How to Succeed at Telephone Interviews
Telephone interviews are becoming an increasingly common part of the recruitment process. Although unlikely to be the only form of selection, telephone interviews are often used by employers to canvass a reasonable number of candidates before narrowing the face-to-face interviews down to a smaller number. This is good for candidates, who might be able to impress potential employers without even leaving home and it’s also brutally efficient for recruiters who can speak to far more candidates in one day.
As an introduction to a potential employer, telephone interviews are just as important as a face-to-face interview. In many ways, they can actually be a little harder, because you have to rely so much more on what you say and how you say it but like anything else, there are important steps to follow if you want to maximize your chances of success.
Ensure you have the right environment
If at all possible, ensure you arrange for the interviewer to call you on a landline. Your cell phone may lose signal or power and the last thing you want is to be cut off. If you do have to use a cell phone, ensure that it’s fully charged and that you are somewhere that offers a full, uninterrupted signal. Ensure that you are in a quiet room, where there will be no background noise. If at home, ensure that nobody comes into the room whilst you are on the call. A hands-free handset is best as you are unrestricted by cables but observe the issue of battery power and signal. Find a comfortable seat, make sure you have plenty of water and that you are able to fully relax in preparation for your call.
Assemble your tools
The advantage of a telephone interview is that the interviewer can’t see you, so you can refer to material that you wouldn’t be able to see in a face-to-face interview. Have a printed copy of your resume to hand, ideally highlighted and annotated with key words and phrases you want to bring out. Some people find ‘cue cards’ very useful, with prompts for technical information you may need to offer. The key stages of a project, for example, could be listed in front of you or possibly some of the principles of good communication. You should tailor this according to the role but you can refer to them during the interview as a mental prompt. Always have a pen and paper ready - and a spare pen in case the first one runs out.
Your voice is critical
Make sure you hold the handset in the right position. You don’t want to lose volume but neither do you want to muffle what you are saying. Be aware that very often, if you talk for a long period of time, you tend to move the handset further away from your face. Try and punctuate what you are saying with questions or prompts to the interviewer so that you can gauge whether you are talking too much. Speak slowly and clearly. It’s often useful to assume the other person is non-English speaking as this encourages you to annunciate your words clearly and you tend not to speak too quickly. Don’t be frightened to pause and take a sip of water. You’ll be surprised how dry your throat gets and this is also a useful way to gather your thoughts.
Listening is just as important
It is vital that you answer the questions that you are asked, not the questions you think you heard. Listen very carefully to the interviewer. You might want to scribble notes as he/she speaks so that you can refer back to them whilst answering. It’s easy to go off the topic and you should aim to very effectively and articulately answer all the questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarity. You may have misheard the interviewer, for example, and recruiters will be more tolerant to repeating themselves in this environment.
Bring out your personality
As the recruiter can’t see you, you won’t be able to use body language to connect with him/her. You lose the benefits of eye contact and using your hands to express what you are saying. Ensure, therefore, that your voice is animated and that you bring energy and enthusiasm into what you say. Many candidates find it useful to walk around the room whilst they talk as this injects more life into what they’re saying. Don’t be reluctant to use a little humour or to interact more personably with the interviewer. You want to demonstrate that you can communicate easily with anyone you need to.
Candidates often fail telephone interviews because they simply haven’t spent enough time preparing beforehand. It’s important to take telephone interviews seriously and remember that some of the dynamics of a face-to-face discussion are absent. Controlled properly, however, telephone interviews should easily provide you with an opportunity to sell your brand and hopefully progress to the next stage.
