Acing the Phone Interview

A phone interview is a regular technique used by hiring managers to pre-screen candidates and decide who should be interviewed. Once your resume has passed the initial review it isn't uncommon to receive a call to discuss your resume and experience, and to get a sense of you as a person. Unlike a traditional job interview, these phone interviews are rarely scheduled and can often catch you by surprise.

The phone interview might seem easy, but they require certain etiquette.

Be flexible

The person that phones you will probably have to phone dozens of candidates, so this is not an opportunity to miss. In fact, only schedule a call back is if it's impossible or unprofessional to talk to them.

Be Prepared

You should be prepared for phone interviews at any time. Make sure you have a list of potential questions that you can ask recruiters, your resume, and cover letter handy. Keep a document of what jobs you've applied to, including copies of the job postings, that includes details about the company, job, contact information, and a brief description of the skills required for the job.

Answer questions like it's an in-person interview

Avoid one- and two-word answers, highlight your skills and bring your answers back to your experiences. Giving well-rounded and thoughtful answers might be difficult when you're put on the spot by an impromptu phone interview, but this is a useful skill to develop.

Be polite, present and enthusiastic

The recruiter is at work so will be professional, and will expect the same from you. Get rid of all the distractions you can, even if it means moving locations. Use your best phone manners and be personable and enthusiastic. As a hiring manager I would regularly talk to potential candidates over the phone and be shocked at how bored and disinterested they sounded. Nothing says "I don't want this job" more than sounding bored. On the other hand, being overly enthusiastic sounds fake.

Ask questions

Asking questions shows that you are interested and engaging in the situation. Even if you have nothing to ask, at the very least make a comment that he or she has been very thorough and has answered all of the questions you had. If you don't ask questions it can send the wrong signal and hurt your chances of success.

Remember that the recruiter is coming into the phone interview from a very different perspective than you; they're prepared and already at work, so they will assume you're prepared and will be professional. They're aware that you've probably applied to many jobs, but it might not occur to them that you won't remember specifics about every one, so preparation and friendly confidence are key to acing your phone interview.