More and more employers are deciding to interview candidates over the phone, especially if the prospective employee lives in another city or state. Telephone interviews have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. The main disadvantage is that you have to sell yourself using only words and the tone of your voice. You won’t be able to impress them with your physical presence.
However, if you prepare properly for the interview, you have the advantage of being able to have notes right in front of you, and you have the comfort of familiar surroundings. Most tips that can be applied for face-to-face interviews can also help you in telephone interviews. But, there are also some extra things that you can do for a phone interview. These include:
Preparing some relevant notes and practicing answers to possible questions
Eliminating all possible distractions, as you need to give the interviewer your undivided attention
Paying attention to your tone because a note of irritation or frustration in your voice will be much more noticeable over the phone
Restating the question asked to you as this will give you more time to prepare an answer, prevent long silences over the phone, and will ensure you properly understood the question; don’t do this every time, however, as this can be annoying to the interviewer to hear himself/herself repeated
Join over 47,000 subscribers that receive job search, resume writing and interview tips delivered to their inbox every week. Plus, immediately download 20 education specific job interview questions and answers now!
