The Phone Interview - Make It Work For You

For some, a job interview is enough to make your skin crawl.  I consider an interview like a first date (without the flirtatious looks and kiss).  However, not all interviews are face to face.  Sometimes a preliminary interview is conducted over the phone which has it's good and bad points.  A face to face allows the person being interviewed (interviewee?) the advantage of reading and picking up the interviewer's facial and body cues.  Obviously, this is not something one can do over the phone.  If you're good at "reading" voices, the phone interview might work well for you.  Here's the big HOWEVER:  treat the phone interview as the real deal.  It's still an interview, whatever the format. 

PHONE INTERVIEW TIPS (a few)

• Be clear who is making the call and at what time
• If possible, speak from a land line in case of poor reception.  Your focus should be on the conversation, not on phone problems
• Schedule a time you know you'll have privacy and adequate time to talk
• Speak where there are no distractions and noise (TV, children, pets)
• Have your resume in front of you (this is an advantage over the face to face interview)
• Take notes (only if you're good at multi-tasking) - another advantage over face to face
• Send thank you via email

So, if you're wondering if a phone interview is considered an interview, the answer is YES.  Consider an interview the most formal date you'll ever have.  

"Proper words in proper places make the true definition of a style"
~ Jonathan Swift

"Good Night, And Good Luck"

Laura Rivchun

PS - If you have a phone or face to face interview coming up and would like to brush up on your interview skills, get in touch with me at lrcareercoach@gmail.com to learn about my "How To Ace The Interview" program!