I’ve put in an application for a job that I’m very interested in, and tomorrow I have a phone interview. Does anyone have any experience with a phone interview and what I should expect? In the past I’ve always had face to face interviews and this is a bit different.
Any advice would be appreciated.
It depends. Sometimes places will use the phone interview as a first cut to weed out those who wouldn’t be right (salary reqs or some other basic mismatch) and then decide who to bring in for a face-to-face interview. Do you know if this is the first step or this will be the only interview?
In any case, speak clearly and enthusiastically and your attitude should come across fine. If it is a screening interview they may ask more rote kinds of questions; answer them fully but know when to stop talking. 
My brother had a phone interview at one point and they told him he didn’t come across with a good personality. Um, he’s an actuary. 
Keep a mirror near the phone and use it to keep yourself smiling. A smile will have a huge positive impact on your voice quality–you’ll sound happier and more confident.
As gigi said, phone interviews are usually the intermediate step. You made their first cut, but they want to narrow it down before they do time-consuming in-person interviews.
You may be speaking with an HR person or someone like that, rather than the person who will be actually hiring/working with you.
Be sure to have your resume and anything else you might want to refer to regarding your work history in front of you, as well as something to take notes on.
The one time I had a telephone interview, it was of the weeding out sort. They asked me:
Basically after asking the question about my salary, she was quite clear “We want to know whether it’s worth pursuing this with a face to face interview. If your salary is beyond our current budget, then there’s no need to proceed.”
Lasted all of 5 minutes. The only question that I had never been asked before was #4, if I could easily be replaced.
Phone interviews can be great. Think of a regular interview in which you are allowed to use all the cheat notes you want. Keep your resume they have in front of you. Make an easy to read list of all the point YOU want to get across. Have a list of relevant questions YOU want answered. Best of all you don’t need to get dressed up, I have used a speaker phone but it must be of excellent quality. Make sure there are no noises around of any kind, just your voice, which means you need to keep the “uhs” to a minimum. Speak clearly and distinctly, keep a glass of water handy and hit mute when you take a sip or clear your throat.
I’ve had a couple. I’m a student, so some of the questions are different (everyone wants to discuss my research, for instance) but I agree with the other posters. One technical thing, if possible, is to try to use a landline instead of a cell phone. You can hear yourself with the landline and, more importantly, there won’t be those annoying cutout times when you’re both trying to talk at once.
I’ve had two phone interviews in the last month and both companies want to bring me out for a site interview. Thinking of it like a regular face-to-face interview is a good starting point.
That’s a good point–you should have some questions to ask to show you are interested but this person may not be someone you’ll be working for or with directly so you may not get around to talking specifics about the position. That’s OK–ask a couple of questions to show you have thought about it and have an in-depth discussion when you get the face-to-face interview.
Thanks for all of the responses. I hadn’t thought about having my resume in front of me, but that makes perfect sense. I also like the idea of smiling, even if they can’t see me.
This company does a pre-screening call, a couple of phone interviews, and then they have you come in to interview. From what I’ve heard around campus, one guy had five various interviews before they cut him loose.
I used to be a retail manager, and quit last April to focus on completing my degree. I’m going to school for accounting and the transition to a different job will probably be tough. It doesn’t help that I am 40. I feel like I’m competing with people younger and sharper than I am.
All I can do is try my best and forget the rest!
I’m nervous.
I’ve had two phone interviews at the company I’m working for. We have a big work-from-home force and people can go years without ever meeting their boss face to face.
I think you just need to keep the “um’s” down to a minimum, know your stuff, and put forth a positive tone. Otherwise, pretty much the same drill. You can make up a cheat sheet if you think it’ll help, and the interviewer will never know!!
I do phone screens all the time; I had one today and have one tomorrow. I’m the hiring manager and I’m trying to determine if this person is worth bringing into the office since it will involve several hours of time with engineers. I ask enough technical questions to determine if the person knows their stuff and can speak clearly about it. I have some criteria I’m looking for and if they don’t meet those I thank them for their time and that’s it.
