3 Steps to Ensure a Painless Phone Interview

The prospect of interviewing for a job position over the phone causes most people to panic. Phone calls tend to be awkward enough on their own, so add in the stress of an interview, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for anxiety. Our advice? Relax! We’ve prepared a simple, three-step program for you to follow to not only help calm the nerves but rock your phone interview!

Step 1 – Before the call

Interviewing over the phone presents a whole host of complications to the process; with most issues stemming from an inability to interpret the body language and mood of the interviewer since you’re engaging with them at a distance. However, interviewing over the phone also offers a few advantages, since you’re in the comfort of your own home. Here are a few to consider before your call begins:

• Prepare a list of notes regarding the position you are interviewing for, the company, as well as your own skills and how you’ll apply them.
• If you’ve got a Bluetooth headset, use it! This helps to keep your hands free, so if you’re shuffling through notes it will be less noticeable.
• Before your call starts, do some vocal warm-ups, which help to ensure your voice comes off sound strong and confident.
• Take some time ahead of the interview to just relax, browse through the job description, as well as your own resume to ensure you touch upon key points.
• Suit up as if you had a real face to face. Lounging in your favourite pair of lazy pants might make you feel too relaxed and cosy.
• Make sure you’re sitting alone in a quiet room. The last thing you want to happen is the recruiter to hear your dog barking, your neighbour yelling, or the TV blasting.
• Prep for the most commonly asked phone interview questions. You can find them here.

Step 2 – During the call

Once your phone interview begins, there’s going to be a lot going on in your head. To help keep things straight-forward and simple, here are a few ideas for talking points, and things to keep in mind during your interview:

• Have an anecdote or two prepared, that really demonstrate your skills as an employee. Was there a particular aspect of your old job that you completely revamped? Maybe you successfully led a project. Anything that proves your value in a work setting is a good idea, just don’t be too long-winded.
• Speak slowly and allow for a back-and-forth between you and your interviewer. Constantly cutting them off is not a good way to make a positive impression.
• As the interview progresses, consider jotting down a few notes regarding key points that you have discussed throughout the call. In case you didn’t fully expand on a particular point, or wanted to reiterate on something, having this list handy will ensure you don’t get lost.

Step 3 – After the call

Even after you’ve hung up the phone, you’re not quite finished. Instead of immediately launching into celebration, we suggest sending a follow-up email, within an hour or two of the conclusion of the interview. Thank your interviewer for the call, and if you didn’t ask during the interview, mention that you’re looking forward to hearing back from them. When you do, regardless of what the outcome is, be courteous. You never know, there might be another position opening up sooner than you think.

Don’t have a phone interview yet? No worries! Why not give our article on refreshing your resume a read? Afterwards click on over to our job postings, and take that next step to finding your next creative career!