Updated April 24, 2023
What is Phone Interview?
Whenever it comes to getting a new job, a phone interview is something that we all have to go through. Before all the walk-in interviews and before the final interview, and just after your resume has been selected, it is the telephonic interview that will make sure whether you get the following interview or not. So basically, a lot is riding on this one call. And for obvious reasons, you would want to ensure everything goes as planned. While most of you would think that a phone interview is easier than a personal interview because you don’t have to sit face-to-face with the interviewer, and hence you can escape the little fits of anxiety or nervousness. Well, then, in that case, you need to revisit your thoughts. A phone interview can be much more challenging than anticipated because you cannot see the interviewer and you cannot see his expressions and hence cannot judge whether he likes you or not. And the same goes around for you. He cannot see you and, therefore, cannot believe you or your personality or judge your confidence.
Tips for Phone Interview
Below are the 9 Important Phone Interview Tips to follow to be getting passed.
1. Know whether you can take the call when it comes
Well, most of the time, you can schedule your interview beforehand. So make sure that at the time of the interview, you are in a place where you are comfortable and you are not disturbed by anyone. You don’t want yourself to be distracted by the uncomfortable surroundings or some people asking you silly questions in the middle of the call. For obvious reasons, a distracted person can never put his best foot forward.
2. Keep the documents ready
Always keep your documents ready and at your disposal. This helps you answer the phone interview questions better, and of course, there will be no stammering trying to find the documents. Having a ready answer to the phone interview questions of the interviewer can put an excellent impression on the interviewer. But keep one thing in mind, don’t be too ready. Don’t try and fill the gaps or don’t try and complete the interviewer’s statements because that might not have as good a result as you expect. After all, excess of everything is terrible.
3. Be prepared for the phone interview questions
Keep yourself ready to answer the phone interview questions commonly asked in an interview, like telling us about yourself, why you want this job or why you want to work with this company, or whether you are equipped enough to handle the pressure that the job might put on you. If you think the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers will keep you sorted, I must clarify that thought.
4. Smile, even if you are on a phone
We often don’t pay enough credit to the smile on our faces, but it can do wonders when you are smiling. And not only for a personal interview but also for a phone interview. It will make you sound much more upbeat and a much more enthusiastic person. So smile when you are giving an interview. You can adopt this little trick to make sure that you smile while you are in an interview. Place a small mirror near you and look into it and smile. You can always include this trick in your preparation session so that you can get used to the idea of smiling in the mirror. A simple smile can put a great impression on the interviewer and increase your chances of getting another interview. Just make sure that the interviewer can ‘hear’ your smile.
5. Direct your interviewer to your web portfolio, if any
If you have a LinkedIn profile or any other web portfolio, for that matter of fact, direct your interviewer to that portfolio. For one, it will tell the interviewer about your professional capacity. Secondly, it will make it easier for the interviewer to judge you as that portfolio will give them in-depth details about all the web projects you have undertaken and how well you performed in them. And there is an added advantage to you. Imagine an interviewer asking you about your projects, and you explain it to them verbally. In another case, you ask the interviewer to look at the outline of critical tasks.
6. Take extra care of your language and voice in the phone interview
It will not take an Einstein to guess your voice is paramount in a phone interview. Hence speak clearly in the discussion. Try not to fumble or ramble. Keep your spirits high, and try to sound motivated and enthusiastic. Prepare yourself, hear some mock interviews over the internet, and try and talk in front of the mirror. Practice modulating the tone and the manner of your speaking to be able to make a good impression. Also, not just your style but also the words or the expressions that you use can make a huge difference. So try and use good words. Do not try and put anybody down. I repeat, do not try and put anybody down. There is nothing worse than you could do. After all, it all comes down to your chosen words or how enthusiastic you may sound, which will determine your impression. You don’t have anything else to represent yourself by. So take extra care and be prepared.
7. Keep the selfish phone interview questions for later
No matter how badly you want to know the benefits that you might get, there is a better time for you to ask them. You are just trying to sell yourself and your capabilities and talent to the interviewer. And if you ask about the pay you might get or the extra benefits that the company might give you, then it will just mean you are not trying to be the best for the company but looking for what it has for you. Just put off these phone interview questions about the salary and the extra benefits until you are sure that you are the one the company will hire. Trying to ask these questions at this stage is not recommended because, at this stage, there are numerous other applicants that the company has to choose from. So right now, try and make sure that you are the one that the company chooses. You will have plenty of opportunities to ask these questions later on. Now it is wrong to ask these phone interview questions.
8. Don’t forget to take the contact information
You can sense that your interview is ending, but the interviewer has made no move to schedule the following consultation. So in this situation, you can ask for the contact information and the next step. This will help you sound enthusiastic about working with the company. Just try and casually ask, “So when should I expect a call from you next?” or “So where should I call and ask about the next interview?” asking these phone interview questions can have a dual advantage, one that the interviewer will get an impression that you are enthusiastic about working with them. You want this job which will be a good thing for you. Secondly, the answer that the interviewer gives will let you know how well you did do in your interview so you will know whether to expect a call back from them or not. But try not to be too pushy. Try not to come across as someone lining all their hopes on this one job, no matter if that is your situation. Being too desperate for a job is not suitable for you. So hold the middle ground.
9. End an interview with a friendly gesture
Well, now the interview is over, and all that could be said has been said, and you have made your impression in the interviewer’s mind. But one last thing, the final nail in the coffin is still left. Just take some time out and thank the person for the interview. This will put you in a better position than the other applicants. Just write a thank you note and mail it to the interviewer on the mode of communication you have used all this while. And take this opportunity to emphasize the job position and the company and tell them how you would be delighted to have the job and how you would do your best to live up to the company’s standards. But again, don’t try and be to flattery.
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