Today’s businesses are taking a more careful approach to hiring, and that often involves a preliminary phone interview as a way to screen job applicants. In a world where each individual is an important asset to a company or business, hiring is a serious process, and each stage of the interview is critically important, not just for potential employers, but for job applicants who want a chance to be recognized and to get that next big job. Here are some ways to maximize your chances of nailing a phone interview and becoming one of the few to make it through to subsequent rounds of interviews.
Eliminate Noise and Distractions.
Most pieces of advice for phone interviews relate to the different ways that noise or distractions can ruin your hiring chances. One suggestion is to use a landline instead of a cell phone. It’s also important to handle sources of local noise, from children and pets to local construction, before the call, in order to provide appropriate phone communications.
Having Information Accessible.
Another big part of being prepared for a phone interview involves having all of the details that you’ll need to participate in a quick and efficient discussion. The big two are physical paperwork and Internet access: by having any snail-mail delivered documents in front of you, and sitting in front of a working computer with an Internet connection, you’ll be uniquely poised to quickly refer to anything that comes up about job specifics, scheduling or any other kind of information. This can make a big difference in the result of a phone interview.
Project Good Body Language and Confidence.
Some job applicants make the mistake of thinking that the kinds of personal indicators used in face-to-face meetings are not important on the phone. The reality is that it’s possible to coach yourself for better and clearer communications, where your body language and personal confidence can show through even on a phone interview. Some pre-interview rehearsals and coaching can be alternately important in how you sound to potential employers.
Participate in Conversational Give and Take
Aside from all of the above important points, there is one other overriding necessity for phone interviews that some career coaches and others might not mention. The essential idea is that job applicants who are getting ready for phone interviews need to understand the careful art of remaining proactive in conversation, without getting so amped up that multiple people end up talking over each other.
In perfecting your phone conversation etiquette, you’ll be responding to the other person’s particular conversational cadence and style. This starts with a relaxed set of responses to greetings and introductory information, and continues throughout the phone interview, where it’s important to let the person who’s in control finish each sentence before responding. Enthusiastic or excited applicants may find it difficult or almost impossible to avoid offering up quick information that they feel will help to promote themselves, but at the end of the day, anything that intrudes into the conversation or creates interruptions can actually have a negative impact on the phone interview itself.
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