I am going to have a phone interview for a job.....How can I prevent nervousness and sounding nervous?

Answer 1

Hi, i work for DirecTV Technical support. it's my job to answer phones, and assist with troubleshooting.
not long ago i was in training. and one day, the trainer told us to hit "manual in" which put us into the que to recieve calls.. we were supposed to be safe, in a training que, so we wouldn't recieve calls.

apparently the training que doesn't exist, and all of us got a call at once. it is an understatement to say my heart exploded and my brains started dancing on Rainbows over in kansas. panic moments happen. heres how you handle them.

Take a deep breath before hand. think of something calming. since you're going to be doing this over the phone, put something next to your phone that is calming to you. some people like soft, fluffy things like stuffed animals. some people like violent scenes, to remind them that it could always be worse. i reccomend a picture of a family member that is always calming. your grandma, grampa, a little cousin etc.
next remember this. you control your breath. breath deepy. if you're too nervous, practice this before you take the call:
sit in a silent room. listen to your breath. how loud is it? now pretend you're hiding in a slasher flick. the bad guy is just around the corner and you're trying to stay silent so he cant hear you. drop your jaw, kick out your chest, and breath as silently as possible. unless you have some sort of breathing disorder, your breath should become almost completely silent. this is good to practice before the call. one of the biggest rules of phone etiquette is not to 'breathe on the customer.'
and yes, the interviewer is your customer. you have to convince him/her that he/she wants to pay your for your services.
Next, practice on your own, questions you think they might ask. ask yourself them, and answer them. you can also have a friend or family member ask you these questions. some popular questions include...

"what are your goals with this company?"
"Where do you see yourself in five years?"
"what skills do you believe will help you in this job?"
some interviewers even take the mean approach, and will ask you something very job specific. for example, a question an interviewer for my job might ask would be "you're about to take a call, i want you to pretend the phone has just rang, and i want you to tell me what you would say to the customer."
good answers for these questions require research. look up this company online. REALLY look it up. go to their website and research them. an example of good answers with my job, would be:
1"i would like to promote into a managerial or training position."
2."I would like to be an expert in Advanced Products such as your DirecTV models R15 or HR20." (how do you learn this? research the company!)
3. I respond well under stress, i am a team player, and customer service is my number one focus.
4. Every customer service job, regardless of a receptionist at a hospital, a phone jockey for Adobe Systems, or a buger flipper at micky d's requires basic phone answering concepts. thank the customer for calling, let them know what department they've reached, tell them your name, and offer assistance. examples include:
"Thank you for calling DirecTV, My name is Tanja, How may i assist you today?"
Many times it's important to know their name as well....
"Thank you for Calling Adobe Customer Service, my name is Tanja, May i have your First and Last name please? Thank you Mr Jones, how may i assist you today?"

if you would still like more advice, email me, i have plenty to give, i've worked customer service and call center work for about five years now. i can handle a call like no ones business. ;)

long story short, breathe (quietly!) and just remember, they are expecting you to be nervous. in fact, most HR Directors do NOT like the over confident employees. it makes them question weither or not you would respond well to having a supervisor telling you what to do.

one more quick bit of help: Use power words. there are certian words in the english language that people LOVE to hear. these words convince them they can trust you.
Assure. Confident, Guarantee, etc. look them up online for the best list.
Good Luck, and like i said, email me if you would like more assistance.

Answer 2

Stand up when you are talking. Think about a time in your life when you were very proud and capture that same confidence. Say to yourself, "I am good, I am great, and everyone needs me" before the call. You could even ask them some questions about their company and business values (if you do not already know) to make sure they would be a fit for you. Be confident in what you know. If you don't know the answer don't guess--either state you will find the answer or that you never considered that angle before. Last, smile while talking on the phone; it may sound goofy but it makes a huge difference in how you sound on the other side. Good luck!

Answer 3

Be prepared with answers to what you think your interviewer will ask, have some questions ready for the time when they will ask if you have any questions, do your research on the company. One of the advantages to the initial phone interview is that body language doesn't even matter. Have some water nearby, make sure you are in a quiet/comfortable environment, sit up straight in a comfy chair, and project your voice.

Answer 4

put yourself in the frame of mind that this person is so interested in you that thier stopping a job, going out of thier way to pick up a phone, dial your number, and ask pointless questions.

just remember, the interviewee is asking questions off of a piece of paper that their boss gave to them. they might be judging, but the judging is basically a mark on thier paper. don't take it personal.

this always works for me, act as if there a long lost friend that you forgot what you knew about them, but it's still your friend

dont get intiminated.