Top Tips for Phone Interviews

These are our top tips for attending a phone interview:

Remove all distractions

Plan ahead for the interview and ensure that you cut out all possible distractions. Ensure that the room you will be in is nice a quiet. Give your family or housemates the heads up and ask them to keep noises to the minimum as you would not want to hear the vacuum cleaner going off next door in the middle of the interview. If using a mobile phone, ensure that it fully charged and that you have good coverage.

Preparation is key

It can be very beneficial to have your CV, cover letter and perhaps job descriptions in front of you alongside pen and paper to take notes if required. Prepare for your phone interview the same way as you would for an in person interview. This means researching the company, practice potential interview questions and preparing questions you may want to ask at the end of the interview.

Notes

Perhaps you would like to write a few notes for yourself to look at during the interview to keep your thoughts on track and to prompt you when answering certain questions. However, be careful that you do not appear to be reading answers off.

Bring across your personality

Of course, it can be more challenging to connect with the interviewer over the phone- this is often easier in person as we can see the other person’s body language. It is not all lost however as you can bring across your personality by imaging the person in front of you when speaking to them. It is possible to ‘hear a smile’ over the phone by simply smiling when speaking. Try it out! Ensure that your voice is clear and take your time answering questions.

IRD Duhallow’s SICAP-funded Job Centre offers support and guidance to people in relation to CV preparation, the interview process and job seeking. Contact Stephanie on 02960633 for assistance.