How to ace your next telephone interview
Prepare for the loss of body language.
During a telephone interview, you lose all ability to communicate using body language and eye contact, which can make it more difficult to determine the reaction of your interviewer. It can also limit your tone and make you sound less enthusiastic about the job role as they can’t see your expressions. In order to push past this obstacle, you need to consider your tone of voice and ensure you are speaking clearly and confidently to show your capability and interest in the company.
Beware of talking over each other
It’s going to be difficult to determine when the person on the other end of the line finishes their sentence as you’re less able to connect with them over the phone. Ensure you leave a couple of seconds gap before you answer just so you know they’re definitely finished with their question/sentence.
Have some notes or your CV to hand.
No, that doesn’t mean write a 3 paragraph answer to every single question they could possibly ask you so you’re scuffling through endless pages. Write a few notes on a range of the most common questions, e.g. they may ask you why you would like to work for them, in which case you should look on their website to find out more about them as a company and what they do specifically. Or, as mentioned you may want to keep your CV by your side in case they would like to hear of your skills/ qualifications etc.
Stand in a place with decent signal
If you’re expecting a call, there’s nothing worse than realising you have 0 signal and starting to panic because this could be the most important call of your life so far. Beforehand, make sure you know a place where you get a good, strong signal or ask them to call you on a landline so it doesn’t drop.
Stay away from distractions.
Regardless of where you have decided to take the call – your living room, or even hiding in the toilet at work (although, maybe not if you haven’t even got the new job yet…) ensure you’re away from all distractions. Turn the TV off, ask someone to take care of the kids for half an hour as you don’t want to sound like you’re not fussed about the job. Finally, make sure you’re in a quiet place where they can hear you at all times.
Seems simple, right? Wrong. It’s always going to be daunting having a telephone interview, sometimes even more nerve-wrecking than the real thing! But not to worry, carry yourself with confidence and follow these top tips to ensure a smooth and successful telephone interview.
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During a telephone interview, you lose all ability to communicate using body language and eye contact, which can make it more difficult to determine the reaction of your interviewer. It can also limit your tone and make you sound less enthusiastic about the job role as they can’t see your expressions. In order to push past this obstacle, you need to consider your tone of voice and ensure you are speaking clearly and confidently to show your capability and interest in the company.
Beware of talking over each other
It’s going to be difficult to determine when the person on the other end of the line finishes their sentence as you’re less able to connect with them over the phone. Ensure you leave a couple of seconds gap before you answer just so you know they’re definitely finished with their question/sentence.
Have some notes or your CV to hand.
No, that doesn’t mean write a 3 paragraph answer to every single question they could possibly ask you so you’re scuffling through endless pages. Write a few notes on a range of the most common questions, e.g. they may ask you why you would like to work for them, in which case you should look on their website to find out more about them as a company and what they do specifically. Or, as mentioned you may want to keep your CV by your side in case they would like to hear of your skills/ qualifications etc.Stand in a place with decent signal
If you’re expecting a call, there’s nothing worse than realising you have 0 signal and starting to panic because this could be the most important call of your life so far. Beforehand, make sure you know a place where you get a good, strong signal or ask them to call you on a landline so it doesn’t drop.
Stay away from distractions.
Regardless of where you have decided to take the call – your living room, or even hiding in the toilet at work (although, maybe not if you haven’t even got the new job yet…) ensure you’re away from all distractions. Turn the TV off, ask someone to take care of the kids for half an hour as you don’t want to sound like you’re not fussed about the job. Finally, make sure you’re in a quiet place where they can hear you at all times.Seems simple, right? Wrong. It’s always going to be daunting having a telephone interview, sometimes even more nerve-wrecking than the real thing! But not to worry, carry yourself with confidence and follow these top tips to ensure a smooth and successful telephone interview.
Share this:
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