Phone interviews are used in most cases for the following reasons:
- With increased social distancing rules in place, companies prefer to shortlist candidates rather than interviewing a large number of applicants face to face.
- With a large number of applicants, companies often want to make a further selection of the applicants by means of a phone interview.
- The application documents are interesting, but there are questions that the company wants to clarify beforehand.
You should always regard a phone interview as a real job interview and prepare yourself for the phone interview accordingly. After a successful phone interview, you are usually invited to a personal or face to face interview. In some cases, you may get the job straight away.
Doing the right preparation for the phone interview
You will usually receive the invitation to the phone interview by email, in which you have an appointment that you can confirm or suggest a new one date and time. You must start preparing for the phone interview immediately after this email.
After applying for jobs, it is important that you check your email regularly. Please keep checking your junk/spam folder as well.
A voicemail message that may be funny for your friends can quickly leave an unprofessional impression on HR managers if they call you to set up a phone interview. Therefore, change your voicemail notification to a standard one, for example, “Thank you for your call. Sorry, I am not available at the moment. If you leave your name, number and a message after the beep, I will call you back.”
For optimal phone interview preparation, it is best to read the job advertisement again and note the key responsibilities mentioned in the ad.
If you have been applying for IT jobs and are not getting a callback, it may be you lack the skills and knowledge required by the jobs. Preparing for phone interviews is covered in our Job Program packages which include IT courses, IT training, IT certifications, career counselling, local work experience or internships.
Phone interview and body language: the optimal posture
It may sound unreal; however, your facial expressions and gestures are also expressed through the phone, so you should follow a few rules for successful applications on the phone. Your body language is reflected in your voice, which interviewers are rating.
The phone interview is a standard method for personnel selection. And even in the job, you cannot avoid important phone calls. The posture is a decisive factor in a phone interview, even if the person you are talking to cannot see you.
Remember that the handset transports not only your voice but also background noise. If you want to complete a phone interview successfully, then behave like an applicant in a regular job interview. Sit up straight on a chair and try not to gesticulate wildly. On the one hand, your voice sounds less pressed during the phone interview; on the other hand, it makes your breathing easier. Your desk offers you the best conditions for good posture. Therefore, avoid walking around in the phone interview. The risk that you create background noise is very high.
One reason for sitting at a desk during a phone interview is the correct position of the listener in relation to your mouth. If you bring it too close to your mouth, your words appear “mumbled”. Too far away, they are difficult to hear. Continually changing positions or lying on the bed means that the position of the listener also changes continuously.
www.logitrain.com.au offers a vast range of job programs for IT training and job placement.
Facial expressions in the phone interview determine the articulation
In contrast to the Skype interview, conversational partners do not see you. Still, you can “hear” a silent smile even during a phone interview because a friendly face usually makes the voice sound friendlier. If you pull the corners of your mouth down, you can’t look friendly.
The facial muscles also include the lip muscles, which are crucially involved in the articulation. If it is tense in any way, the sounds become indistinct. Therefore: smile friendly instead of grimacing. The body language in a phone interview must be as serious as in a normal job interview.
Gestures in the phone interview
Wild gesturing also seems restless when replying on the phone. Especially when your active hand is holding the handset, playing with a pen or necklace can not only be audible but can also distract you from the phone interview. Therefore, try to use your hands consciously and calmly during the phone interview.
Hope it helps. Good luck with your job hunt !
