Interview

8 Tips to Ace Your Phone Interview

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Phone interviews are more and more common; either as the first step, or the only step in the interview process. If you do not make a good impression on a phone interview, the chances are that you will never get an in-person interview. Here are 8 tips for handling your phone interview with finesse.

1. Prepare. You should prepare as much for a phone interview as an in-person one. This includes scheduling the interview (find out the time of call and clarify time zones; who is calling whom and on what number; how long the call should last; whether there are any specific requirements for the call; and who will be on it—get the name, title, and phone number). You should also analyze the job posting, identify key words, and match your achievements and experience to those key words, with specific achievements. You should also prepare for the questions you will ask the interviewers.

2. Practice. Practice answering questions out loud. Tape yourself if you can so you can see how you sound.

3. Use a landline, if available. Landlines are more reliable than cell phones; call quality is better too.

4. Remove distractions. Turn off your other phones, keep your fingers off your keyboard, put pets (and children) outside. Call from a private place—not from Starbucks or outdoors.

5. Dress for success. Even though others cannot see you, you’ll sound better if you’re dressed as you would be for an in-person interview.

6. Slow down and smile. When you are nervous it is easy to talk faster, which makes you more difficult to understand. So talk a bit slower than you normally would. And when you smile, your enthusiasm will come through.

7. Consider placing empty chair near you when you are interviewing. “Talk” to the empty chair as if there was a real person sitting there. You may also want to consider standing up while interviewing on the phone. Your voice will sound stronger when your erect, rather than slumping in a chair.

8. Don’t allow “hi” or a mumbled “hello” to be the first words out of your mouth. Expect the call, and be sure to give your name when you answer.

Tell me about Yourself—They Don’t Really Mean It

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Most of us dread the standard “ice-breaker” question, Tell me about yourself. As someone who has interviewed applicants for more than 30 years, I have rarely heard this question answered well. More often than not, applicants launch into their biography — starting with where they were born! Trust me, I (and most interviewers) don’t care. In addition, this kind of biographical response can lead you to share information that I would rather not know: how many children you have, that you have a spouse (or don’t), etc. It is illegal for me to take these things into consideration and once you tell me, it’s hard for me to forget them. So please do not share this kind of information.

Instead, I want to know who you are and what you bring to the table, in the context of the job I’m interviewing you for. Look at that last phrase again: in the context of the job I’m interviewing you for.

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