The ICT Job Hunter Blog

 As if face-to-face interviews were not enough to think about, employers are increasingly using telephone interviews to narrow down the pool of applicants who are invited to attend personal interviews.  Not only is this technique used to screen candidates in or out, however, but also to reduce the costs when dealing with out-of-town or long distance applicants, or simply to assess the telephone manner of those applying for telephone-based positions, such as with call centers.  Often they are used by graduate recruiters to ensure that the candidate is actually serious about the position, and has not just applied to every recruiter whose name he could turn up. Remember, the performance of most phone screeners is judged by how many people they pass through that are rejected vs. hired.  They will be very friendly and help you to feel comfortable, but don’t be fooled – they are not your friend. 

While not usually a substitute for face-to-face meetings, this form of interviewing is an equally important opportunity for the candidate to make a favorable impression on the employer and so deserves to be given an equal amount of consideration.  The distinct downside to telephone interviews from the candidate’s perspective, however, is that often they happen unexpectedly and take place on the spur of the moment, which can lead to the unprepared applicant either being tongue-tied or spouting gibberish.

Just because you do not know the exact moment when the phone is going to ring, does not mean that you have to be unprepared though.  Working on the basis that you have no way of knowing either when, or even if, a prospective employer might subject you to a phone interview, the safest course of action is to assume that it will happen and prepare accordingly.  This way, your groundwork can begin from the moment you apply for a job and when that call does come, you can instantly switch into interview mode and know just what to say.

So, just how can you prepare?  Well, the first thing you will need is some sticky tape.  Sticky tape?  Yes.  Take your resume and tape it to the wall or on the desk or the kitchen work surface, wherever it is closest to the phone.  Unless you have it memorized by heart, you are going to need to refer to it while the interviewer is on the phone.  What happens if he calls on your cell phone number and you are at the mall with your friends?  Then simply explain that the time is not convenient and make a more suitable arrangement, making sure that you give yourself sufficient leeway to make it to wherever your resume is! 

Along with your resume, the other things that you will find it useful to keep handy are a separate list of your achievements, a list of questions that you want to ask and some blank paper and a pen.  Do not tape the pen to the desk or the wall, as accessing it could cause some embarrassment when you drop the phone. 

Another thing that you can usefully do up front is to agree a signal with your partner, family or housemates, which lets them know that you have a potential employer on the line and is their cue to turn off the TV, hotfoot it into another room and close the door behind them.  If it is within reach, also remember to turn off your cell phone (unless of course you are speaking on it), to avoid the distraction of other incoming calls.

The next thing you need is a friend.  Yes, I know we all need friends, but this particular one is going to help you to practice your telephone interviewing technique, so choose wisely.  Whilst we have all had tons of experience chatting on the phone, conducting an interview is not the same.  You are likely to feel just as nervous as you would in a face-to-face interview, only over the telephone your silences or ‘ums’ and ‘erms’ are going to sound more pronounced.  By practicing with a friend, and taping the conversation so that you can listen to it and refine your technique, you can make your ultimate conversation flow much more smoothly and sound much more professional.  Get your friend to ask you some typical interview questions and rehearse your answers. 

When the call finally arrives, take a deep breath and remember these few tips:

·         Behave as you would during a face-to-face interview.  You would not smoke, eat or drink during a personal meeting, so do not do it during a telephone interview.  You would be amazed at what can be heard from the other end of the line, as one unfortunate candidate found out to his cost when he flushed the lavatory during a phone interview.  Also, do not let the interview lapse into an informal chat.  Just because you are on the phone does not mean that you should be any less professional.

·         Smile.  It may make you feel slightly foolish to smile when nobody can see you, but smiles can be ‘heard’ over the phone too and will help you to sound more enthusiastic and less stressed.  Because the interviewer cannot go on your facial expressions or mannerisms, you are reliant on your voice to convey the impression that you want to give.

·         Speak slowly and clearly and answer with confidence.

·         Never interrupt the interviewer.

·         Take a few notes of what is covered during the interview.  The same things may come up again during the ‘real thing’.

·         Address the interviewer as Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms, as appropriate, and never use their first name unless invited to do so.

·         Keep your answers reasonably short.  You want to answer the question, but you also want the interviewer to be excited and intrigued enough to invite you to a personal meeting.

·         At the end of the interview, do not forget to thank the interviewer, express your interest in the position and be proactive in asking if it would be possible to meet him in person.

If you have applied for a job and are still awaiting a response, do not forget that whenever the telephone rings, it could be a potential employer.  Take a deep breath, answer professionally and good luck!