannot stress this enough. Phone job interviews are different than regular interviews. You need to practice answering questions on the phone, you have to learn to slow down and be able to breathe.
• Follow up: More than ever with a phone job interview you have to send some type of follow up note. These notes will help you solidify a position in the minds of the interviewer. Most likely they are interviewing a variety of applicants very quickly and they will eventually end up running together in the interviewers mind.

Phone job interviews are becoming more common place.  They are seen by too many as being scary when in reality they can be easy and more comfortable.  You have the ability to be in a comfortable setting and you have more resources at your fingertips.

Take advantage of what you have access to and let it work in your favor.

Author: RJ Sherman

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