Ace your Phone Interview: Grab the talk

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The telephonic interview has become a prelude that allows the employer a Tete-a-tete with the
candidate for scheduling the face to face interview. But with hundreds of candidates often vying
for the same job these days, the recruiters are increasingly resorting to the telephonic interview
for posing the kinds of in-depth questions that were earlier reserved for the finale! This is because
the employers feel that the bar has been raised much higher for the next level, catching candidates
off- guard. They feel that even the stakes are much higher than before!

So read on how to avoid any trouble on-line.

Prepare like it’s an in-person interview

Until lately, you could often breeze through most telephonic interviews in 15 mins or less by
answering a few softball questions. Only a slight groundwork was needed and a large chunk of
people could anticipate an invite for the’ real interview’ before hanging up. But these days you
need to set aside half an hour or so for the telephonic round. So try prepping up for the phone
interview as much as you would for the actual round. The interviewer might ask you to talk about
your work at length and cite examples that illustrate your strengths for the job you are applying
for.

Always keep a hard copy of your resume in front of you

In a world where we rely on the internet for virtually everything, it may be hard to imagine a time
when it won’t be around to access any important information. This may sound old school or
obsolete to most people but a hard copy could just be the thing to help you sail smoothly through
the interview. Although chances are bleak that your internet would suddenly crash during your
telephonic round but it’s always good to have a physical copy for your reference to help you stay
more organised during the conversation.

Choose a quiet spot for the call and avoid any distractions

Turn off your computer, T.V and do away with any random object near you. The less clutter you
have around you, the more focused you’ll be on your conversation and will be able to craft more
eloquent answers.

Avoid talking gibberish

Most candidates often start talking fast out of sheer nervousness as it is not possible to
comprehend the nonverbal cues that your interviewer sends in person, like looking at you while
they talk or adjusting their posture. So try keeping a tab on the time and avoid speaking for more
than a minute at a stretch. Take pauses while you talk so that you sound coherent and give out
details only which are useful for the interviewer.
Ask about the next steps

At the end of the phone call, you might be so excited to get off the phone that can forget to ask
what happens subsequently. So, ask your interviewer when you might hear from them next and if
there is anything else that they require from you.

Just remember, the employers are digging deep to identify the best ones among bigger lot. They
are also in pursuit of weeding out the ones who seem likely to change jobs as and when the
economy turns grim. So, brush up your phone etiquette, don’t give canned answers and avoid the
common faux pas. Just sound confident and know your conversation path!