10 Tips for Successfully Interviewing by Phone

In the age of digital technology, when everything happens at lightning speed, the interview process was also subject to modernization. Today we will not talk about the most advanced methods of conducting a remote interview using the latest achievements of technology, but we will touch on one of the most popular and classic options - interview by phone.

The HR managers of many companies are increasingly proposing to conduct a telephone interview, because they will be able to communicate with a much larger number of candidates than if they had assigned a personal meeting in the employer's office. Such an approach requires special training on the part of the applicant so that during the phone interview there are no awkward pauses and hesitations.

A telephone interview has its pros and cons. On the one hand, the employer does not see you in person and it's hard for him to understand what you are. On the other hand, you do not need to wear a suit and go to the other end of the city, you can sit in your favorite home armchair in your pajamas during an interview.

1. This advice you could often see in many thematic articles, but it's really important - go to the employer's website and collect all available information about the company. This will help you with the interview, especially when the recruiter asks you to tell about what you know about the company, and they like to ask. And most importantly, read again the requirements for the vacancy, because it is on their basis that you will be evaluated for the desired position.
2. Take a notebook or a piece of paper and write down all the important points that you can forget during the interview. Whatever the interview, a person is prone to fear, and this limits the ability to keep all the important information in your head. Therefore, insure yourself and keep a leaf with key questions during a telephone interview.
3. Call your family or friends and ask for an evaluation of your speech during a telephone conversation with them. First check whether there is any distortion of voice or interference caused by your phone. Maybe your voice sounds too soft or the speed of speech is too fast, which is especially true during excitement.
4. Find a secluded place in your apartment, where no one will disturb you during a phone interview. Make sure that the TV or radio does not create a background sound background that will interfere with your interlocutor. Many recruiters noted that the sound of playing music or pets was very annoying when they interviewed a candidate for a job by phone.
5. When the time comes and the recruiter says that you can ask him questions that interest you, you should be ready for it. It often happens that the applicant during the interview is lost and starts to ask stupid questions, because he forgot everything. Prepare a list of questions in advance for the employer, so that this situation does not happen.
6. For some professions, voice is the only tool that helps sell. In this case, the way your voice sounds affects the recruiter's impressions of you. Make sure that you have a cheerful and not tired voice, even though the recruiter asks you the same questions that you answered dozens of times in other interviews.
7. We all love to use instant messaging and chat services. Many of these programs publish various system sounds and alerts. It will be ugly if during the phone interview in the background your interlocutor will hear something similar, so turn off the computer or turn off the Internet during a telephone interview.
8. Be sure to rehearse your speech, perhaps during training you will notice your mistakes or you will understand what else you can talk with the employer.
9. If you have the opportunity to use a fixed telephone with a cable during an interview, use it. The signal from cellular phones often has interference and distortion.
10. Wait until your interlocutor first hangs up.

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