Any kind of interview is a stressful experience. Especially if you are ill-prepared for it, and let’s be honest, you can never really be fully prepared for an interview! Your heart starts pounding the moment you enter the room, suddenly you seem to blank-out completely, you keep staring at the new faces and keep on questioning yourself in your mind that will I be able to crack this? I am not describing any exam-hall situation but something very similar to that. Yes, you might have already guessed it right; I am talking about face to face interview.
Many of you must have read articles on how to ace a face-to-face interview, where the article mostly emphasizes on how to enter the room, how to sit and how to look confident, even if you feel like your chest is about to explode with fear. Now, the real question is how to crack a phone interview? Read on the eight tips to nail a phone interview to secure your position in your dream company!
1) Understand the Importance of Preparation
Preparation will always remain the key whether it is a face-to-face interview or a phone interview. Now, what exactly do I mean by preparation? Firstly prepare yourself a week ahead before your interview. Do good research on the company and remember to ace a phone interview your only weapon is how fluently and effortlessly you speak with a perfect voice.
2) Tone of Voice
Here the key is that your voice shouldn’t sound too low neither should it sound too high. If it sounds too low, your words can be misheard and misunderstood by the interviewer, also if it’s too high it can be considered rude and unprofessional. Make sure you practice to speak professionally on phone calls. Also, remember to greet the interviewer before starting the interview.
3) Speed of Speaking
Make sure you sound confident while you speak. Now, how exactly should you make the interviewer feel that you are the one? Don’t speak too fast, that indicates overconfidence and also gives the impression that you have memorized the basics. Again, you shouldn’t speak too slowly because it can create an impression that you hardly know anything at all. So speak at the right pace, not too fast not too slow. The key is to balance your tone. You should sound ‘prepared’ but not ‘know it all’ kind of a person.
4) Have Your Resume in Front of You
Having your resume in front of you while you are speaking will help you speak at the right pace. This will also help you in speaking clearly as you look at your resume and mention all the qualifications you have as and when the interviewer asks for it. Moreover, this can also give you a confidence boost as you can see your own accomplishments right in front of you.
5) Lock Yourself in A Quiet Room to Avoid Distractions
Remember the call should sound professional. Just like in face to face interview, the interview is taken in a room with no distraction; the same should be followed to avoid distractions. Distractions can make you forget an important point you were about to say, for example. So switch off the TV, keep children and pets away while talking to the interviewer.
6) Have A Pen and Notebook in Front of You
You must be thinking why is it even important? It is important because you can make small notes as the interviewer tells you more about the position you applied for and your responsibilities. Also, think of it as an open book test. You can have your brief research on the company written in front of you so that you can spontaneously answer if you are asked about the company.
7) Don’t Smoke or Chew Gum During the Conversation
Don’t unnecessarily distract yourself and the interviewer while speaking. If you eat or smoke during the conversation it is highly likely that you will tend to forget something important that was on your mind a few moments ago. However, you can keep a glass of water in front of you just in case your mouth starts to get dry. Again do remember that phone interview is very similar to a face-to-face interview, so this rule is the exact rule applied when giving a face to face interview.
8) Listen to The Interviewer Carefully
This is one of the most crucial tips for interviews in general. You need to listen carefully to the interviewer in order to understand what exactly is expected from you. Take small notes if necessary. Don’t interrupt the interviewer at any cost. You are allowed to ask the interviewer to repeat the question in case you didn’t understand it properly but that should only be done once the interviewer finishes the question. Again I do repeat, don’t interrupt. Allow him/her to speak and don’t worry your turn will come. Also, don’t forget to thank the interviewer at the end of the interview.
Andrie Steliou
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