How to Have a Successful Phone Interview

It is not unlikely that you will be interviewed on the phone for an executive job you applied for. With the hectic schedule everybody has to manage, it just seems logical to sometimes just hold the first interview via phone. It is cheaper, more efficient and will also save you a lot of time.

However, it can be tricky to pull of an excellent interview on the phone, whether it is an accounting job or a media job you are applying for. There are a lot of limitations, and you might find it difficult to evaluate whether you did well or not. The best thing you can do is to prepare well for it, and do better in following up. Here are some tips:

• Feel free to reschedule. If you get the call in the middle of something, like if you’re driving, tell the interviewer that you would want to talk with them, but you are currently occupied. It is best if you can take the call minutes after, instead of postponing it to the next day. And make sure that you ready your resume, your notes about the position and the company that you are applying.
• Take the call in a quiet place. If you’re at home, choose the quietest room in the house. Make sure your kids will not bug you during the call, and pets will not make any noise.

• Prepare for the call like you would for a personal interview. You will be asked the same questions anyway, so better ready your answers to canned questions. When thrown the “Tell me about yourself card,” you should be able to answer properly.
• Sit properly, or stand up. This puts you in a professional stance. Rather than taking the call in bed or on the sofa, go to your dining table, sit straight and smile. Smiling helps a lot. Ask any radio DJ and he will tell you how big a difference it makes. If you can, put on heels or a coat.
• Ask the interviewer how long the interview will take. This will help you manage your time talking. You do not want to talk too fast and run out of things to say, you don’t want to talk too slow and miss essential information.