Today, the volume of qualified candidates to consider for a position has increased dramatically. For candidates, this increases the importance of perfecting engagement skills for telephone interviewing (screening). If you can’t deliver in the telephone interview, you may not get the chance for the face-to-face interview.
The role of recruiters and hiring managers has shifted from finding the right candidate to eliminating candidates not to consider for the job. This is a huge shift driven by the volume and adoption of social media and online systems and tools to find candidates.
Candidates should prepare as much as recruiters and hiring managers are investing time to leverage this shift in the process.
Here are some tips to help you put yourself in the right frame of mind to ace your next telephone screen.
- It’s real. Telephone interviews are real interviews. Take them seriously like you would a face-to-face interview.
- Isolate. Find a place were there are no distractions. No Starbucks, not kids, no TV, and no computer keyboard! Never get busted typing, while on a phone interview.
- Dress. Put your business suit on like you would for a face-to-face interview. There’s something about this preparation step that puts you in a winning business mindset.
- Posture. Stand up or sit upright to portray your interest in the job, and professional focus. Good posture also strengthens the sound of your voice.
- Smile. Interviewers want to talk to happy people. A scowl (gloomy or threatening facial appearance) will come across in your speech.
- Speak clearly. Use proper language. Don’t use slang, three letter acronyms, or buzzwords that leave the interviewer wondering if you know what you are talking about.
- Be brief. Keep answers brief, sharp and too the point. Try to keep them under a minute. Finish with “did that answer your question?”
- Use examples. Avoid yes/no answers, describe results. Frame results in terms of positive numbers, time, percentages, or dollars.
- Be positive. Never speak negatively of former employers, experiences, or people.
- Demonstrate learning. Frame answers positively in terms of learning and growing to prepare for the position for which you are interviewing.
- Prepare. Have a note pad to take notes. On that note pad, before the call, write down the questions you have researched for that employer, and be prepared to ask them.
There are other things you can do, of course. Build your own list. Barton Professional Placement Group works with candidates to prepare them for best interviewing practices. Barton Professional Placement Group can also help employers with interviewing techniques for both phone interviews and face-to-face interviews. Call us today to learn more.
