If you’ve been on the job hunt for awhile, it’s exciting when you finally get a call from an interested prospective employer. Phone interviews are important and can be tricky, since your only impression is your voice tone and choice of words. You can’t impress with your confident body language or killer interview suit. Here are some tips to make the most of your phone interview.
1. They may not really be interested in you. Some companies have to interview a certain number of applicants for each position. Someone in HR is charged with calling applicants and filling out forms for the file. Any phone interview is good practice, so give it your best.
2. Keep a list of companies and the jobs you have applied for on your cell phone or laptop. If you have a lot of resumes in circulation, it’s easy to mix them up. Print out the job descriptions from postings so you can refer to the specifics of each job during the interview.
3. When you get a call, ask for the interviewer’s name and use it throughout the interview.
4. If the interviewer calls at an inconvenient time, reschedule for the time of day you are at your best.
5. Don’t try to interview while you are driving or shopping. Aside from being dangerous, it’s hard to concentrate while maneuvering through traffic with a lot of background noise.
6. Don’t ask about how soon you can take a vacation, or whether you get a bonus the first year. The interview may be over if you are just interested in how fast you can miss work and get paid for it.
7. Don’t try to eat lunch, chew gum or even drink your favorite latte while on the phone. This is not the time to multi-task. Give the interviewer your full attention.
8. Don’t expect an in-depth interview. Most telephone screeners are verifying basic requirements to make sure you are qualified for the job.
9. Avoid the salary question. Let him know you’re open to negotiation. If your number is too high, the interview may be over. You can ask for the position’s salary range, or what the last person in that position was paid. Save salary discussions for the face-to-face interview.
10. Determine the next steps. You can ask, “Is there anything that would prevent me from going to the next step for this position?” If there is, like skills, experience or availability, you may resolve it at that time. Try to get a timeframe for the next step to help you manage other interviews or offers.
Do you have a strategy for a positive phone interview? Share your own tips with others in the Comments section below.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for communicationsjobs.net. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients reinvent their careers for today’s job market. You can read more of her blogs at communicationsjobsblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.
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