What do I need to know before a phone interview?

Question

I have a phone interview tomorrow afternoon. Are there any HR's around that could tell me the most important points of the phone interview process??

I know the basics: speak clearly (enunciate), research the company, be prepared to talk about yourself, ask witty question...ect. But what exactly is the employer looking for in a phone interview. Experienced people only please!!!!

Answer 1

I had a phone interview yesterday. Went really welll...better than I expected. What really helped was that I wrote everything down. I thought to myself all possible questions they could ask and wrote what I will say. Luckily, they asked me some of the questions I wrote down... and I just read it off the papers in front of me.

I prepared for:

What do you know about our company
Why do you wan to work for us.
Do you see any areas of improvement for our product (it was a software company)
Why do you want to leave your current job
Also your strengths.

Don't forget to write questions you may have. They always ask you what questions you may have about the company. Always have one or two questions written down

That's what's good about phone interview. You don't have to dress up and you can somewhat cheat by reading the answer of from your notes.

Answer 2

A phone interview is much the same as an in-person interview, with the disadvantage that you can't use body language to convey to the interviewer how interested you are in the job. You must do this through your voice.

Speak clearly (land line if possible, cell phones make me nuts on phone interviews because there is always interference.) Don't get too long-winded - you are just inviting me to start checking my e-mail if you drone on and on. Better to give relatively brief (not abrupt) answers and then let me ask you for more detail.

Modulate your voice (you may want to listen to yourself on a voice recorder first; many folks have no idea of how they sound) - try not to screech, whine, or otherwise share annoying vocal tics. Just like a twitch or a facial tattoo, they can distract the interviewer from really hearing what you're saying.

Be prepared with a list of questions (not necessarily "witty" ones) to ask me, especially if you sense I'm distracted (that darn e-mail again!) or losing interest - candidates that didn't impress me at first have been able to turn me around by asking insightful questions that show how they've researched the company.

Close by asking me if there are any areas I'm concerned about, and how I think your experience matches the job requirements. Make sure to clarify what the next step in the process will be - of course there will be a "next step" since you've impressed me so much in the phone interview!

Good luck!

Answer 3

The phone interview is a screening tool that companies use to determine if it is worth their time to have you come in for face to face interviews. Essentially, companies are looking for someone who has relevant backround or experience for the position, decent communication ability, and a personality that would fit the culture. Best of luck to you!

Answer 4

you look like you already know what you are doing but let me just reiterate, knowing the company is very very important! make sure you also know the position that you are applying for and make sure you have the reason why you want it. make sure you can answer why you are perfect for it. make sure you know why this company, have reasons. when they ask you questions, dont say right away you have none, perhaps ask them a question, for instance "is this a new position" or "what are you looking for in a candidate?" be polite, be very interested and listen carefully! good luck!