There is truly nothing more rewarding than getting a response for an application you sent into your dream job asking you to get on the phone for a Telephonic interview. You’ve written a good resume and an exceptionally well cover letter that caught the attention of a potential employer, and you’ve made it past the first round in the hiring process. The next challenge—the Telephonic conversation—will likely determine whether you will get the position. This is your chance to impress the interviewer with your personality and to prove you are the best person for the job.
Before you go from ecstatic to panicked wondering how you are going to crack the telephonic conversation, I have compiled all the Telephonic interview tips you could ever need to get yourself prepared—and guarantee a next interview with the recruiter.
1. Find a Quiet and Comfortable Place
A quiet and comfortable place is the utmost important aspect of the telephonic discussion. At home, it may be locking yourself in a room that’s away from family and chaotic family members. At work, it may mean booking yourself a conference room for the duration of the telephonic interview. Wherever you decide to go, make sure that you have all the necessities—a comfy seat, minimal distraction surrounding, interruptions, or foot traffic, good phone service, etc.
2. Gather Your Tools
The below list of materials should be at your disposal at the time of interview:
3. Study the company and the job description:
Like what you did while writing your resume and cover letter, make sure to review the company’s website and social media platforms before your phone interview. You should be able to speak about the company, the company priorities, the industry to which the company belongs, and how you can assist the organization in meeting and exceeding its goals. You should refresh your memory of the company by studying the job listing as well as the resume and cover letter you wrote.
4. Prepare your answers to common questions
Students should take telephonic discussion as seriously as face to face interviews. Studying the company details and the job position for which you have applied is only the first step, you must also be comfortable answering common interview questions about your experience and background. When going through your resume, consider your experiences and develop stories you can tell that will support what you are claiming to be true about yourself. You should be prepared to answer the common interview questions like ‘Tell me about yourself’ and ‘Why do you want to work for this company?’” and “What are your strengths and weaknesses”. The best way to practice answering these questions is to first spend some time writing your answers down on paper and then setting up a time to practice the answer with some family members or in front of the mirror.
5. Have your notes, resume, and all the necessary documents on hand
One of the benefits of a phone interview is that the employer can’t see you and you should use this to your advantage. You can have your notes, resume, and job description in front of you to inconspicuously refer to during the telephonic discussion, but it is advisable for the students to not just read from notes and their resume. The notes should always be used as a reference tool, should you need a quick prompt during the interview, but it is much more professional to have your pitch memorized before you begin the interview.
6. Speak with energy and enthusiasm:
The phone interview is your first chance to impress the interviewer and get your foot in the door of the company. You should be projecting yourself clearly and enthusiastically. There should be energy and passion in voice while speaking. To help convey this, use gestures and smile while you talk. Both will automatically inject emotion into your voice. Combining the personality and professionalism your project will go a long way to building a connection with the interviewer. Also, you should state your name as you answer the call, it will reflect confidence on your part.
It is even more important than the candidate uses appropriate tone, language, volume, diction, and speed during the call as the candidate is unable to see the non-verbal cues from the interviewer and adding to that, it is very easy for the interviewer to zone out or stop paying attention if the candidate’s responses are not engaging or hard to follow.
I would suggest conducting all telephonic conversation with a mirror in front of them. Doing this will make you aware of when you are smiling so that positivity comes across in the voice.
7. Small Talk- A necessary Aspect:
You do not have to jump straight into business. First judge the mood of the person you are talking to and then take necessary steps if they are not in a serious business tone. Feel free to ask them how their day is going, talk about the weather, or try a conversation starter if it seems natural. Participating in small talk gives a human touch to the voice and it is a good way to keep the good vibes rolling and connect with your interviewer.
Also, if some kind of interruption or background sound occurs during the telephonic discussion, apologize and address it—better to pause than to continue on obliviously while the interviewer is straining on the other end trying to understand what you’re saying.
8. Take notes for introspection:
During the telephonic conversation, you can write all you want as you have the liberty to carry your own notepad which you don’t in a face to face interview. Jot down all the key points the interviewer makes. These notes of your telephonic conversation will help you improve in the most important elements of the job, and you’ll be able to draw upon them if you earn a face to face interview.
It will also help you review your performance. This way, you can introspect, what you did well, what went wrong and what you would change if you had to do it over again. Learn from your mistakes and successes, it will help you to perform even better during your next telephonic interview.