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It can be nerve-wracking
preparing for a phone interview. It is the
second impression that you will make on a hiring
decision maker – the first impression was
obviously made for you by your resume and cover
letter, and must have been positive, or you
would not have the phone interview appointment.
That being the case, it is worth while to
prepare and be ready to put your best foot
forward.
Step One
Rehearse your responses to possible questions.
Practice in front of the mirror, or with a
friend or 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 hurt you
more than help you. You need to appear genuine
and real during the phone interview.
Step Two
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 that helped you get the phone interview
in the first place, and be ready to discuss
them.
Step Three
Think of what you can do for the company. The
hiring manager really doesn’t care why you would
like the job; he cares about how you can help
his company if you are hired.
Step Four
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.
Step Five
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.
Step Six
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
phone interview. Crackling noises are
distractions and bad cell sites, leading to
dropped calls, are a negative. You want the
employer to be thinking positive things during
your interview.
Step Seven
The phone interview itself. Relax, be yourself
and do your best. When the phone interview is
over remember to thank the interviewer for his
or her time, and offer to provide any other
information they might need to make a decision.
Be professional during the phone interview and
you may well be rewarded with a job. |
