4 Tips for Your Next Phone Interview

Some employers may make the decision to interview you over the phone before meeting with you for an in-person. In this case, it's important to prep the same as you would for an in-person interview - but with a emphasis on a few different things. By skipping all the preparations with appearance and transportation, you have more time to focus on studying your experience and the company itself!

(Source: The Macho Macho)

1. Do your research - Take the time to get to know the company/organization you are applying with. Visit their website and check out the mission, upcoming events, and blog or newsletter. As aspiring Communications professionals, your tasks as an intern or employee will most likely involve working these portions of the business. It'll be easy for you to relate your previous professional experiences to the company's events, writing, and promotions.

2. Find an appropriate place to take the call - Make sure you have an area where you can sit down and take the phone call for an extended amount of time without being interrupted or distracted. Being distracted by the things and people around you could alter the way you answer a question, or simply leave you forgetting something important you really wanted to mention to the employer. It's best to be alone when taking the phone call.

3. Listen - The heart of the interview is all about listening. Even though you are not sitting across from this employer at the moment, it's essential that you are still 100% invested in the conversation. If you do need the interviewer to a repeat a question though, do not be afraid to ask; it's better to have heard and understood the question correctly, then to answer it thinking it were a different question.

4. Articulate - Speak with the utmost interest and energy. Just as you are listening intently, the interviewer will be as well. It's possible that the connection could be bad or a surrounding sound could interfere with your conversation, so by articulating, you are already preparing to be heard clearly no matter what. Make sure to smile throughout the conversation - the interviewer will hear smiling in your voice!

Would you prefer being interviewed over the phone or in-person? Why? Let us know!

Tips for a Telephone Interview

The first step in the interview process after sending out your resume and getting a response is often a phone interview.  The interview could be with a person from human resources who just wants to ask a few general questions, or it could be with the person who is going to be hiring you. It could be five minutes; it could be half an hour.  The point of a preliminary phone interview is for an employer to figure out if they would like to bring you into the office for a face-to-face conversation.

Here are some tips from an article that can help you prepare for a phone interview:

1. Hold your interview in a quiet space

2. Provide details

3. Be prepared

4. Don't be afraid to speak up

5. Avoid rambling

6. Be confident

7. Listen carefully

8. Take your time

9. Don't get flustered

You should prepare for a phone interview the same way you would prepare for a regular interview.  This is your chance to provide your potential employer with information about yourself that will make them want to meet you in person.  As a bonus, phone interviews are a great way to showcase your phone etiquette since it is such an important part of PR.

Do you have any other phone interview tips? Let us know!