Employers usually conduct the phone interviews to shortlist the best candidates from the huge pool of talent, whom they would like to see for a personal interview. Recruitment is a time consuming job and the telephonic interviews provide the recruiters a good opportunity to screen the best candidates.
You might feel that a phone interview is easier to manage which it of course is for the convenience of location it offers to you but don’t be mistaken to take it lightly. All the etiquettes and tips that you have learnt for a personal interview apply as it is to a telephonic interview as well.
To succeed in a phone interview make sure that you take it as seriously as a personal interview. Some things which you should essentially practice to crack that first round of interview and see the interviewer personally are –
- Avoid Distractions
It is important to schedule the interview at a time when there are minimum number of distractions. If you are at work during the time of interview, schedule it during the lunch time or after the work hours.
If you are at home, make sure that you are away from the television and in a separate room where there is no other noise.
- Facial Expressions and Body Language
It may sound odd but yes, the facial expressions and body language also get conveyed through your words. A gentle smile and a confident body language will definitely help you in coming across as a better candidate.
- Use a Phone with Good Connection
The phone connection in a telephonic interview is vital. If you are using a cell phone, make sure that the battery is fully charged, the phone is getting full signals and the waiting calls do not keep beeping in the background. A land line is usually free from all the problems. Prefer to use it over a cell phone whenever possible.
- Listen Carefully and Speak Clearly
Make sure that you listen carefully to the questions. If you think you may have not understood the question clearly, you can word the question in your words and ask it again to be sure. Make sure that you speak clearly, slowly and your voice is loud enough.
- Don’t Rush
Many candidates feel that they need to answer every question very quickly in a phone interview. However, if you take a moment or two to compose your thoughts before you actually start speaking, it is absolutely fine even in a phone interview too.
- Have a glass of water ready on your desk
Some times the interview might stretch longer and you may feel a need to moisten your throat. So, keep a glass of water ready at your desk.
Now that we have the tips to face the phone interview, let us see some questions that you might be asked during the interview and the ways to deal with them:
Please tell me something about yourself.
This question is an ice-breaker and is asked to open up the communication. However, it also offers you the opportunity to prove that you are the best choice for the position under discussion.
In your phone interview, answer this question by providing some information about your relevant work experience and any specific qualities you possess or projects you may have done which can add value to the job under discussion.
You can also talk about your educational background if it adds some value to the job you are being interviewed for.
It is extremely important to be enthusiastic during a phone interview. The interviewer is not able to see your body language or facial expressions but they can definitely feel the enthusiasm and smile in your voice.
Why did You Apply for this Job?
This question should be answered by relating the requirements of the job with your work experience, personal qualities and education background. Keep the answer focussed on the requirements of the job rather than talking about how the job can help your career grow and earn more.
Why do you want to leave your current job?
There can be enormous reasons for you to leave the job but keep the focus of your answer on the potential of the new job to offer you more responsibilities and challenges & hence an opportunity to grow as a professional and improve as a person.
Why do you think we should hire you for this position?
A company hires an individual if it believes that he can perform the job under discussion. To perform a job you require a set of technical skills, accompanied by some personal qualities. Some of these skills and qualities get developed as grow and gain some professional experience.
So, focus your answer on the qualities and skills you possess which will help you do the job well.
Relate to the job requirements, as listed in the job notification with your candidature and say that since you meet all these requirements, you think that you should be hired for this positionOf course the confidence in your voice will get reflected as you speak over the phone.
Can you describe your current duties?
Keep a list of your major duties ready as you start sending your job applications. This will also prevent you from applying to a wrong job.
When faced with this question, list out your major duties and also talk about your major achievements pertaining to these duties. The employer is more interested in knowing what did you do with the assigned duties.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Through a personal interview, the interviewer tries to find out how ambitious the candidate is. Recruitment is a costly affair, so, he tries to understand if the candidate is over-ambitious to stay with the company for some year or months.
While answering this question, convey that you are ambitious but would not switch the job soon after joining for a couple of thousands. Rather, you would try to grow with the company.
To answer this question, you can say something like –“5 years down the line I see myself in a responsible position where the company treats me as its assets and gives me an opportunity to be a part of important decisions”.
