How to go about a phone job interview

In the current economy where more and more people go after the same jobs, employers cleverly make use of the telephone to screen applicants in a fast and effective manner. In stead of inviting all the applicants for a face-to-face interview, the interviewers just pick up the phone to shortlist the candidates.

This innovative method of applying for a job calls for new tips on how to go about a phone job interview. Since phone interviews take up less time, you’d better be prepared in advance. Annie Stevens, a managing partner at a Boston executive coaching firm, and Paul J. Bailo, who runs an online coaching service, have both come op with some guidelines on how to deal with a phone job interview. In my opinion, some of these tips apply to almost every job interview, such as the following:

-Be enthusiastic
-Have a list of questions prepared that show you’re interested in the company as well as in the job
-Match your use of jargon and technical terms to that of the interviewer
-Don’t interrupt the interviewer
-Avoid negative words like “can't”, “haven't” and “don't”
-Make sure you have a 30-second summery of why you’re right for the job
-Ask about the next step: when can you meet the interviewer in person
-Follow up by sending an e-mail or writing a letter to thank the interviewer and remind him once again of your skills, achievements and the added value you bring to the company
-Wear business attire instead of your pyjamas: although the interviewer can’t see you during a telephone job interview, it helps to feel businesslike
-Take notes so you can refer to an interesting topic or question when you send a thank you note or email
-Don’t say “um” or “ah” but just take a little pause to show intelligence

A few other tips, on the other hand, are more or less limited to phone job interviews:
-Eat a cough drop before you call to clear your throat
-Use a land line and avoid all interruptions to prevent unwanted stress
-Try to look up a photo of your interviewer (for instance on LinkedIn or the company website) to make the interview a bit more personal

This new way of applying for a job sounds exciting as much as it is frightening, but in essence there’s not much difference with a regular job interview. The only difference (and advantage) I see is that you don’t have to worry about a bad hair day or smelly armpits.

Robin

Sources:
http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/03/news/economy/phone_job_interviews.fortune/index.htm