This is huge. I do this often when I’m making a work call, because I naturally sound angry or depressed on the phone, regardless of my attitude. Makes all the difference in the world.
I had a phone interview once that was automated. It was a weird experience.
Example:
Press 1 if you strongly disagree, 5 if you strongly agree.
“It is okay for an employee to use drugs or alcohol if it does not impede their ability to do their job.”
“If you know another employee is stealing, you should tell your supervisor.”
etc.
Turn down the volume on your porn
Yep, I’ll try to remember the following;
Don’t belch
Not a good time to go to the bathroom (or flush the toilet)
Don’t eat chips or popcorn or spaghetti
I shouldn’t scream at the kids, dog, or husband
Never nod or shake my head for ‘yes’ and ‘no’
No roller skating, Tae Bo, or jogging on a treadmill while I’m on the phone
Hopefully it goes well, and I go on to the next step.
One thing to keep in mind: you won’t have the advantage of seeing their body language. You won’t be able to see them smiling and nodding, encouraging you to continue. Nor will you see them fidgeting and looking away, indicating that you need to wrap it up. With that in mind, my advice is to be aware of how much you are talking in response to each question. It’s really easy to just keep rambling without those visual clues.
Also, try to take the call on a land-line. Worrying about cell reception during a phone interview isn’t going to help you make the best impression.
To add and expand on this a bit: Purple Haze has basically introduced the idea of “being prepared”. You have the advantage over an inperson / face to face interview, as you can consult your notes, so have them at hand, with “the good stuff” highlighted - try to direct your responses in such a way that you can use your responses to emphasise these points.
If you can, turn off call waiting.
Sedate the kids, or have them taken care of by a sitter, spouse, or that guy who hangs out at the playground all day long.
Dogs/cats can generally live for at least 20-40 minutes in the freezer. Additionally it is soundproof. Other than that, do your interview in a place they can not pester you.
The mirror idea, previously mentioned is a great idea.
Have a clock with a second hand in plain sight. Limit your responses to under 45 seconds. 20 seconds is best. 20 seconds is a long time when you are talking, but it seems much longer to the listener!
Use the interviewer’s name at least once every 3 responses “Well, Bob, that’s a great question - my basic experience with banana juggling began when I was with an apocalyptic saucer cult in the 80’s!”
Have a glass of water or fruit juice handy, to prevent dry mouth. Vodka is not recommended.
Although children should not be around, as mentioned earlier, you can “use” children to buy you time when composing your answer to a challenging question:"Why do I have a degree from a prision school - well “BOBBY! You quit hitting your sister with that claw hammer - you’ll get it all dirty!..”
Best of luck!
FML
I should add stand up when you are talking on the phone. Your voice will sound more resonant. Smiling is also a great suggestion. I conduct phone interviews quite often, and I can usually get a good read if you are watching TV or thumbing through a magazine when you are talking to me. As stated above, have notes, and you will do fine.
SSG Schwartz
I’ve had a couple of phone interviews during the past month, both of which led to offers. As others have said, use a land line and give yourself a nice, quiet place to take the call in. Keep your resume handy and any other notes about things you want to bring up. Since I took the calls on phones near computers, I also pulled up the websites of the companies I was interviewing with and made sure I could tailor my responses to their areas of expertise. Be polite, professional, and sound confident. If you don’t know an answer, don’t be afraid to admit it.
Also, don’t be afraid to use your experience to your advantage. You’ve seen more than people half your age and you’ve got more real life experience. You should have a better idea of what works and what doesn’t. Think of yourself as mature and seasoned.
Good luck!
Stand up in front of a full length mirror. Dress well so that you feel business like. Do not use a speaker phone - half the time you sound to the person at the other end as though you are down the end of a tunnel. Watch yourself in the mirror while you talk and concentrate on looking relaxed and cheerful.