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I learned a few things about doing telephone interviews, so I thought I would share them with everyone. http://www.careerberg.com

Schedule an appropriate time and location

You need privacy and a quiet location to do your best. This allows you to concentrate on your responses and not worry about interruptions or eavesdroppers.

I work close to home, so I scheduled my interview to occur before lunch (a more appropriate time than after lunch, when people tend to be sleepy). I took a couple hours personal time, did my interview, then ate lunch. When I returned to work, no one had a clue I had just done an interview on my own time.

If you can’t make it home, you can consider doing a phone screening from your car or a public location that has minimal noise and allows you to converse without interruptions. A place like Starbucks or Panera Bread may work fine for your situation. Grab a booth in the corner, set up your notepad, and get prepared.

The absolute worst place you can do a phone interview is from your cubicle at work. In fact, you probably shouldn’t do it from work at all. Even though that empty conference room might be tempting, I am pretty sure most companies would seriously frown on using company time and resources to interview for a position with another company. In fact, it may be grounds for dismissal.

Be Prepared

You should be well read on the position you are applying for and the company you are applying with. Nothing will turn an interviewer off faster than not knowing about the position for which you are interviewing, or admitting you only applied for the job because “it sounded cool.”

At the minimum you should brush up on the company’s business structure, clients, products, industry terminology, or anything else that may relate to the position you are applying for. Spending an hour or two researching these things before you do an interview can make a great impression on your interviewers and possibly land you a second interview or even a job.

You should also prepare your interview location. Have a copy of your resume, a pen and pad for note taking, have a glass of water handy, ensure your phone is fully charged, use the restroom before the interview starts, and…

Minimize Distraction

As I mentioned earlier, I did my interview from home. While this is a comfortable place to be, it can also be distracting because it is easy to get too comfortable. I shut off or put away everything I didn’t need for the interview. I didn’t do any work from my current job, nor did I use the TV, radio, computer, games, have food available, or do anything else that might distract me. I had a copy of my resume, a pen, some paper, and my cell phone. That was all I needed to do my interview.  http://www.careerberg.com

Some people may need access to a computer depending on what the position they are interviewing for. Just use your own judgment and be careful not to surf the web or play games during your interview. Your prospective employer deserves 100% of your attention. And trust me, even though they can’t see you, they will know you are distracted.

Follow Standard INterview Etiquette

Telephone communication is often less formal than in person communication. But don’t fall for that misplaced sense of informality. This is your first impression with a company and you want to make it favorable. Paying attention to standard professional etiquette will go a long way in your favor.

Here are a few examples:

• Address the interviewer by title (Mr., Mrs., Dr., etc.)
• Don’t chew gum, eat candy or food, or smoke
• Don’t interrupt
• Don’t be afraid of silence; take your time and give a well thought out answer
• Close the interview with why they should hire you
• Thank the interviewers for their time
• Follow up with the interviewers with a hand written not, or e-mail if more applicable to your industry or there is a time constraint

The pre-preparation for a telephonic interview is almost similar to a face-to-face interview but with a slight difference.

1. Keep all your documents ready as the telephonic interviewer may call you anytime.

2. Select a quiet, private room with a telephone or cell phone in good working condition. Battery should be preferably fully charged.

3. Prepare brief points that you would speak during the interview.

4. Keep a pen and paper ready near the telephone to jot down the important information that the interviewer provides.

5. Keep a calculator and a calendar ready.

6. Keep the job ad, the resume and the cover letter that you had sent in response to the advertisement.

7. Keep ready the information on the research you have done on the company.

8. Keep a short list of questions about the job ready that you would like to ask the interviewer.

9. Make sure that you do not receive other phone calls if you know when the interview is scheduled.

10. Once you know the name of the interviewer, write it down.

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Tips To Follow.

These are the following simple tips if you follow during the telephonic interview will help you to achieve your goal easily.

1. If the interviewer gives you a surprise call, avoid sounding perturbed.

2. Appear calm and greet the interviewer pleasantly.

3. Smile as you speak, as a smile helps to change your tone, making it sound cheerful to the person at the other end of the line.

4. If a radio or television is playing excuse yourself politely and switch it off immediately.

5. Breathe deeply and relax.

6. Speak slowly, clearly and with purpose.

7. Avoid being loud or too soft.

8. Be assertive and confident.

9. End the interview with appropriate compliments.

10. Be courteous and try not to interrupt the interviewer. If you do interrupt unintentionally, apologize and let the interviewer continue.

