A telephone interview is often an effective way for a company to screen many candidates quickly and cost-effectively, without having to invest the same level of time and resources needed for face-to-face interviews. Telephone interviews (and increasingly, Skype interviews) are usually straightforward, since the aim is to eliminate weaker candidates, rather than to test stronger ones. Often, all recruiters are looking for is a calm, confident telephone manner and an intelligent set of responses to common interview questions. In some occupations, phone communication is an important responsibility. In this situation, the recruiter will be evaluating how well you can present yourself, convey messages and get your point across clearly and concisely. Graduate-level telephone interviews are usually short – most last fewer than 30 minutes – and typically comprise a mix of competency-based questions and questions about your CV, work experience and education. The questions that you will be asked at this initial stage are likely to include your motivations for applying, your career aspirations and to see if you would be a good fit for the company. They are also an opportunity for you to ask any initial questions about the job or the organisation. Your aim is to convey enthusiasm and commitment in a short conversation. Sometimes the recruiter will inform you before the interview what you will be discussing – use this to your advantage. If, for example, they say that they will be discussing your motivations for applying, draw up a list of your skills and explain how they fit in with the company and the position that you have applied for, including positives about the company such as their track record, successes and opportunities for development.
Charge your phone, and have pen and paper to hand.
How to Prepare for a Telephone Interview
Even highly capable candidates can be rejected at this early stage if they are inadequately prepared or not used to speaking in a professional manner over the phone. For many candidates, the whole situation can feel unnatural – without eye contact, it can be difficult to build rapport and display a strong personality with your interviewer.
Practice
Practice is useful, especially if you haven’t worked in an office or used a telephone to speak with clients in previous jobs. If you can, try getting friends or family members to call you and ask interview questions. Candidates who don’t think they’ll have any trouble with this style of assessment are often the ones that experience the most difficulty.
Research
It’s important to find out as much as you possibly can about a company, and a job role, before any type of interview; a telephone interview is no exception. You may receive some information from your prospective employer, but make sure you also visit their website, competitor websites, read relevant trade press, and keep up to date with current industry-specific commercial awareness issues. Research the size of a company, its structure, its products and services, its markets, competitors and future plans.
Plan
Plan for possible questions you may be asked before your interview. Consider answers you can give, including good experience examples for competency-based questions. Also, spend time thinking up questions you would like to ask your interviewer. Asking your own questions shows you are interested in the company and job role. For example, ask questions that are relevant to you, but not questions that it would be easy to find out the answers to with a little research on the company’s website. This is not good enough. You need to be as professional and presentable as you would in a face-to-face situation from the moment your interviewer calls.
What to Wear
Although it may sound strange, putting on smart, interview-style clothes before your scheduled telephone interview can help you to focus and get into a professional mindset. You don’t have to wear a tie if that makes you feel uncomfortable.
Create the Right Environment
If you are taking the call at home, make sure that you find a quiet place free from distractions. Turn off the television and the radio, and only use speakerphone if you are sure that you won’t have any interruptions. You may want to sit at a table or desk so you can make notes during the call or read from notes that you have already prepared. Put yourself to work studying some relevant material on your company or industry before the scheduled call, so that your mind is already focused on work. When the phone rings, make sure you smile when answering. If you force yourself to smile, you physically become more relaxed and as a consequence, your voice will sound more confident, friendly and assertive. If you do this, you will come across much better when speaking.
Posture and Behaviour
Standing up, rather than sitting down, can be a good way to keep your confidence and enthusiasm levels high. Professional salespeople use this trick to keep them focused and alert when making high-pressure sales calls. The best salespeople often recommend using a headset when making, or taking, important calls. Doing so helps you concentrate on talking and thinking, rather than holding your phone, and allows you to use your hands to complement your responses.
Staying Professional
When answering a telephone call from a recruiter, you should answer in a professional manner such as ‘Good morning/Good afternoon, Joe Smith speaking’. Unless you have been told otherwise, address the interviewer as Mr/Mrs/Miss. As the call progresses, convey warmness and enthusiasm, but don’t become over-familiar with the recruiter or begin talking as you would to a friend. It is important to strike a balance between friendly and professional. Make sure that you have a copy to hand of your CV, cover letter, application form, and any notes you may have made on the company.
Take Notes
It is not uncommon to be told a little more about the job and/or the company during the telephone interview. This is when taking some notes can prove beneficial. They may provide vital pieces of information that could be helpful if you are successful and progress through to the next stage of interviews.
Using Slang
Candidates who would never use colloquialisms in face-to-face interviews often accidentally use slang during a telephone interview without even realising it, because they are so used to using the phone to talk to friends. You should never use slang in any kind of interview situation.
