If there’s anything that freaks people out more than an in-person job interview, it’s a phone interview.
Sure, you can be in pajama pants and take the call from anywhere. But glitchy connections and a lack of face-to-face emotional recognition can easily derail what might otherwise be a smooth conversation.
If a company asks you to set up a phone interview, there are a few things you should do to prepare.
1. Test your line.
It seems obvious, but it’s something many people don’t even think of. Call a friend from each room of your home or office or wherever you’ll be taking the call. How do you sound? Is the reception particularly good in one room and bad in another? Find these things out now before you’re pacing around on the phone interview and suddenly have to repeat everything you’ve said because your service has cut out. The same thing for Skype or Google Hangout interviews — test your connection with friends to triple-check that all works well, and make sure your passwords are already saved so that you don’t have to scramble right before the interview.
2. Prepare some conversation starters.
The best phone interviews start with a bit of back and forth — it sets the tone and allows you to show off a bit of your personality. Since the person can’t see you smile or feel any connection to you through eye contact, make sure to speak with a smile. It sounds strange, but smiles can be heard — you’ll immediately sound more excited and enthusiastic, which bode well for your interview in general.
Also prepare some conversation starters. These could include:
a. Ask how the person is doing today. Instead of saying “How are you?” say “How are you today?” That one little change in phrasing opens up the door for people to answer with something more substantial than “good.” They might say “Oh it’s crazy here — our web redesign is launching tonight so it’s been busy. How bout yourself?” The conversation will evolve naturally from there.
b. Talk about something in your industry. You can say something like, “I’m glad we’re talking today — did you see what happened last week with [some big industry trend or news]?” This will not only give you some foundation to work off of, but a way for the interviewer to see that you’re paying attention to what’s going on.
Related: How to Write the Best Cover Letter
3. Create a cheat sheet to keep you focused.
The one major benefit to doing a phone interview is that you can keep your prep material right in front of your face. The best bet is to write yourself a cheat sheet with anything you feel might be relevant to talk about in the conversation. Stay away from long sentence and stick to big keywords — your brain will know how to connect the dots.
4. Always ask if the person can hear you.
Even if you know everything appears to be working well, it’s worth checking to see that the interviewer can hear you. Softening that question with “My service can be spotty sometimes,” makes you seem more human, which is always important on a phone interview.
5. Thank them and offer to do it again.
It doesn’t matter whether you asked for the phone interview or the person on the other end did: thank that person for taking the time to chat. Go a step further and say “Happy to follow up with anything you need or if you want to arrange another call or in-person chat.” Your appreciation and willingness to keep talking will not go unnoticed.
