How to Ace a Telephone Interview

There is more to preparing for a telephone interview than charging your phone and ensuring that you are sitting somewhere with a reliable signal.

As the first stage in some interview processes, the tick-box nature of a phone interview brings a unique kind of pressure. You need to know your mind and answer honestly, as it will not be immediately obvious what the employer would prefer to hear. If you pass the telephone interview, you know there is a fit on the fundamental issues, and you’ll have the chance to tell your career story in more depth during the face-to-face interview stages.

Simple questions like: “what is your view on flexible working?” will serve to outline your working preferences, and open questions like: “why do you deserve the job?” will lay bare your motivations. Everyone will answer differently, but if you respond authentically and do not get invited to the next round, it means that the job was not for you.

Here are a few ideas to help you represent yourself in the best light.

Telephone interview tips

Act as if it is a typical interview. Research the job, take a shower, wear smart clothes and ensure your interview space is free of distraction. This is a special moment in your career, so prepare accordingly. If you are slumping in bed in your PJs, it is unlikely that you will sound fresh and alert. The interviewer will notice.

Have your notes ready to go. One useful aspect of a telephone interview is that you can prepare a cheat sheet of reminders with what you want to talk about. It is a good idea to conduct the interview at a table so that you can spread these out to avoid any tell-tale rustling. Don’t read from a script; the interview should be as authentic as possible.

Tell them about your online presence. The interviewer may be sitting in front of a computer, so they might want to flick through your LinkedIn profile or personal branding website. Telephone interviews can be a little boring as they only have a copy of your CV, so seeing your social posts might trigger more interesting questions.

Listen actively and answer accurately. Your interviewer will likely have multiple phone interviews lined up, so they will value being understood the first time they ask. Don’t feel that you need to rush your answers (they will also appreciate the break to pause for thought), but make sure that you only share the information that they are requesting.

Expect a functional interview, so be brief. Telephone interviews are often used to whittle down the list of candidates, so interviewers will ask quick-fire functional questions to qualify your professional and personal suitability. Don’t try to second guess the answers that they are looking for – answer honestly and keep it brief. Your fascinating career stories can wait.

Telephone blunders

Don’t tell the interviewer that you love them. It might be that you are in the habit of saying “bye, love you” at the end of phone calls with family. So many things about your telephone interview are the same as a regular call, so you need to remind yourself not to fall into any such embarrassing habits. Imagine an interviewer inadvertently responding, “love you, too.”

Don’t expect any immediate next steps. Unless you are a stellar candidate they 100% want for a second interview, you should wait for them to complete the phone interview process before you hear about the next steps. Be patient and don’t badger them at the end of the chat. Simply say thank you for the opportunity and that you are keen to progress.

Tell them about your online presence.

You should expect a significant number of telephone interviews throughout your job search – with external recruiters, in-house HR managers and hiring managers. You will become more proficient with some experience, but try to make the most of the early ones. 

Be the candidate that they can’t wait to meet in person.

***

This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists. 

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).