Arranging Your Interview
Many candidates arrange their interviews without making sure that they will be in a suitable location to take the call. It is essential to properly plan when and where you will be when organising your telephone interview. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a loud, busy place when your interviewer calls, which is distracting for both the interviewer and you.
Answering the Phone
Your telephone interview begins from the moment you answer the telephone and ends only when the conversation, questions and your goodbyes have been completed. Even your opening “good afternoon” or “good morning” message should be outgoing, engaging and enthusiastic. Aim to impress your interviewer at every stage.
Forgetting Your Interview
Candidates who forget a scheduled telephone interview are destined to fail. If a recruiter calls a candidate who appears to be confused, unprepared and disorganised, they will be unlikely to invite them for a face-to-face interview.
Being Interrupted
Almost as bad as forgetting your interview is organising your interview at a time, or in a place, where you will be interrupted. Ensure wherever you want to take your telephone interview is a place where you will be left in peace.
Charging Your Telephone
Assuming you’re using a mobile phone, remember to charge it on the day of your interview and put it on ‘do not disturb’ mode. If your phone cuts out or starts beeping during the conversation you risk irritating your interviewer or losing your train of thought.
Time Limits
In most telephone interviews time is strictly limited; you may even feel as though you are being rushed when answering questions. Sometimes time is so strictly limited that interviewers will stop candidates talking even though they have not completely finished answering a question. This is usually because the candidate has already answered the question well enough and the interviewer has decided that they do not need any further information, and to save time they can move on to the next question. Don’t be worried to take a little time to consider questions, or your responses to them, before answering. Although time is limited, your interviewer should understand that candidates need to take some time to produce good responses. Try to provide succinct answers that convey everything you want to say but in the quickest possible way.
Time can be limited: it’s not always a bad sign if your interviewer cuts you off.
Typical Telephone Interview Questions
Telephone interviews are typically conducted by a member of a firm’s human resources (HR) team, or outsourced to a specialist organisation (such as a recruitment consultancy or job assessment organisation). Questions will usually focus on:
Your CV Work experience and academic history Your motivations for applying to the firm in question The particular industry and job role Your knowledge of the firm itself (i.e. competitors, global reach, future plans) Your skills, qualifications and competencies
It is less likely that a telephone interview will include technical questions, brain teaser questions or commercial awareness questions (although you should still prepare for these questions, just in case). Where possible, always use a different example when answering each question.
2. “What major challenges or problems have you faced?”
Demonstrate that you showed resilience and exceptional problem-solving skills, particularly if, for example, you turned a negative customer experience into a positive one.
3. “Please could you explain why you are leaving your current employment?”
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4. “Can you briefly describe your previous experience?”
Describe your hard skills and qualifications, as well as your soft skills and experience, but make them relevant to the job that you are applying for.
5. “What are your salary expectations for this role?”
It’s generally best to avoid giving an answer. Perhaps bounce it back and ask instead what they consider to be the salary range, and you can tell them if that sounds about right.
2. “Why do you want this job?”
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3. “What applicable experience do you have for this role?”
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4. “Do you think you are overqualified for this opportunity?”
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5. “What contribution will you be able to make to this company?”
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6. “Tell us what you know about this company”
Provide a short overview of the business, including notable events, and mention key phrases from the company mission statement if possible.
7. “Why do you want to work for us?”
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8. “What challenges are you looking for in this opportunity?”
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9. “Why do you want to work in the industry in question?”
State what interests you about the specific industry, demonstrating knowledge of the industry as a whole such as relevant topics, trends and developments within the industry.
10. “This opportunity may require some UK and international travel. Would you be willing to travel?”
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10 Example Questions about You
1. “What are you looking for in your next career opportunity?”
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2. “Please explain your greatest weakness”
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3. “Please explain your greatest strength”
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4. “Outline a typical work week in your current role”
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5. “How would you describe your pace at work?”
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6. “How do you approach and handle stress?”
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7. “What are your main motivations?”
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8. “Tell me about yourself”
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9. “Explain your career goals”
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10. “What type of environment do you prefer at work?”
Sample answer: Where possible, always use a different example when answering each question. It is important to be enthusiastic throughout your telephone conversation, but make a particular effort to be forthcoming at the close. Your interviewer may be able to tell you at the end of your conversation if they would like to see you for a face-to-face interview. If they do not, there is no harm in asking when you might hear from them regarding the next interview stage. If they do, thank your interviewer and ask them for some further details, such as: when, where and with whom your interview will be; if there is anything you should bring with you to the interview, what the interview format will be and how many people you will be up against; and, what are the crucial skills and key competencies the employer is looking for.
