Top 6 Tips to Help You Ace a Telephonic Interview

In today’s world, searching for jobs and giving interviews is not restricted to geographical boundaries. Nowadays, organizations are inviting candidates for a telephonic interview round to shortlist the applicants before a face to face interview.

The telephonic interviews are typically described as “phone screens” as they screen the candidates on a call. These interviews are generally of a short duration wherein maximum time would be 30 minutes and a minimum sometimes can be of just 10 minutes. Candidates who do not pass this screening are considered as eliminated from the future rounds of interview.

One should not underestimate the value of a telephonic round of interview as it can make or break your chances of being considered for further rounds of the hiring process. Never consider it as just a chat or an informal conversation. While you don’t have to be physically prepared with the dress code and documents but you still need to be mentally alert and ready to answer their questions with eloquence. 

To make sure that one does not ruin their chances of getting selected for the other rounds, we have mentioned below some tips and tricks on how you can nail your telephonic interview. 

In this mode of interview, one has to sell themselves, their skills and experience in favor of the company and convince their interviewer that they got the potential required for the position, with their communication skills, confidence, and prompt answers.

You have three assets for a telephonic interview– your attitude, your voice, and finally your preparation! And to help you prepare for and ace your telephonic interview, we have listed some protocols that you must follow –

The location that puts you at ease

Companies generally tell you in advance when they will be calling. Choose a room where you can speak without any disturbance. Shut the room to prevent any other noises like that of TV and radio. Ask your family members not to disturb you when the interview is in progress. 

“Limiting background noise will help you stay focused during the interview and will not bother to the person who is interviewing you,” adds Scott Wesper, hiring manager at Arch Resources Group

Research about your interviewer

When you hear from the individual who will run your telephone interview, do a fast search to understand who they are and role at the organization. Most often, it will be someone the recruitment team and not your prospective boss. Hence, they will ask you some basic questions about your previous work experience and share what the position entails

Listen Carefully

An interview is a way to sell yourself. Subsequently, listening is significant. Concentrate on the questions tossed at you and set aside some effort to verbalize your reaction or answer. Experts state that initial introductions or first impressions are also made on telephonic interviews. One must answer precisely to what the interviewer is asking instead of going off track with the answers. When you allow yourself to listen carefully, it shows that you are interested in making a conversation and in the job opportunity. 

One should speak with clarity and confidence

One of the biggest mistakes that people make in a telephonic interview is that they sometimes do not sound energetic and excited enough. Because the interviewer can’t see you, you need to work harder to show that you’re enthusiastic about the role and the interview. You can’t impress an interviewer with your smile over the phone, so you’ve got to convey enthusiasm and professionalism using your voice alone.

Nothing is worse than a dull conversation. So try to speak clearly and with a level of confidence about the opportunity. Try emphasizing when you’re making your most crucial points.

“Variation in speech is important for points of emphasis, and you should apply the same principle to your phone interview,” says Jordan Wan, founder of CloserIQ, a sales recruitment program in New York City. 

Prepare thoroughly for the interview but can use a cheat sheet

One of the major advantages of a telephonic interview is the invisibility of the candidate. The applicant must prepare the most common, expected questions in advance and write down important points on a piece of paper. These points should be clearly written as you will be referring to them under pressure. Try mock interviews with your friends or family and record it so that you can hear your “ums”, “uhs” and “okays” so you can try reducing them from your conversational speech.

Ask intelligent questions

After the interviewer is done with their part of the questions, they will typically ask if you have any questions in your mind to ask. Now, this is a chance for you to showcase your intelligence. You could ask questions on the detailed information about the role you are being interviewed for, company branding or its strategy to beat market slump. Ask only the relevant questions that will show the employer the seriousness in you about this role. 

One may spend a lot of time talking on the phone, but that does not equip you to master a telephonic interview. So keep these pointers in mind to get one step closer to your dream job.