Phone Interview Tips to Get You to the Next Round

Job interviews are stressful. For many, the joy of earning an interview with the recruiter or hiring manager is quickly replaced with the uneasiness and anxiety of now having to prepare for that interview.

These days, candidates must be ready to interview in a myriad of mediums: from face-to-face encounters to over the phone.

Interviewing by phone remains a popular tool for employers, as it serves as a quick, low-effort means of screening applicants and narrowing the pool of candidates who will be invited for in-person interviews.

If you have an upcoming phone interview, here are five tips that will help you get through to the next round.

1.     Do Your Research

To prepare for a phone interview, the first tip is to do your pre-interview research. This tip is pretty universal, but it is so often overlooked, it must be emphasized.

Spend time learning about the company you are interviewing with, and the position you are interviewing for. Take it one step further and find out a little bit about the person who will interview you.

2.     Practice Answering Questions

When you are interviewing in person, what you say is just as important as how you look saying it. But telephonically (assuming there is no video), you cannot rely on your body language to set you apart. So, your answers must be top-notch.

One of the best techniques for responding to questions is the STAR Method, which will help you develop clear and concise responses.  In preparing for your phone interview, think of common interview questions and practice responding to them using the STAR Method. Better yet, have a friend call you so you can practice giving these responses over the phone.

3.     Be Mindful of Your Tone

Once again, candidates will not have the benefit of using their body language to convey their personality.

And so, you must rely on the tone of your voice to instill confidence and professionalism.  Always maintain a friendly yet professional tone rather than sounding rehearsed. You can achieve this by practicing with friends or family or recording yourself speaking.

4.     Speak Clearly and Slowly

When speaking with others, even if you cannot always hear them, the ability to read their lips can help you piece the conversation together.

But over the phone, your interviewer will not be able to read your lips. Thus, you will need to make sure you speak clearly and slowly as you answer questions. People tend to talk quicker than they think, so if you think you are speaking slowly, chances are you are at the right pace.

5.     Pick the Right Environment

This last tip is not as substantive as the others but equally as important.

Make sure you plan ahead and determine where you will have your interview. Be mindful of signal strength, background noise, distractions, and internet access so you can look up additional information on the fly if needs be. Also, do not forget to charge your phone and earphones if you plan on using them.

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