1. Preparation: We all know that preparation is key. But do we all apply this principle to telephone interviews? Most likely not. You should prepare for the call like you would for a face-to-face interview – research the company, find out more about the position and what will be required of you and be prepared to talk about your experience and what you can bring to the role.
2. Tools: Keep a copy of your CV close by as well as your notes about the role and company. This is a huge advantage of a telephone interview which you can really use in your favour. Obviously you don’t want to be reading off a piece of paper, but it is useful to have as a prompt particularly for the first stage of communication which many can find quite daunting.
3. Environment: Put yourself in a quiet and non-distracting environment – this means TV off and pets and kids away from you for the duration of the call. You don’t want unnecessary background noise and you certainly don’t want to not be able to give your full focus to the call.
4. Presentation: As with tip 1, you should also present yourself as you would for a face-to-face interview. Be presentable, they might not be able to see you but it is important that you feel confident. To put it simply, lounging on the sofa in your comfies will not put you in the go-getter mindset!
5. Tone of voice: It can be easy to slip into over-relaxed territory when you can’t see the interviewer in front of you so make sure to maintain a level of professionalism. At the same time, don’t be overly conscious of this as you could be at risk of sounding robotic especially when you’re reading off your notes. It is important to remember that this is a chance for the interviewer to get to know you as a person not just your CV so don’t be afraid to be yourself!
