Phone interviews seem far less scary than regular interviews. Perhaps this is because whilst discussing your suitability for the role of a sub-editor at your local newspaper, in a phone interview you could be sitting on the toilet in your pyjamas, as opposed to dressed up in a new suit in an intimidating office, desperately trying to hide your sweaty palms.
That said, there are still some crucial things to remember when preparing to have a phone interview:
1. Make sure you are in a quiet place with no background noise or music.
Background noise can be extremely distracting to both the interviewer and interviewee and can also indicate your lack of respect for the position you are applying for. This is because a phone interviewer would expect the person they are interviewing to have found a quiet, preferably empty space for the allotted interview time, and thus may consider the person on the other end of the phone as lazy and lacking interest in the position for not managing to do so.
2. All the interviewer can really know about you is how you sound.
- not your hair colour, weight, height or anything else. This means it's vitally important for your voice to not sound croaky, like you have a hangover or tired. If you have a cold, apologise for it at the beginning of the interview, so that the interviewer knows that you do not always sound like that!
3. Have a copy of your CV and a few notes in front of you so you feel prepared.
This is a major advantage a phone interview has over a regular interview. Take advantage of not being seen by writing down a few pointers like reasons why you want the job, and reasons why you're qualified for it, so if you get stuck for answers or feel nervous, you only need to look right in front of you for reassurance.
4. Remember to take deep breaths before answering and don't rush into things.
If you ever feel lost on an answer, simply rephrase the question saying something like 'so you mean?', to give you time to think. Interviews are not a test of the speed of your answer, but the quality of it, so remember to think!
So remember these pointers if you are preparing for a phone interview. Good luck!
Kate, GRB Journalist
