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How to Ace the Phone Interview

You just got the great news: you scored an interview! And then the other shoe dropped—it’s a telephone interview.

Employers and HR Departments are increasingly using telephone interviews as pre-screening to the “real” interview. Why? Because telephone interviews save employers time and money; they are a great way to disqualify applicants, not a great way to be hired.

Telephone interviews leave out an important piece in the job-hunt puzzle, namely, the reciprocal warm-and-fuzzy, give-and-take of human interaction—the element that can make interviewing tolerable, and sometimes even fun. Never fear, dear Candidates, here are some tried and true techniques for acing the dreaded phone interview.

1. Find a quiet place. Close your windows; silence cell phones, landlines, dogs, children, and dripping faucets. Have a hard copy of your resume on hand.
2. Take the call on a land line.  Cell phones are notorious for poor connections and dropping calls.  If possible, suspend call waiting.  As much as we enjoy personalized and fun out-going messages, make sure your contact phone has a professional out-going phone message.
3. Have cheat notes ready.  Here is one glorious advantage of the phone interview. You get to sound prepared and knowledgeable. Google the company and organize some notes in bullet form. Don’t write full sentences because you will be tempted to read. Try to sound as natural as possible. Prepare questions and sound interested in the company.
4. Practice, practice, practice.  You might feel weird and unnatural, but this step will pay off. Grab a friend and roll-play a telephone interview. It is very helpful to record your mock interview. This way you’ll catch verbal weakness such as speaking too fast and repeatedly saying, “Um,” and, “You know.”  You know?
5. Smile. I know, it feels silly, but it has been proven that when people smile while they speak, their voices sound more friendly and exuberant. Wear professional clothing. You won’t be seen, but you will feel more confident when you make this effort. Wear a headset, if possible. You will be able to move around and use natural hand movements while speaking, making you seem more natural and confident with your responses.
6. Don’t be a blabber mouth. If you’re like me, you might tend to blabber when you’re nervous. Resist that temptation. Keep in mind that the interviewer will, more than likely, be taking notes.  Give the interviewer time to jot.
7. Always say thank you. Follow your phone interview with a thank-you card or an email. Thank the interviewer for their time and reiterate your interest in the job.

Trust me, Candidates, these techniques work. I’ve had candidates win face-to-face interviews just by smiling during the phone interview and confidently answering interview questions. Tweak your technique and you’ll ace the phone interview, too.