11. If you cannot hear the interviewer clearly avoid saying ‘I cannot hear you’ or ‘speak loudly’. Instead, say, ‘I hope you can hear me clearly since you aren’t audible to me.’

12. Support your statements with detailed examples of accomplishments, whenever possible. Since it is easy to get distracted on a phone call, keep the interviewer interested.

13. If you think of a comment or a query while the interviewer is speaking, note it down so that you remember it later.

14. Don’t let anyone else guide you while answering. This will result in confusion and you might end up stammering. It is better to be alone while being interviewed.

15. If the interviewer has already answered a question from your prepared list, strike it out immediately. If you ask the same question, it will appear as if you weren’t attentive to the interviewer’s query.http://www.careerberg.com

16. Don’t smoke, chew gum, eat or drink anything when the interview is on.

17. When the interviewer calls, confirm the caller’s name and company.

18. Avoid repeating questions. It gives the caller a feeling that you are trying to steal some time before answering.

19. Avoid mono answer—“yes” and “no”.

20. In case you do need time to think, request for it. Simply keeping silent during a telephone conversation is dead air time – as in radio.

21. Be natural and do not adopt any alien accent or style while speaking.

22. Speak up to the point and avoid using jargons.

23. Address the interviewer using ‘Mr. or Mrs.’ Followed by his last name and if he holds any title as –Dr, make use of it while addressing him.

24. Since the interview will be preliminary in nature, you won’t generally be asked technical questions. The focus will be more on communication skills.

25. If you are asked to quote the expected salary, truthfully say that you do not know enough, about the job to state a figure. Say that you would need a personal interview to understand things better.

26. As the interview comes to a close, you may ask, “When am I likely to hear from you?”

27. Do not hang up till the interviewer has done so first.

28. Promptly send a formal follow – up/ thank you letter, just as you would for a face-to-face interview.

Questions To Expect.

Most of these questions are often asked to find out how communicative you are and how you sound. Therefore maintain a good tone of voice throughout the interview.

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. What do you know about our company?

3. What would you like to know about us?

4. Which companies have you worked for earlier? And

Other Such Questions.

Remember that the telephonic interview may take you through to the main interview. So put your best foot forward and earn a place for yourself in the main interview.http://www.careerberg.com

Here are the keys to successful phone interviewing. Follow these simple rules and you should achieve success in this important phase of job-hunting.

• Do give accurate and detailed contact information in your cover letter so your interviewers can easily connect with you. 

• When in job-hunting mode, don’t have a disproportionately silly or long greeting on your answering machine or voicemail.

• Do ensure that household members understand the importance of phone messages in your job search. 

• Do know what job you are interviewing for. 

• Do practice, if possible. Have a friend call you to do a mock phone interview so you get the feel of being interviewed over the phone. 

• When being interviewed by phone, do make sure you are in a place where you can read notes, take notes, and concentrate. 

• If you cannot devote enough time to a phone interview, do suggest a specific alternate time to the recruiter. It’s often best to be the one who calls back so you can be mentally prepared. 

• Do consider keeping some notecards or an outline in front of you to remind yourself of key points you want to cover with the interviewer. You don’t want your responses to sound scripted, but you don’t want to fumble for important points either. Do also have your resume in front of you so you can remember highlights of your experience and accomplishments. 

• Do ensure that you can hear and are being clearly heard. 

• Do consider standing when being interviewed on the phone. Some experts say you’ll sound more professional than if you’re slouching in an easy chair. 

• Do consider dressing nicely for the phone interview. It may sound silly since the interviewer can’t see you, but you really will project a more professional image if you’re dressed for the part instead of wearing, for example, a ratty bathrobe. 

• Don’t feel you have to fill in the silences. If you’ve completed a response, but the interviewer hasn’t asked his or her next question, don’t start babbling just to fill in airtime. Instead, ask a question of your own related to your last response. 

• Do create a strong finish to your phone interview with thoughtful questions. 

• Don’t panic if you have special needs. If you are hearing-impaired, for example, phone interviews are still possible. 

• Don’t snuffle, sneeze or cough. If you can’t avoid these behaviors, say “excuse me.” 

• Don’t chew gum or food, or drink anything noisy.