In this post, I am going to give you my top tips on how to prepare for a phone interview. If you have a phone interview coming up for any role whatsoever, please do make sure you stay tuned because I will help you to be successful. I’m not only going to give you my top 10 phone interview tips, I will also tell you what you should never say during a phone interview and finally, I will finish off and give you a list of phone interview questions that you really must prepare answers to.
Let’s get straight into this tutorial and start off with my top 10 phone interview tips.
Phone interview tip number one
Please make sure you treat your phone interview as seriously as you would do for a face to face interview. Now, a phone interview is primarily used as a filter process. The employer does not want to invite lots of different candidates along for a face to face interview, because these take up lots of time. Therefore, they will use the phone interview as a filter process to whittle down the candidates, who they will then invite along for a face to face interview so please make sure you treat it very seriously and you prepare, as you would do for a face to face interview, phone interview.
Phone interview tip number two
Make sure you carry out a little bit of research about the company you are being interviewed by before you undertake the phone interview because the interviewer is going to say to you during your phone interview, Why do you want to work for us and what can you tell me about our company? It’s essential that you find out what the company does, the different products and services they offer. Also you find out a little bit about any latest news stories that are relevant to that organization and you can do that by visiting their website and also taking a quick look at their social media pages.
Phone interview tip number three
Make sure you undertake your phone interview in a quiet location that is away from any distractions. This is really important. We do not want any distractions or background noise, and please make sure if you are undertaking your phone interview on a mobile device, make sure it’s charged and you turn off any notifications.
Phone interview tip number four
Make sure you let the interviewer take the lead. It is really important that you listen to the interviewer and you never cut across them or try to dominate the conversation, let them take control, let them take the lead and only speak when it is your time to do so.
Phone interview tip number five
- It is really important that you demonstrate good manners. You are polite and you are also professional throughout your phone interview. Now, if the interviewer is going to call you for the phone interview, make sure you answer the phone in a professional manner.
- I would say something like, Hello, Justin Blake speaking, and I would then let them speak.
- Now, if you are required to call the interviewer, make sure you do it in a professional manner. Again, I would say something like this. Hello, it’s Justin Blake here. I’m just calling you for our scheduled phone interview, and that’s a professional way to answer your phone and also to call the interviewer if you are required to do so.
- Make sure you demonstrate good manners. You are polite and above all, you are always professional throughout the duration of your phone interview.
Phone interview tip number six
Make sure you slow down and you take your time when you are responding to the interview questions because it is really important you provide as much evidence as possible of how you already meet the requirements of the role. Make sure you.
Phone interview tip number seven
Prepare answers to common phone interview questions. 99% of interviewers will use a standard set of phone interview questions. There are 10 of them, and in a second I will give you those questions but please do make sure you prepare your answers in advance of the phone interview because this will help you to be successful.
Phone interview tip number eight
You should create a cheat sheet before you undertake the phone interview. Have some bullet points created on a sheet of paper of the things that you want to say during your interview, especially in relation to your answers to those common 10 phone interview questions that I am going to give you in a second. Remember the interviewer can’t see you. It’s on a telephone, so you can if you want to refer to a cheat sheet phone interview.
Phone interview tip number nine
It is really important that you have two questions already prepared to ask. Once the phone interview comes to a close, the interview is likely to say to you, That’s the end of your phone interview. Do you have any questions for us? I would say the following two questions. Number one, what would you need me to concentrate on in the role within the first 30 days of starting? Question number two, I would say, what advice would you give to the successful candidate who wants to do a brilliant job in the role? Those are two really small questions you can ask. At the end of your phone interview.
Phone interview tip number ten
Now, before I give you those all important phone interview questions that you need to prepare answers to. Let me give you phone interview tip number 10 and that is to make sure you send the interviewer a follow up email within the hour after the phone interview has finished. Once you get home from your interview, here’s what to send.
Dear Sir, Madam, thank you for giving me the chance to be interviewed for the position today. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and learning more about your company. I would very much love to work for your organization, and if you need any further information to help you make a decision. Please do not hesitate to contact me. Kind regards, Justin Blake.
In this next section of the article, I am going to give you 10 phone interview questions. I strongly recommend you prepare for these questions are likely to come up during your phone interview. Once I’ve given you the 10 questions, we will then work through the things that you should never say during a phone interview.
Tell me about yourself
- The first question that you need to prepare an answer to is Tell me about yourself. My advice when you’re answering this common phone interview question is to use the seat format.
- Seat stands for the skills and qualities you have that are relevant to the role. Any experience you have that is relevant to the position and or educational qualifications, any achievements that you have gained in life and work so far and then finish off and tell the interviewer the type of person you are and what you will do in the role if you are successful.
What do you know about our company?
- Phone interview question number two is what do you know about our company? This is likely to come up during your phone interview.
- Don’t forget to carry out a little bit of research about their organization. What do they do? What are the products and services they offer? What are the latest news stories surrounding the company?
- Don’t forget to visit their website and also take a look at their social media platforms.
How is your previous experience relevant to this position?
- Phone interview question number three is how is your previous experience relevant to this position?
- There’s a very easy way that you can answer this question. Make sure when you undertake your phone interview, you have a copy of your resume or your CV in front of you, because then you can refer to it and don’t forget.
- Make sure you download a copy of the job description because then you can cross match the skills and qualities you have that are relevant to that role and that will help you to answer the question. How is your previous experience relevant to this position?
What are your strengths?
- Phone interview question number four is what are your strengths? Again, you can find out what the interviewer is looking for by reading the job description.
- Now, of course, anybody can say I am really good at customer service.
- Another strength of mine is my ability to work under pressure.
- Not being able to back up those claims is a different matter altogether, so be prepared for the interview with saying to you, OK. Tell me about a time when you demonstrated excellent customer service. Tell me about a time when you worked under pressure.
