TELEPHONE INTERVIEW:
HOW TO PREPARE FOR SUCCESS IN YOUR NEXT TELEPHONE INTERVIEW
Majority of employers choose to screen first round of applicants for a job position through the telephone interview. According to Forbes, “Due to the overwhelming response most job postings get, many organizations choose to screen applicants in telephone interviews in order to narrow the pool of candidates.”
After you’ve submitted your CV or resume as the case may be, your application; impeccable, you succeeded in capturing the attention of the employers, and now they want to get to know you better.
What do you do in preparation for that telephone interview of that dream job you have always longed for? This piece will enlighten you on some of these success tips.
- Good preparation: It is a known fact that poor preparation precedes poor performance, so for you to perform excellently in a telephone interview just like a face-to-face interview; you need to prepare adequately.
Preparation here is in terms of researching the organization thoroughly to know all there is to know, and have it in mind that building a rapport with people over the phone is not as easy as being physical, so you need to make a good impression through what you know and say.
You could also have the company’s website in front of you or a copy of your resume/CV or your cover letter or your job description or scribble some good points on paper and have it in hand to help you when jitters try to take over.
- Minimize distractions: Yes, distractions could come from your environment, so you need to seclude yourself to a serene environment when you want to have that interview. Eliminate or mute things such as music, T.V, children activities etc that could cause a distraction in your conversation and your thoughts flow.
- Be well articulated and confident: You could be so relaxed during a conversation on a telephone, but when it comes to a telephone interview you need to enunciate and be fluent. Let your confidence be felt through your voice tone, knowledge and expertise. Also you must practice conciseness and especially as the meeting is not in the flesh your response must be clearly stated to avoid ambiguity.
- Schedule the right time: This tip cannot be overemphasized as anything not done at the right time mostly has negative outcomes. Normally, telephone interviews range between 15-60 minutes depending on your professional level and interests, but openness is paramount. Schedule interviews when you are more at rest and in a comfortable, familiar and less pressurized surrounding and time.
- Finally practice all these steps: You need to practice your responses, just like all the other tips and also learn to listen; so that you and the interviewer do not have speech collision and by so doing you are in for a successful telephone interview.
Virtue Edoziem.
Virtue Edoziem is a Content Creator, Research Assistant and Social Media Associate at Talents and Skills Africa Consulting.
