Tips for Answering Phone Interview Questions
From 3arf
Job interviews can be nerve racking and scary at times. Telephone interviews can actually be a little more scary because you cannot see the interviewer's facial expressions or body language. Those two things can speak volumes about what a person is thinking and how they are reacting to what you say and you in general. There are some key things to keep in mind when answering questions during aphone interview:
- Speak up. You may be nervous or even a little scared, but do your best to speak in a clear and audible tone. You do not want to mumble during the interview. Speaking up and speaking clearly gives the interviewer the impression you have some self-confidence. Another reason you want to speak up and clearly is so that you do appear like you are trying to avoid answering a question.
- Keep answers brief, but complete. Avoid rambling or saying things that are not relevant to the questions being put to you. The interviewer does not want to know your entire life story during the phone interview. On the other hand, you do not want to give one word, choppy answers either. If they ask about your previous job, you should not answer "boring" and end it there. That is not a complete and decent answer to such an important question.
- Do not try to anticipate questions. It is not a good idea to try and think ahead of the interviewer and assume you know what they will ask you next. Answer each question they ask and then wait for them to continue. You will not win any brownie points by being able to anticipate what they are going to say, in fact you can come across as being a "know it all".
- Do not volunteer information. There is nothing wrong with showing that you can take initiative, but a time-constricted phone interview, may not be the best situation to do so. Once again, wait for the interviewer to ask you questions. There is a good chance that by volunteering information you think they will want to know, you will actually make yourself look desperate.
- Answer honestly. Do not embellish your answers to make yourself sound better. You might think that building yourself up a little will increase your chances of getting the job, and it might actually work. What happens if you get the job, and then prove that you are not as good as you said you were in a certain area? What happens if you end up making a serious mistake and cost the company money? The answer to both questions is short and simple: no more job. Employers want to hire people they can trust and little embellishments are still lies that can hurt you in the long run. Just be honest from the onset.
Phone interviews are, in some ways, more revealing than an interview conducted face to face. Employers can tell a lot about you just by the way you conduct yourself on the phone. They can hear your professional voice, your language and your manners. In short, be honest, speak up (not yell) and be brief in your answers.
