What to do during a phone interview

Once your resume has caught a recruiter’s eye, they’ll often reach out for a phone interview as the first step for the interview process. The phone interview is how the recruiter screens potential candidates before asking them to come in for an in-person interview and will often include some of the same questions as an in-person interview. So, while you should prepare just as you would for an in-person interview, you should also take a few extra steps to make sure your phone interview is a success:

Find a quiet place

If you live with flatmates or family members, let them know the timing of your interview in advance and ask for their help in keeping the house quiet. If home isn’t an option for you, see if you can book a study room at your local library. Wherever you decide, it needs to be a place where you can have a conversation without background noise and undisturbed.

Dress as if it were in-person

While it may be tempting if taking the call from home, don’t do the phone interview in your pjs. Instead, dress as if you were having the interview face-to-face. Dressing up helps give you confidence, which shows through in your voice. Also, you never know if the interviewer may ask for a skype call instead so it’s better to be prepared.

Be expressive and smile

Again, you only have your tone of voice to help convey your enthusiasm for the job to the recruiter. It may seem strange but smiling big while talking to the recruiter will make you sound more energetic and interested.

Use headphones

Make sure you speak clearly and can hear the recruiter well. Use technology to assist you in this. Wear headphones with a microphone to avoid any problems being understood with your mobile phone.

Ask questions

Just because it’s a phone interview, doesn’t mean the content is going to be any different. Make sure you show your interest for the role by asking good questions – find some best practices here.

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