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Telephone Interview Tips

Telephone interviews are becoming more popular with employers, primarily as a means to "pre-screen" job applicants before committing to the next step, which would typically be an invitation to a face-to-face interview. In rare cases, the telephone interview is the only interview. This is particularly the case when interviewing for an out-of-town position and with an employer whose policy is not to pay interview travel expenses.

Telephone interviews are "different" from face-to-face interviews and thus have to be approached differently by both the job applicant and the interviewer. In many ways, it is easier to "blow" a telephone interview than the face-to-face variety.

A few simple suggestions for adjusting to a telephone interview will make the experience much more productive for both you and your prospective employer:

Visualize a face-to-face interview.

Telephone interviewees have a tendency to come off sounding unenthusiastic. Since the interviewer(s) cannot see your body language or the spark of excitement and enthusiasm in your eyes and expression, you have to consciously try to sound interested and enthusiastic (without going over the top) on the phone. This might be particularly challenging if you naturally speak in a monotone.

Don’t ramble.

It is much easier to fall into this trap on the telephone than in person because you cannot see and interpret the visual signals to stop talking that the interviewer is likely to send you when face-to-face. The best way to assure that you do not wander into a monologue worthy of Lady Macbeth is to take off your watch before the interview and keep it in front of you while on the phone so that you can see how long you have been talking in response to each question.

Keep your responses short and crisp; 90 seconds max.

Have a copy of your resume or application form in front of you.

If any questions arise regarding your work history, your resume or application form should be able to answer most of them. Be careful not to read the interviewer your document verbatim. If it does not outline, step-by-step, what you do at work (provided your work entails a relatively orderly process of going about your business), prepare a list of such steps, in sequence, so that you can paint a strong visual image for the interviewer. Moreover, if you work in an esoteric area not well understood or easily grasped by outsiders, put your activities into a framework – and a language – that they will understand.

Have a copy of your cover letter or transmittal email in front of you.

The interviewer may ask you questions that were generated by the cover letter or email that accompanied your resume or application form to the employer. Since job-hunting usually means sending out multiple applications, make sure you have a copy of the specific cover letter you sent the employer handy.

Have the job ad or announcement in front of you.

This will enable you to emphasize those elements of your background and capabilities that conform to what the employer specified in the job ad or vacancy announcement. In addition, it can serve as the stimulus for good questions you can pose to the interviewer(s).

Have your list of good questions to ask the interviewer in front of you.

This phase of the interview is your opportunity to make a lasting impression once you hang up the telephone. The impersonal, non-visual nature of a telephone interview is actually an advantage when it comes to posing good questions to the interviewer(s). If you were being interviewed in person, you would have to ask these questions from memory, without benefit of a written list at your disposal.

Prepare to deal with the employer's relocation concerns.

Many telephone interviews are, in part, the result of good candidates who happen to reside out of the employer's geographic area. Be prepared to indicate (1) your intention to move to the employer's location, (2) any ties you might have to that location, (3) the steps you have taken or will take to meet any local bar or other licensing requirements, (4) your willingness to travel to the employer for a face-to-face interview (at your own expense if it is apparent that the employer will not pay interview travel expenses, and (5) your acknowledgement that you will be responsible for your own relocation costs if you are offered and accept the position (provided you have determined beforehand that the employer does not usually pick up those costs).

Taking these seven steps will not only make for a smoother interview, but will also boost your confidence.