Reason for phone job interviews
There are a number of reasons why you might be asked to do a phone job interview.
First, a telephone interview allows the prospective employer to quickly speak and eliminate candidates without a huge amount of effort. It is a screening process.
Second, where a job requires a lot of telephone work, it gives the interviewer an opportunity to hear what you are like in that situation, to see if you can ‘sell yourself’ over the phone.
Third, Coronavirus Health & Safety.
Preparation for a phone job interview
A telephone interview should be taken as seriously as a regular face-to-face interview.
- Research – do your research on the company and people involved. The usual sources such as website and social media will help.
- Make notes of key facts and any questions you have.
- Make sure the signal for the phone you are going to use is OK
- Practise answering job interview questions.
On the day
- Reduce distractions – make sure the people you live with know you have an interview. If you have pets or children, keep them out of the way and leave a note for any delivery drivers.
- Talk out loud before the call to warm your voice up – you don’t want to answer with a dry croak.
- Have a glass of water to hand this will help if you feel you need to cough.
- During the call, listen closely to what is being said and make notes so you can refer back to their questions in your answers. This is something that is not so easy to do in a face to face interview.
- Pause. Because you have no visual cues on the phone, it’s important to allow a second after you think they have finished the question to ensure they have. A deep breath should be long enough.
- Thank-you email. A couple of hours after the call, send a thank-you email.
On a final note, some interviewers will call you and ask if you can do an interview there and then, before you have had the chance to prepare. The response is to say you cannot speak now and arrange a time when you have had a chance to prepare. Crucially, don’t try and improvise!
And that’s it. As with all interviews, the key to success is preparation – go for it!