When you’re on the job hunt, even hearing back from a company after submitting an application can feel like a victory. And in a lot of ways, once you’ve got them on the hook you’re already in good shape. Landing an in-person interview is the ultimate “almost there” moment, but increasingly, before you get invited for a sit-down, you’ll be asked to hop on the phone first. Phone interviews can be tense, but if you prepare, there’s no reason you can’t nail the talk and get on with the next steps.
Check out our shortlist of the most important phone interview tips below.
- Smile! This probably sounds a little weird, but even though you might not be meeting face-to-face, try and smile during a phone interview. Research shows that even a fake smile can elicit genuine positivity, and who cares if you look like a madman when you’re all alone. Seriously, as Forbes reported a couple years ago, smiling can lower your heart rate during a stressful event, and a phone interview definitely qualifies.
- Find a quiet and appropriate place. This might seem like obvious advice, but you shouldn’t be taking a phone interview from inside a busy coffee-shop or adjacent to the room your buddies are playing XBox in. Pick a quiet place and stay there for as long as the phone call lasts. Also, you probably don’t want to be taking a phone interview for another company at your current job where the wrong people might overhear the chatter.
- Don’t walk around. This goes hand-in-hand with the above tip, and while many of us immediately want to start pacing back-and-forth during a stressful phone call, resist the urge! You don’t want your potential boss distracted during your answers and wondering what the thumping sound—hint: it’s your footsteps—is coming from on the other end of the phone.
- Have your materials on-hand. You probably don’t need to have your resume by your side to remember your work history, but some interview questions can catch you off-guard. In person you have a little extra time to stall properly, but on the phone your answers need to be ready to go, and you have the privacy to look over your information, meaning: no excuses!
- Follow-up in writing. Don’t be pushy, but even a day after your phone interview, follow up with your interviewer or hiring manager with a quick e-mail. You can even write something as simple as: “Dear ______, Thanks so much for the opportunity to speak on Tuesday. Please let me know if you need any further information from me. Hope all is well!”
- Turn off your phone alerts. Chances are you’ll be taking a phone interview on your smartphone, and that opens up a huge potential for distractions. Turn off your notifications for the duration of the call so you’re not hearing a beep or feeling a vibrate in the middle of a stressful answer.
- Use a (good) headset. Even the stock headphones that came with your iPhone can help free you up so you’re not passing your phone from one hand to the next a bunch of times. Just as importantly, with both of your hands free you can (quietly) conduct some on-the-spot research via a keyboard or rustling through your documents.
- Schedule out more time than you think you need. Sometimes phone interviews last just a few minutes, but sometimes—and particularly if things are going well—they can run long. Plan for at least an hour so you have plenty of extra time on the clock.
- Prepare for an out-of-the-blue call. Formal phone interviews are by nature on a schedule, but if you’re applying to a lot of jobs at once, an out-of-the-blue call from a potential employer isn’t out of the question. Always be ready, and try to answer your phone professionally as a rule.
