Nowadays, phone interviews are turning out to be important part in the process of recruitment. In most of the cases, this type of interview finds place next to the resume screening and short-listing stage.
This can be stated as a tool to create an impression in the mind of interviewer to call you for a direct interview, which will of course decide your job position. So, you should be careful about making a good impression in this stage of the selection process.
Phone Interview Tips to Impress Your Interviewer
Here are some tips that will come handy to you:
Ambience: Make sure that you choose a room that is free from any chaos and noise. It is better to arrange a place, wherein you can sit and speak in a comfortable manner.
As you will have to think, speak and concentrate at the same time, the place you choose to attend the interview must be calm and relaxing and it can be your own bedroom as well.
You should never tell the interviewer that ‘I cannot hear you’, just because you attend the phone call from a coffee shop or a public place with a lot of noise around.
Tone: The interviewer will be well aware of the fact that you are nervous and excited. But, never show it through your tone. Remember to keep it flat.
When you express too much, you tend to give out too much. To show your confidence, you can tell whatever you want to in affirmative words, rather than by rising your pitch or tone.
Check here this article to improve your communication skills.
Etiquette: When you are attending telephonic interview, munching something will show your disrespect to the interviewer. Avoid these things and try to speak slowly, yet being audible.
It is better to keep some water near you to avoid feeling uncomfortable if the interview extends for long.
Answers: Remember to give impressive, short and spot-on answers. There should be the elements of integrity and truth in your answers. Do not try to show your over-smartness through the answers.
Do not forget that people talking to you over the phone are HR experts and they can rightly identify whether you are trying to bluff, just by listening to your words. So, be truthful to yourself and also to the prospective employer.
Prepare: A lot of cross-questions will be raised during telephonic interview and the people on call will be interested in judging whether each and every detail you have given in your resume are true.
So, it is better to be prepared and it is also better to have a copy of your resume near you, so that you can answer any questions raised from your own interview.
Even, you can request your friend to conduct a mock interview, to prepare yourself, so that you can face it with confidence.
Be aware that the interviewer cannot see you: Unlike direct interviews, you will never be in a position to see the facial expression. Do not make any joke as they can take it seriously.
Remember to do things a little differently. Even though, it is true that phone interviews are a means of developing a rapport with prospective employer, it is better not to quip during telephonic interview sessions.
Prepare questions: In addition to preparing for the answers, it can be a good idea to prepare for any questions you have about the company. You can visit the website of the company before hand and you can ask questions related to particular projects or case studies.
Even, you can ask questions about the office culture. This will show up your real interest towards working for the company and your desire towards being a part of the company’s success.
End on a high note: Not only the opening and telephonic sessions, it is also important that the interview should end on a high note.
For instance, you can ask the interviewer about his/her own journey towards the company and how they landed the job. When you show an interest in them as a person, it will help in building a rapport.
Even though, it is true that the interviewer cannot see your facial expression, make sure that you are smiling as you talk and they can understand the same with the tone of your voice. This will create an impression that you are a warm and approachable person.
So, you can create a good impression on your telephonic interview with these tips given above and can expect a call letter for personal interview.
