Your resume was effective enough and put forward the neat things that caught the hiring manager’s attention. Congratulations! So, what’s next, an actual interview? Not always.
In today’s turbulent rhythm of life, more and more employers use phone interviews as an intermediate stage between resume screening and in-person interview. Hiring managers see a phone interview as a way to narrow down a pool of candidates and save their time. Moreover, this can be an only interview you will have if you have applied for a remote position.
The peculiarities of a phone interview
If you don’t see a phone interview as a ‘real’ interview and believe that you can hold it in a relaxed way, you’re totally wrong. A phone interview requires you to be more self-collected and focused than in-person interview to make it to the next round. The matter is, as the hiring manger doesn’t see you, they can’t evaluate your body language, your appearance, so the answers you will give and your tone will be the only grounding for evaluating your candidacy.
Tips to excel in a job interview
The ideal scenario is when the recruiter calls you and conduct the telephone interview immediately. But things aren’t always this simple. If the interview wasn’t scheduled, you may be on the street with lots of background noise, or in the office with lots of tasks from your boss pending. In this case, ask to reschedule this initial phone interview. Most recruiters will show understanding to your situation, especially if you give them a solid excuse.
The hiring manager will ask you phone interview questions based on what they see on your resume. So, keep all job searching documents open on your computer or printed so that you’re literally on the same page with the interviewer. Review the company site and the job posting once again. Thus, you’ll evaluate the company culture better and prepare thoughtful questions with all the details of the target job in mind.
Normally, the interviewer asks about salary at the latter stages of the hiring process. But they may ask about your expectations to eliminate candidates and invite fewer people to in-person interviews. So, how do you handle this? Research the average salary for a new job and answer them with a range. Mention that you are ready to negotiate the salary further during the face to face interview.
At the end of the interview, it’s time to ask your own questions. Always ask about the next steps – in how many days they’ll get back to you, and how many final interviews before they make a decision. When you ask about the upcoming interviews, you send them a message that you’re interested in a role.
Chances are, the interviewer will ask you a behavioral interview question to see how you handled the tough situations in a past. You need to answer honestly, as an experienced recruiter will quickly spot a lie. Use a STAR model: describe the situation, give a detailed message about the steps you took and the results you managed to achieve. If the interviewer hear a detailed answer, they will be satisfied.
Phone interview skills are gained through practice. If you don’t feel confident giving interview answers on the cell phone, take some time to rehearse. Answer common phone interview questions to family members or a friend. Prepare questions and organize a mock interview at home. Make sure that you talk slowly and confidently, and avoid filler words.
If you feel too stress, consider working with a career coach. They will help you improve communication skills and ace the next phone interview.
We hope that this cheat sheet with phone interview tips will help you better score on the next job interviews. They work for video interviews as well.
What if you get too little interview invitations? Most likely, this means that your resume isn’t optimized for ATS and therefore looks irrelevant to your future boss. Or, it has some issues and mistakes that turn off the hiring manager once they read it. To understand what might be the problem with your resume, send it to us for a free evaluation. It typically takes our consultants a few days to respond, but you can order the same day resume critique at the extra pay.
Once you’ve put the phone aside and left the interview space, it’s no time to wait for a response patiently. Here’s what you can do:
It’s great if you can answer questions of the phone interview with brilliance. But keep in mind that it isn’t even a real interview (rather the initial screening) so it doesn’t guarantee a job. No matter what your job title is, here’s our advice: keep attending interviews until you have a job offer at hand. Maybe, you like some particular company, but don’t focus on it completely. The more jobs you apply for the more options you’ll have to choose from. And you will be able to select the one that appeals to you best.
The phone interview only allows you to make a good impression with your voice, so make sure you sound confident. And, if you’ve done all necessary preparation and took care of the atmosphere for a phone interview, everything should go well.
Are you getting not enough phone interview calls? Maybe, the problem is with your resume. Check the causes why your resume doesn’t work or refer for a professional writer’s help. We are open 24/7!
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