Preparing for a phone interview is a mental exercise, and something that takes a little common sense. It is the second impression that you will make on a hiring decision maker – the first impression was obviously already made by your resume and cover letter, and must have been positive, or you would not have this interview appointment. That being the case, it is worth while to prepare for it and be ready to put your best foot forward.
Follow these 10 steps for success:
1. Do your homework on the company before your phone interview
Do a search on the Internet using Yahoo, Google, Bing (MSN) or any of the major search engines. Look them up in an online database like Dun and Bradstreet or InfoUSA.
If you don’t have easy access to these online tools, go to your local library and tell the reference librarian what you are doing. She will be glad to provide you with information sources that will help you seem knowledgeable when having your phone interview.
2. Get yourself mentally prepared – rehearse
Practice in front of the mirror, or with a friend or your spouse listening to you, asking questions and playing the part of the interviewer. Make a list of questions you expect the interviewer to ask and have good answers prepared, but have them on the top of your head in general and not memorized. Memorized answers can sound canned and not real, and will not help you. You need to appear genuine and real. Be yourself, and be comfortable. Mock trials help lawyers, and rehearsals help musicians. It only makes sense that a practice interview will help an interviewee.
3. Have a good quality telephone
It may seem silly to even mention it, but the better quality phone you use, the better your voice will sound. Years ago everyone rented his or her telephones from the local utility phone company. These days people own their own phones, and while many people use good quality phones, many use the ten and fifteen-dollar phones they’ve found in the local dollar store or discount mart. Those phones are fine for talking to your friends, but for business use make a good business impression, and use a good phone. Add this tip to the mix as well: use a landline with a cord, and not a cell phone or cordless phone. Dead batteries, crackling sounds, bad cell sites, and weather interference can make you sound bad at the other end, and you may not even know it. When doing your phone interview you want to be clear and make a good impression. Take this tip to heart and use a good quality landline.
4. Prepare and practice two or three ideas that you want to get across to the interviewer as to why you are the right person for this job
If you are having trouble thinking of ideas, read your resume again. Look for the key points, qualifications or accomplishments you have written, and be ready to discuss them. It is also a good idea to have your planner/calendar with you in anticipation of setting up future appointments.
5. Think of what you can do for the company
The hiring manager really doesn’t care why you would like the job; she cares about how you can help her company, if you are hired.
6. On the morning of the interview get dressed
Wear the same clothes when you are on the phone that you would wear if you were in front of the interviewer in person. Dress for success and your attitude will reflect it. Dress in your pajamas or an old sweat shirt and your attitude may reflect that as well.
7. Smile
Smiles are contagious, even if they can’t be seen. Good salesmen know this and practice smiling on the phone. There is something in your voice and attitude that is conveyed when you smile, and the person on the other end of the phone can sense it. There is truth in the old saying, ‘Smile and the world smiles with you.’ It is basic human nature.
8. Speak clearly and enunciate
Use a good quality phone, a land line not a cordless. If at all possible do not use a cellular phone for the interview. Crackling noises are distractions and bad cell sites, leading to dropped calls, are a negative. You only want positives during your phone interview.
9. Relax, be yourself and do your best
Offer to provide any other information they might need to make a decision.
10. Convey that you are excited about the position (if you truly are) and ‘close’
The ‘close’ (what it’s called in sales) is crucial – you need to ask to be furthered to the next step in the process. This takes practice, however the smoothest transitions come naturally when you have have addressed the interviewer’s question thoroughly.
The interviewer will show some excitement for your qualifications if you have done steps 4 and 5. Sometimes she will just come out and tell you that will be receiving a face-to-face interview – then you know steps 1-9 were a success. And remember to thank the interviewer for her time.
Do you have any other tips for those that will be preparing for phone interviews? Please make your suggestions on the comments section below.
Thank you for reading – Theresa.
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