7 Telephone Interview Tips

1. Prepare to be someplace private and sound-proof and far away from dogs, babies and traffic.
2. Close your laptop or sit away from your computer. Ideally, look at a photo that invokes happy memories.
3. Listen to the interviewer’s questions with focus and attention. (We have two ears and one mouth for a reason)
4. Pause before you answer.
5. Adopt the pace, volume and energy of  the interviewer.
6. Be specific. When you make a claim such as, “I am very proficient with Excel” back-up your assertion with evidence or give an example:  “In fact, I recently created a spreadsheet the whole customer service department uses. They love my spreadsheet because it categorizes data in way that is meaningful to them.”
7. Back up your answers with specific examples: (proof that you are the real thing)
   • Follow this answer outline: W.H.O.
     • What Happened?
     • How did you do it?
     • What was the outcome? Even if outcomes are negative, share what you learned from the experience. This willingness to admit you’ve made mistakes indicates you are comfortable with yourself.

This post was written by Lisa Jacobson

Categorized in: General