Telephonic interview tips

Very recently I took up a telephonic interview, at the end of the interview, the interviewer asked me if I had any questions for them. Since it was a long time that I attended an interview, wanted to know their feedback on the interview conducted. The interviewer didn’t take time to answer, and instantly came the reply ‘your answers seemed mugged up and well prepared’. I had to control my laughter, as honestly there was no effort put in to answer these questions. I was baffled and told my interviewer that no such preparation has gone in, to attend the interview. He told with a smile ‘I am sorry but it seemed so’.

So I decided to do some search on this, come up with list of most frequently asked questions and the answers to them. The FAQ’s will be available in my next blog.

To start with here are some tips to attend a telephonic interview. Remember for an applicant, the goal of a telephonic interview is to secure an in-person meeting. For recruiters, it's to narrow their list of prospects.
You can increase the chances of passing this initial screening if you follow the tips below.

Before taking up a Telephonic interview

• Keep your resume in front of you.
• Keep all of your employer research materials within easy reach of the phone.
• Have a notepad handy to take notes.
• Turn off your stereo, TV, and any other potential distraction.
• Warm up your voice while waiting for the call. Sing an uplifting song to yourself.
• Have a glass of water handy, since you will not have a chance to take a break during the call.
• Speaking of breaks, if your phone interview is at a set time, make sure you answer nature's call first.

Do’s

• Do take telephonic interview as seriously as a personal interview.
• If the call is unexpected, ask for a reschedule. It is always OK.
• You need to have enthusiasm and sound confident while answering the questions.
• Always put across the details on your experience, skills and your strong points.
• Answers need to be precise to the questions asked, at the same time do not miss out to list out your strengths.

Don’ts

• Avoid / Minimize distractions. Always take a telephonic interview in a quiet place.
• Avoid using mobile as there can be some signal problem and it may be problematic.
• If using a mobile do not switch on the voice message.

After Telephonic interview

• fter a phone interview, send a thank-you note by email that recaps your best selling points.
• You can also follow up to know the result of the interview.