The thrill of a new career search is indescribable. Just knowing that your resume is out there being looked at recruiters and hiring managers is enough to create a natural high. So, what do you want to do when your phone rings between the hours of 9 am and 5pm and it’s a number unfamiliar to you? Answer it, that’s what you want to do. I say DON’T do it! No, I’m not telling you to play games with an interviewer, but I am advising you to take the proper steps to ensure that you are able to make the best possible impression on your potential new employer.
Too often I see candidates make the grave mistake of not preparing for a telephone interview well enough. Telephone interviews have historically been used to screen candidates out and narrow the number of interviewees down. Employers achieve this objective by identifying the applicants for their vacancy who appear, on paper, to be the most qualified, then creating a manageable candidate pool from that group. They narrow their candidate pool further by sometimes springing an often abbreviated, impromptu interview on their candidates. Unfortunately, for some reason, candidates appear to not take it as seriously as an in-person interview. This decision alone can prove fatal for some candidates’ continued progression through the selection process. O, when you decide to launch a career search and submit that first resume to a vacancy, you should begin your interview preparation.
So, if you want to get a leg-up on the competition, check out these seven telephone interview hacks. You can get a headstart on the competition when you also snag module 1 of my proven career search system, Career Search Rx, Here for just $14.99 right now:
- Think like a recruiter or hiring manager – Prepare with the objective of helping the interviewer to solve a problem for the employer.
- Prepare like you would for an in-person interview – Study the vacancy announcement and make notes to match your professional experience with each of the duty statements. Make certain that you are current on industry jargon; the latest news articles; etc., related to your career field. Research the employers who you apply to. Look the employer up on Linkedin, Google, Indeed, etc., and reach out to people who currently work for that employer and ask them about the organization’s culture and what makes them proud to work there. Find news releases about the employer; learn about their challenges and their competition; learn who their senior executives are; what their mission, vision, and values are; and what they do to express and support them. Finally, practice answering interview questions in front of a mirror. This will help to keep your nerves under control during an in-person interview.
- Request to schedule the telephone interview – Many of us are still working while in an active career search. If your current work hours are during traditional business hours (8am to 5pm), potential employers will likely call you during these hours. You don’t want to jeopardize your current job by taking unauthorized breaks or unauthorized extended breaks. So, when an employer calls you for a telephone interview, ask them if you can schedule a day and time to speak. You could possibly arrange some time off from work and take the call while at home.
- Identify your quiet place – whether you take the call at home, at work, or elsewhere, one of the most important things you can do, in addition to preparation, is to identify your quiet place, where you will not be disturbed during a telephone interview. While many employers are understanding re: children at home with stay-at-home parents, it is best to arrange a sitter for young children who need constant attention. Besides, if possible, you want to avoid giving an employer any non-job-related information about you that they could use during the selection process. As an HR professional, as well as the interviewee, I can tell you that an interviewer will typically be more understanding of hearing traffic in the background while you speak with them from your car in a parking deck, than to have your children running around, making noise and calling you every few minutes. It’s not because they don’t like children, its because those interruptions can break your and the interviewer’s train of thought. It also gives the impression, that you did not think enough of your call with them to make short-term childcare arrangements.
- Eliminate distractions – do not surf the Internet during your telephone interview. Turn the television off completely, not just on mute. Close the blinds. You likely won’t believe how easy it is to be distracted.
- Ensure a good cell phone connection – If you plan to take your call on a cell phone, it is essential that your quiet place has a strong cell phone connection so that your call won’t be plagued with poor sound quality or dropped. You should test your quiet space before the interview. You can even have a friend or family member call you, or you can call them to test your connection strength. It goes without saying that if quiet place #1 doesn’t accommodate a cell phone conversation well, you need to identify quiet place #2.
- Use body language to exude enthusiasm – Believe it or not, body language carries through over the telephone, including during a telephone interview. It is ultra-important to be aware of your body language. The interviewer needs to get a feel for your personality and how passionate you are about the career opportunity that they are considering you for. So, you need to smile when speaking and be somewhat expressive. Be prepared with a bit of small talk about the company to let the interviewer know that you have done your homework. This lets the employer know that you are excited to speak with them.
- Take notes – Have a pen and paper with you and be ready to take notes while you are on the telephone with the interviewer. S/he will likely give you some information about your position of interest that was not included in the vacancy announcement. They will likely also give you some insight into the remaining steps of the selection process, as well as the names and titles of other interviewers, so you want to make certain to write it down so you won’t have to rely on your memory which sometimes does not work out so well.
- Prepare one or two questions to ask the interviewer – Just because this is a telephone interview, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t ask questions. In fact, by doing so, you will let the interviewer know that you are taking this stage of the selection process very seriously. Your questions at this stage do not have to be too in-depth as you want to save your most impactful questions for your in-person interview. Questions such as, “How can the person who is selected for this position help you to accomplish that one thing that you’ve have wanted get done?” “What makes you come to work here every day?” “What is your biggest workplace pet peeve?” will all make a great impression. They are thoughtful, but not too in-depth for this stage of the selection process.
For more tips and advice on a successful career search,
Grab Your Copy of CSRx Module 1 for this special price!
As you can see here, preparing for your telephone interview just as diligently as you would an in-person interview will set you up for success and can catapult you to the next stage in the selection process.
I promise you will slay when you get the chance to interview in person!
Go get your dream job!
