Job interviews

Telephone interviews

If you are applying for a job in another city, it's likley the employer will conduct a telephone interview. This is a common practice among employers and it shouldn't be daunting to you. By mastering the telephone interview—if you are successful—the employer will request an in-person interview with you at a later date.

Employers also use telephone interviews when it is not practical to invite an out-of-town candidate to an in-person interview. The telephone interview is usually the first step in the hiring process. By conducting telephone interviews, employers are able to develop a pool of candidates they can shortlist for in-person interviews.

Telephone interviews present the following advantages to the employer:

• Reduced cost
• The list of questions can be standardized
• Telephone interviews can be delegated to a low level employee
• Telephone interviews may be done quickly

Employers are looking for a selection of qualified candidates, and telephone interviews allow them to quickly screen out applicants whose qualifications are less than what's being sought.

It's important for you to be prepared for a telephone interview on a moment's notice because you never know when an employer may contact you and ask for a few minutes to talk with you. It's likely that during an inital screening call, the employer will ask about your experience, availability and salary requirements.

Preparing for a telephone interview

It's important to prepare for a telephone interview just as you would for an in-person interview. Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses and prepare a list of answers to typical interview questions. You should anticipate a conversation about your background and skills. Your aim is to provide answers and supporting examples, facts and details within the context of past job performance. Use numbers and facts to support any assertions you make and avoid volunteering information that may disquailfy you.

Telephone interviews can be difficult, but you can minimize your nervousness if your practice with a friend or family member first. If you have a tape recorder, record the interview so you can learn how you sound over the phone. A tape recorder will allow you to determine where you may need to add inflection to your speaking, where you may need to speed up or slow down, whether your voice is too loud or too soft, hesitant or confident, flat and monotone or pleasant and cheerful. An audio tape will also help you determine whether you have any bad speech habits such as slang or overuse of filler words such as "uh," "like," "you know" or "um" You will be able to hear hesitations in your speech.

You can also use role play as an opportunity to rehearse some of your answers. It's best that you avoid memorizing your answers. Instead, script answers to help you better remember details and supporting examples when asked during an interview. Practice is especially important because it's harder during a telephone interview to establish a relationship—or rapport—with the interviewer.

Although, as we've seen above, telephone interviews have advantages from the company's point of view, they are often disconcerting to interviewees because it's not possible to see facial expressions, reactions and cues. The interviewer cannot see you, your expressions and your professional appearance. Therefore, you need to be sure you have good phone manners, clear speech, a pleasant tone and clear, concise answers.

Tips for an effective telephone interview

During a telephone interview, have ready:

• A glass of water in case you need to take a sip and wet your mouth
• A calculator
• A pen and paper—you may want to take notes. If you are pausing to take notes, let the interviewer know.
• A list of accomplishments that relate to the job for which you're applying
• Research you've done on the company
• A copy of the job ad, your résumé and the cover letter you sent in response to the ad.
• A short list of questions about the job; if you think of a question while the interviewer is talking, write it down so you can remember to ask it later. Similarly, if the interviewer answers one of your questions, cross it off your list. If you forget and ask later, it will seem as if weren't listening.
• A calendar

Rembember to follow these helpful tips:

• Dress as you would for an in-person interview. This will help you feel more confident and will also help you respect the context of the conversation.
• Be sure to keep distractions and interruptions to a minimum. Ask children to leave the room. Place any pets out of the room. Turn off the radio/television. Close the door.
• Use the person's title (i.e., Ms, Dr. or Mr.) and last name. If you are unsure of pronunciation, ask. Be sure to get the interviewer's telephone number.
• Do not smoke, eat, drink or chew gum.
• Smile as you're speaking. Smiling will change the tone of your voice and project a positive tone to your listener, even if he or she cannot see you.
• If you feel comfortable doing so, stand up during the call.
Standing up allows more movement of your diaphragm, the muscle that separates your lungs from your lower abdominal cavity. When you sit, and particularly when you slouch, your diaphragm compresses, limiting the supply of air to your voice. Standing, on the other hand, allows you to better project while speaking, making your voice sound stronger and more confident.
• Speak slowly and clearly, directly into the telephone.
• Take your time. It's alright to take a moment to collect your thoughts. If you need to pause a moment to think, politely ask, "May I please have a moment to think before I answer?" This is preferable to "Boy, that's a good question!" If you must pause, let the interviewer know why; this is better than leaving him or her in silence. As with radio, silence on the telephone is dead air.
• If you need time to collect your thoughts before answering, you may repeat or rephrase the question. This signals to the interviewer that you listened carefully and it buys you the little bit of extra time you need to formulate your answer.
• Avoid simple "yes" or "no" answers. Wherever possible, you want to emphasize a selling point.
• Never interrupt the interviewer. If you forget, apologize and allow the interviewer to continue.
• Get right to the point. Use your list of accomplishments and try to work these into the conversation, crossing off each one as you talk about it. Refer to your résumé as well and offer supporting statements that back up what you claim in your résumé.
• Avoid controversial topics, personal issues, and family problems. You should also avoid discussing salary. If asked about your salary expectations, you can truthfully answer that you don't know enough about the company to answer. Naturally, you would need an in-person interview to learn more about the company. This is another way to try to go for a personal interview.
• Remember that your goal is to arrange an in-person interview. Be sure to thank the interviewer and ask whether you can arrange to meet in person.
• Before closing the call, be sure you understand the next step in the process. Offer to provide any additional information needed. Also, remember never to hang up until the interviewer has hung up.

After the interview, make notes of the questions you were asked and how you answered. Always remember to thank the interviewer. As with in-person interviews, follow up within 24 hours with a written thank you note. A nicely worded e-mail acknowledgment is acceptable also, but keep your message short and pleasant.