The first part of the assessment process for any job application is for the recruiter/hiring manager to read over your resume to determine if you have the initial skills and experience required for the role, once this has been established you are through to the second hurdle which is the telephone screen. The reason for the telephone interview is simply as an avenue to learn about your communication and motivation, as well as to determine if you have the minimum skill requirement. With this information to hand a short-list is drawn up of the number of candidates for a face-to-face interview.
I’d like to share with you some tips on what you can do to improve your chances of being successful in a telephone interview:
Ensure that you are prepared for the call
I always urge my clients to be ready for the telephone interview call which will usually come through in the form of “Hello Nicola, this is Amanda from XYZ co regarding your application for an Administration Officer – do you have time to speak”. The biggest mistake you can make at this point is to take the call as you are unprepared. I highly recommend you excuse yourself at the time by saying it is difficult to speak and to arrange a more suitable time. By doing this you will have time to read over resume and cover letter as well as the job advertisement, it will also allow you to get into 'interview mode'. It is important to remember this is not a casual chat.
Be in a quite space
Regardless of if you are taking the call at home or in the office, the background needs to be quiet with all distractions taken away. Children shouting in the background or office workers chatting and laughing does not position you well as a professional. It is good to ask how the long telephone interview will take in the initial call to assist you in booking a room at the office or arranging an outside activity for the family. Telephone interviews can can often take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.
Know your resume & why you are applying
As mentioned above, make sure you are familiar with what you have written on your resume. Ensure that you know your key achievements and they are relevant to the position. It is good to have your resume on hand during the telephone interview just incase you need a safety net. They will want to know why you are looking for a new role i.e. are you moving from a current position and why or may be you are currently not working and what have you been doing between jobs? They will also want to know why you are interested in this particular role which you need to have an answer for.
What will they want to hear
This is pretty simple – the advert or the Job Description (if you have access to this) will tell you what they are seeking i.e. if they are asking for a strong communicator with excellent people skills – they will for sure be wanting to hear about your expertise in this area so ensure you have key examples and achievements ready to answer these questions. Write these down in the STAR format and have them handy next to you on the phone to use as a good prompt and keep your examples to no more than 2 minutes in length.
Finally, when taking the call make sure you listen to each question and do not interrupt. Speak clearly with enthusiasm and use appropriate language and terminology. Remember the interviewer can not see you, so if you need time to think of a response, tell the interviewer that you need a moment which will avoid the awkward pause
Good Luck!
I’d like to share with you some tips on what you can do to improve your chances of being successful in a telephone interview:
Ensure that you are prepared for the call
I always urge my clients to be ready for the telephone interview call which will usually come through in the form of “Hello Nicola, this is Amanda from XYZ co regarding your application for an Administration Officer – do you have time to speak”. The biggest mistake you can make at this point is to take the call as you are unprepared. I highly recommend you excuse yourself at the time by saying it is difficult to speak and to arrange a more suitable time. By doing this you will have time to read over resume and cover letter as well as the job advertisement, it will also allow you to get into 'interview mode'. It is important to remember this is not a casual chat.
Be in a quite space
Regardless of if you are taking the call at home or in the office, the background needs to be quiet with all distractions taken away. Children shouting in the background or office workers chatting and laughing does not position you well as a professional. It is good to ask how the long telephone interview will take in the initial call to assist you in booking a room at the office or arranging an outside activity for the family. Telephone interviews can can often take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.
Know your resume & why you are applying
As mentioned above, make sure you are familiar with what you have written on your resume. Ensure that you know your key achievements and they are relevant to the position. It is good to have your resume on hand during the telephone interview just incase you need a safety net. They will want to know why you are looking for a new role i.e. are you moving from a current position and why or may be you are currently not working and what have you been doing between jobs? They will also want to know why you are interested in this particular role which you need to have an answer for.
What will they want to hear
This is pretty simple – the advert or the Job Description (if you have access to this) will tell you what they are seeking i.e. if they are asking for a strong communicator with excellent people skills – they will for sure be wanting to hear about your expertise in this area so ensure you have key examples and achievements ready to answer these questions. Write these down in the STAR format and have them handy next to you on the phone to use as a good prompt and keep your examples to no more than 2 minutes in length.
Finally, when taking the call make sure you listen to each question and do not interrupt. Speak clearly with enthusiasm and use appropriate language and terminology. Remember the interviewer can not see you, so if you need time to think of a response, tell the interviewer that you need a moment which will avoid the awkward pause
Good Luck!
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