- If you are going to give really good strengths, make sure you can back up your claims with evidence.
When have you worked as part of a team?
- Phone interview Tip number five is when have you worked as part of a team? The majority of interviewers will ask you this question because team work is so important to the success of their organization so when you answer the common phone interview question, one of you worked as part of a team.
- Make sure you use a star technique to answer the question. Start technique stands for situation, task action and result, and it’s a great method to use that will make sure you give concise and evidence based details of how you meet the particular time when you worked as part of a team phone interview.
What is your greatest weakness?
- Question number six is What is your greatest weakness? Do not answer this question by saying I don’t have any weaknesses, because if you do, you are likely to fail the phone interview.
- The interviewer wants to hear you give them a weakness, but you also explain what you are doing to improve.
- Now, a good weakness to give during an interview is the fact that you find it hard to say no to people. This means that you sometimes get overwhelmed. However, you are trying to be more mindful in these type of situations and say no when the time is right. That’s a really good weakness to give in a job interview.
Why should we hire you?
- Phone interview tip number seven is why should we hire you? Now the majority of candidates when answering this common phone interview question will give just one reason why the interviewer should hire them but you are going to be different, you are going to stand out and to achieve that goal.
- My advice is to give them five reasons why they should hire you and you can remember these by using the smart method.
- S stands for the skills and qualities you have that are relevant to the role. You should hire me because I already have the skills and qualities needed to excel in this position.
- M stands for mindset. You should hire me because I always have a positive mindset and this will rub off on other people in the team.
- A stands for achievements. You should hire me because I have a consistent track record of achievement.
- R stands for return on investment. You should hire me because I am confident you will quickly see a return on your investment if you decide to hire me.
- Finally, T is the type of person you are. You should hire me because I am the type of person who will always act as a positive role model for your company.
- When you answer the common phone interview question, why should we hire you? Make sure you use a smart phone interview.
Why did you leave your last job?
- Question number eight is why did you leave your last job or why do you want to leave your current job? When you answer these common phone interview question, never talk negatively about your former employer, your work colleagues or your boss.
- It is really important that you are positive because it says a lot about you and your levels of professionalism.
- If I were answering the common phone interview question, why do you want to leave your job?
- I would say something like, I want to leave my job because I am ready for a new and fresh challenge where the skills and qualities I have gained are going to be put to good use. My employer has been fantastic. They have been very supportive, but I am now ready for a new and fresh challenge and that’s all you need to say. That is professional.
What can you do for us that others can’t?
- Phone interview question number nine is what can you do for us that others can’t? Now this is a very difficult phone interview question to answer.
- If I were answering this question during a phone interview, I would say that I can come into the role. I can learn it quickly, and I can start contributing to the team objectives in super fast time and this also means that you then don’t have to spend your valuable time monitoring and supervising me.
- I would also say that I can quickly add value to the organization because I have a good sense of business acumen.
- I am commercially aware and everything that I do in the role will be focused on helping your business to be successful.
Describe your current job responsibilities
- Phone interview question number 10 is describe your current job responsibilities
- Now the interviewer is asking you this question because they want to see whether you already have the skills and qualities that are a match for the job that is on offer so when answering this question, describe your current job responsibilities.
- Make sure you align what you do in your current role with what you are going to be doing in your new role.
Let’s now take a look at the things you should never say during a phone interview. Make sure you check these out in this next section of the phone interview presentation. I am going to tell you that things you should never say during a phone interview.
What the company does?
- The first one is never ask what the company does. Don’t say to the interviewer, what do you do here? If you say that you will not get hired, I can guaranteed you should already know what their company does.
- Make sure you research their organization during your phone interview. You should never give one word answers.
- Remember, the phone interview is your opportunity to sell yourself and whilst you should never dominate the conversation or cut across the interviewer, you should give in-depth, detailed answers to the questions show a level of enthusiasm during your interview and never answer questions such as No. I don’t know. I can’t answer that question because you are unlikely to pass your phone interview.
Negative about your employer
- Now, the next thing you should never say during a phone interview is being negative about your former work colleagues, your employer or your boss.
- Now, this is the second time that I have mentioned this during this presentation, and there’s very good reason for that.
- The majority of candidates who fail interviews fail because they are negative so if the interviewer says to you, why do you want to leave your current job or why did you leave your previous job?
- Don’t ever say I left because it was a toxic environment, for example, because if you do, you will not get hired. Always be positive and respectful.
Time off
The next thing you should never mention during your phone interview is anything about holidays, time off or pay. These are no go zones unless the into. You specifically asks you about them.
Read my resume
- The next thing you should never say during a phone interview is if you read my resume, you will see what my experience is.
- Now, of course, the interviewer is going to have a copy of your resume in front of them, but it’s up to you to tell them the experience that you have so make sure you are professional because by saying that that is definitely unprofessional, you should already know the experience you have and be able to recite it in a professional manner.
- Don’t ever swear or use inappropriate language during your phone interview. Even if you feel you have a good connection with the interviewer, don’t let your guard down. Be professional at all times and finally, don’t ever say I don’t have any questions.
Ask questions
- As I mentioned previously, it’s really important at the end of your phone interview that you ask a couple of questions that put you across in a smart manner.
- What do you want me to concentrate on within the first 30 days of starting in this role if I am successful?
- What’s the culture like within this organization?
- What advice would you give to the successful candidate who wants to do a great job in this role?
- There’s three questions that you can choose from.
We’ve now reached the end on how to prepare for a phone interview. The next thing I want you to do to help you pass your phone interview is to head over to my website, kareerberry.com and you can find full set of interview questions and brilliant answers with examples.
Thank you very much for reading, and I wish you all the best for passing your phone interview.