How to do well during a telephonic interview

It is becoming more popular for hiring managers and recruiters to do a telephonic interview before scheduling a face to face interview. Telephonic interviews are shorter, but it is important to ensure that you are prepared as it might lead to another interview.

Telephonic interviews are difficult as you would not be able to assess the other person’s receipt of your answers and they must base their decision purely on your response and tone of voice. But it could be a great way to gather information you might need to decide if you are interested and to give enough information to ensure that the prospective employer would be interested in you.

Here are some tips to ensure you ace your telephonic interview:

1.            Just like an in person interview it is important to prepare for your interview. Rehearse your answers to the typical asked interview questions. Research the company and have your CV with you for ease of reference should there be any questions. One benefit with a telephonic interview is that you could keep your notes for ease of reference and refer to them for assistance should it be necessary. Remember to keep the notes short and in bullet format to ensure that it doesn’t sound like you are reading.

2.            Take a deep breath, in through your nose and out through your mouth. This will send oxygen to your brain that will assist with answering your questions better.

3.            Be energetic and excited about the possibilities. This will be portrayed in your voice. This is very important as the interviewer will not see you in person and they will only have your tone and excitement in your voice to decide about your application. Don’t be over excited as this will make you sound fake but be honest and enjoy the interview.

4.            Act as if you are being interviewed face to face and not telephonically. Sit up straight and remember to smile when answering the questions. Your good posture will help you breath better and you will sound clearer to the other person. It has been proved that a smile can be heard through a phone, and by smiling you will enhance your mood that will in turn shine through to the interviewer.

5.            Take your time to answer the questions and don’t be ashamed to think about a question before answering. This will allow you to answer the question to the best of your ability and will also prepare you for similar questions during your face to face interview. 6.            Keep a pen and paper close by. Not only to take down notes to ensure you are prepared when you are asked for a face to face interview. But there might be a question that you are not able to answer, or you might be asked to forward in documentation. If you don’t know the answer, you can say that you will respond with an answer via email after the interview or you can make a list of what is needed.