You may be thinking, so what’s the big deal, it’s only a phone call. Sure, you won’t need to wear your Sunday best or do your hair and make-up because no one is actually going to see you. Having said this, you still need to approach your phone call seriously. In fact, find out how to prepare yourself for an interview, because that is what it is.
Remember that the hiring manager is not calling you for a chat but rather with an important agenda to follow. So besides the fact that you don’t need to look the part on the phone, you should follow all the other tips for interview preparation that you can find.
From how you conduct yourself to how you will respond, there are many tips for a job interview that pertain to the initial phone call.
Remember that your tone of voice, as well as the degree of formality or informality that you use, will add to the overall impression that you give to your future employer. Getting a detail like this, wrong at this stage, could jeopardise your chances of an in-person audience.
In this article, you will find all the tips for interview preparation that you need. Keep reading.
Why Phone Interviews?
Not too long ago, interviews were conducted on a face-to-face basis. In more recent years since the Covid pandemic isolated and since technology has made it so much easier to meet without travel, phone and video interviews have become a norm.
It has become quite common for a first interview to be conducted via Google Meet, Zoom or similar. Regardless, the tips for interview preparation are the same.
It also makes sense for potential employers to save on the cost of flying in candidates. So, the first two things you will have to do to prepare for a job interview are to write an outstanding CV and then find out how to prepare yourself for an interview.
Today, phone interviews are taken seriously, they simply don’t waste unnecessary resources.
Potential employers want to know about you. In preparing for job interview sessions on the phone, consider the types of questions that they will ask you.
You can expect to answer questions about your career goals, and the types of skills you possess that are pertinent to the position.
In this article, you will find specific questions to help you prepare for job interview sessions regardless of the format in which they take place.
A phone interview could last anything from a few minutes to an hour, it depends on how long the recruiter needs to decide whether you are on the shortlist or not
Don’t make the mistake of not preparing for job interview sessions on the phone because you will have to make a good impression to be able to proceed to another round.
Once you have impressed the recruiter with a good CV, good covering letter and phone interview, you have a better chance of staying on the shortlist and ultimately being chosen to fill the position.
How to Prepare Yourself for an Interview Intellectually
Phone interviews are not just casual chats with mates. Also, with phone calls on the decline, you may not even be used to talking on the phone anymore, this is why you do need to know how to prepare for an interview on the phone.
The first thing to remember is that the interview is not all about you.
It is true that the person conducting the interview wants to know more about you, but this doesn’t mean that they want a barrage of information. Their questions are strategic to glean specific things. One of the best tips for a job interview? Listen very carefully to the question.
Active listening is actually an acquired skill – to do it effectively you need to do two things. Visualise and pay attention.
For instance, if you are in an interview for a position in a food processing concern, and the recruiter informs you that part of the role would be to clean Petri dishes and test tubes in a controlled lab and they want to know how you feel about taking on menial tasks – be careful how you respond.
You would not want to respond with, “in my chemistry courses, I spent a lot of time working with lab equipment.”
That may be true, but that is not what the interviewer is actually asking.
If you want to know how to prepare for an interview, practice active listening with friends and family. Ask them to ask you a round of complex questions from time to time and see if you can reply by answering the heart of the enquiry.
Setting up mock interviews for preparing for job interview sessions is a great way to grow your confidence in the real thing.
Tips for a Job Interview: Do Your Research
Another important aspect of interview preparation is to make sure that you research the company that is advertising the position. Fortunately, unlike job seekers of the past, there are a wealth of resources at your disposal.
By searching online, you can find out just anything about a company. Look out for content like their core values, mission statement and testimonials for their clients. Having an understanding of all of this is brilliant for preparing for job interview sessions of any kind. It literally gives you a framework to draw from in answering the questions that will be posed to you.
Make sure that before you study our tips for a job interview, you know what it takes to make a CV stand out.
Tips for Interview Preparation: Prepare Yourself Physically
You may be thinking, hang on, nobody is going to see me, what kind of physical preparation do I need to do?
You might feel comfortable taking the call all cosied up in your personal space, even wearing your pyjamas, however, experts warn that this could be a mistake.
To prepare for job interview sessions on the phone, you will need to try and emulate the feeling of an in-person environment.
For one, being in a casual environment, dressed in casual clothing could translate into coming across in an unprofessional way.
If you want to follow our tips for a job interview, remember that the adage, ‘clothes make the man’ is even true for phone interviews.
Other tips for interview preparation include practising the likely questions that you will answer while you stand. This will help you to focus and also sound a little more formal than if you were lounging on your couch.
Also, avoid pacing. Not only will your steps echo, but your breathing will ramp up and distract the interviewer who may wonder if you are doing something else while you are meant to be on such an important call.
Create a reasonably comfortable environment and wear reasonably comfortable clothes. There is no need to be extra stiff either.
If you are still wondering about how to prepare yourself for an interview on the phone, make sure that you test your phone connection and that you take the call in a spot where you have a good signal.
If you are using WIFI, try to stay away from walls, doors, stairs and the basement.
Also, make sure that you have a full charge on your phone battery.
If this article has been helpful, check out other tips for applying for your first job.
Other Tips for Acing the Phone Interview
It’s likely that you know what is in your curriculum vitae because you wrote it, however, it would not hurt to review it and keep it at hand to boost your confidence during an interview.
Also, any notes you have made during your research, should be neatly compiled into speaking notes and not just random scribbles all over the place.
Set up a section of your interview space that is conducive for you to take notes as the conversation progresses.
As the interview progresses you may want to write down keywords so that when there is an opportunity for you to write questions you can say. “Earlier you mentioned XYZ and I would like to find out how ABC relates to the position.”
Making sure that you are prepared in this way will go a long way to ensuring that you are granted a second interview, face-to-face.
When it comes to tips for a job interview, these include making sure that you write thank you notes afterwards, which will go a long way to securing a follow-up conversation.
When you are asked if you have any questions, another good one is to enquire what happens next. There is nothing worse than to be left hanging and unsure of how things will develop or turn out.
Finally, make sure that you know how to adapt your covering letter and CV to apply for any position.
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