5 tips to ace a telephone interview

Telephonic interviews can be taxing but you have to crack it to improve your chances of getting the job

Telephone interviews are a sniff test to judge whether you are worthy to be considered for the next level of the hiring process. Most organisations use it as a first step to check candidate credentials and suitability, including communication skills, confidence and level of interest.

These typically last for 20-30 minutes. The questions are focussed on general competencies and skills. While most things work to the advantage of a candidate, they can be nerve-racking at times. Here are a few helpful tips:

Manage surroundings: Being in an environment ofyour choice is a big advantage. The challenge is to manage it well. Nothing is more distracting or upsetting in a telephonic interview than interruptions in the conversation. Ensuring that the place is quiet is the primary step. Ashish Bakshi, senior manager-Human Resources, MediaTek India feels that disabling extra phone features is a highly professional step and ensures smooth, uninterrupted flow. Have your notes, a copy of resume and interview details in front of you. Put them in an order so that you can easily reach for information you might want to refer to.

Show enthusiasm: Remember, there is no benefit of expressions and eye contact to show your excitement and interest in a telephonic interview. You need to demonstrate your enthusiasm and interest through verbal interjects. Ensure that you reinforce positive affirmative words into the conversation pauses, such as ‘Yes’,  ‘Sure’, ‘Understood’, ‘All Right’.  A smile can do the trick. Smiling when you speak brings energy and excitement to your voice.  This can be sensed by the interviewer. When you smile, you will be more relaxed and you will sound more confident and assertive, said Bakshi.

Communicate effectively: Clarity of communication and thoughts is important. Do not engage in any activities that will hinder your speech such as smoking or eating. Sound communication is also the basis for someone to judge confidence levels. Hence, it is important to constantly improve upon your communication skills, believes Bakshi. Ensure that you are clear and audible.

Listen: Let the interviewer complete his/her question or thought and avoid any kind of interruption. Being a good listener is important and it is much more crucial in a telephonic conversation. If there is any doubt in any question, make sure you clear it before answering else it will look like you are not attentive. Once you have understand the question, respond proficiently and to-the-point.  Reinforce the positive and avoid the negative.

Practice: Probably the most important component is to be well prepared to handle a telephonic interview. Bakshi advises doing mock telephonic interviews to avoid fumbling and hitches during the actual interview. During these mock interviews make a note of areas where you need to focus on, be it tangible or intangible – environmental, behavioural or technical.

Apeksha Kaushik, TimesJobs.com Bureau

 

5 tips to ace a telephone interview