Friday, March 29, 2024

10 Helpful Tips to Master a Phone Interview

Phone interview tips: A phone interview can be much more comfortable than an in-person interview. You don’t have to go out of your way nor do you need to prepare your best outfit. You can talk to the recruiter from the comfort of your bedroom. How convenient is that?

However, you should treat a phone interview with the same amount of professionalism that you would handle an in-person interview. You should still make the necessary preparations to ensure that the discussion goes smoothly. Remember that a good interview could land you your next job. Here are some useful phone interview tips to ace your upcoming interview and advance your career:

  1. Find a quiet place. The comfort of your home might be an ideal location to have a phone interview, but make sure to get rid of any distractions beforehand. Dogs, children, construction work, and traffic all contribute to noise pollution. If you’re at work, try securing a conference room or phone booth. If you’re out in public, find a library that allows you to talk or the quietest café possible.
  2. Make sure you have good reception. One of the worst possible outcomes is when your interview gets interrupted due to a dropped call. Be sure you have your conversation in a place where you won’t be impeded.
  3. Do your research. This technique applies to in-person interviews as well, but you have the upper hand during a phone interview. You can pull up all the necessary information about your recruiter, the company, and the job position from your laptop. However, it never hurts to have some knowledge written down, printed out, or memorized beforehand.
  4. Make a cheat sheet. Probably the most important phone interview tip is to make a chat sheet. Print out the job description and compare it to your resume. What areas overlap? What is on your resume that proves you are qualified for this position? Highlight or underline relevant sections and make sure to bring those points up during the phone interview. You can also prepare pre-written answers to typical interview questions.
  5. Take notes. Write down what sort of questions the interviewer asked and what qualities they are seeking an ideal candidate. This information will benefit you when you craft your follow-up thank you letter.
  6. Dress well. How you look isn’t as important in a phone interview as it is during an in-person interview. However, dressing well boosts your self-confidence, thus increasing your ability to impress the interviewer. The more confident you feel, the better you will perform.
  7. Smile. Once again, smiling is more important during a traditional interview, but it never hurts to do so during a phone screening. Smiling makes you happy and affects your tone of voice. You want to sound happy to talk to the other person.
  8. Speak clearly. Remember to enunciate every word so that the interviewer knows precisely what you’re saying. It’s better to talk slowly than to rush the interview. It’s okay to take your time to gather your thoughts and plan out what you’re going to say rather than speaking before thinking.
  9. Ask follow-up questions. Never end your interview before asking your interviewer a few questions. You could ask what their daily job duties are like, what sort of skills one needs to fill the position, and the most significant challenges workers face. Remember that any information you collect will make it easier to write a follow-up thank you note.
  10. Write a thank you letter. Three-fourths of hiring managers said that receiving a thank you letter helps influence their perception of the candidate. Make sure to send your letter within 24 hours of the interview. Cover important things you two talked about and make sure to personalize the message as much as possible.

Conclusion

Acing a phone interview is an essential part of advancing your career. If you want to make more money and move up in the corporate world, you need to prepare. Check the phone interview tips, do some research, take notes, and give yourself a boost of confidence. Phone interviews might be awkward, but mastering them is a necessary skill to survive in today’s business world.

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