Four Common Sense Tips For The Telephone Interview
Here's a phone interview tip worth considering: smile. A smile
is a magic thing, and in addition to being seen in person it can
be felt from a distance. When doing a phone interview, don't
think that because the person on the other end of the phone
can't see you that smiling and other positive body gestures are
not important. The best interview tip that anyone was ever given
was to smile and make positive gestures. In fact, many people
talk with their hands. If you do, consider a telephone head set
to free your hands up.
Another tip that will be worth its weight in gold is to have a
good quality telephone. It may seem silly to even mention it,
but the better quality phone you use, the better your voice will
sound. Years ago everyone rented his or her telephones from the
local utility phone company. These days people own their own
phones, and while many people use good quality phones, many use
the ten and fifteen-dollar phones they've found in the local
dollar store or discount mart. Those phones are fine for talking
to your spouse perhaps, but for business use make a good
business impression, and use a good phone. Add this tip to the
mix as well: use a landline with a cord, and not a cell phone or
cordless phone. Dead batteries, crackling sounds, bad cell
sites, and weather interference can make you sound bad at the
other end, and you may not even know it. When doing your phone
interview you want to be clear and make a good impression. Take
this tip to heart and use a good quality landline.
I once received a tip from a headhunter who specialized in
finding people jobs. While it seemed like common sense, I
realized that it was a tip of value, and recommend it to people
to this day. Do your homework on the company before your phone
interview. Do a search on the Internet using Yahoo, Google, MSN,
Dogpile or any of the major search engines. Look them up in an
online database like Dun and Bradstreet or InfoUSA. If you don't
have easy access to these online tools, go to your local library
and tell the reference librarian what you are doing. He or she
will be glad to provide you with information sources that will
help you seem knowledgeable when having your phone interview.
The last tip to keep in mind is to be yourself, and be
comfortable. One of the best ways to be yourself, and maintain
comfort during your phone interview is to practice the
interview. Ask a friend to play the part of the boss. Call your
friend on the phone and go through a mock interview, answering
all of the questions that you think the interviewer is likely to
ask. Mock trials help lawyers, and rehearsals help musicians. It
only makes sense that a practice interview will help an
interviewer. While it may seem silly, this is a phone interview
tip you should take to heart.