# I have an interview! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 2, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-interview/620605 "2012-05-02T05:17:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-interview/620605/1 "2012-05-02T05:17:07Z")
I’ve got a phone interview on Thursday for a job I really, really want! I’ll make about double what I do now if I get it, plus I get to relocate myself and my wife and kids to my home state. For now, I need to start studying common interview questions - I haven’t had a real interview since about 1998 (my first job)! Every other time I’ve been hired by friends or desperate people; I need to brush up! ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-interview/620605/2 "2012-05-02T06:08:35Z")
Congrats on getting an interview, and good luck! I’m sure there’ll be lots of tips in here… mine is, make sure you have something to ask the interviewer at the end of the interview. They’ll always ask if you have any questions after they’re done grilling you. You never want to say “No!” to that question. ---
**Author:** ![manila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@manila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manila)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-interview/620605/3 "2012-05-02T06:40:42Z")
Congratulations! I have just had a telephone interview and will be moving out of Gabon and off to Korea. My tips for telephone interviews is to remember that a lot of interviewers are lazy. They will let you control the interview if you take the initiative. Have some things in mind about your skillset or experience that you are comfortable talking about and introduce that at any opportunity. If you sound positive then the interviewer will listen to what you have to say. And you have to sound positive. He can’t see you. Its possible that you will be on speakerphone so its up to you to make sure there are no awkward silences. If they ask if you have any questions and you really can’t think of any then I normally make light of it and thank them for the opportunity of the telecon and no doubt I will have a lot of questions when I put the phone down so I will get back to them a little later. Good luck! For example ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-interview/620605/4 "2012-05-02T19:28:09Z")
Woohoo! Sending out lucky thoughts! ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-interview/620605/5 "2012-05-02T19:41:06Z")
It’s a cliche, but it works: Conduct phone interviews standing up. You’ll sound more forceful and confident. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-interview/620605/6 "2012-05-02T19:58:17Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > It’s a cliche, but it works: Conduct phone interviews standing up. You’ll sound more forceful and confident. Interesting - I had never heard this before. Whatever you do, if you don’t own a cell phone, go out and get a pay-as-you-go phone - or find some other way not to conduct the interview at your desk. We just had a guy do a phone interview and \*whispered \*the entire time so his boss wouldn’t hear… based on that alone (well, OK, probably not that _alone_) he didn’t get the job. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-an-interview/620605/7 "2012-05-02T20:02:56Z")
Think of questions they might ask you, think of the answer and practice actually saying the reply a few times. If you sound confident and unhesitant things will go better. But apart from that, bloody good news, hope it goes well for you ! Good luck, we’re all rooting for you.