Ready Steps:

• Even if you are still only looking for a job, you’d better start waking up like the rest of the workforce do
• Silence. Pick a spot where you can have the telephone interview quietly.
• Have a pen, paper, and of course, your resume ready.
• Treat it as a personal one-on-one interview.

Tips Via lifespy

Be Prepared to Interview

• Keep your resume in clear view, on the top of your desk, or tape it to the wall near the phone, so it's at your fingertips when you need to answer questions.
• Have a short list of your accomplishments available to review.
• Have a pen and paper handy for note taking.
• Turn call-waiting off so your call isn't interrupted.
• If the time isn't convenient, ask if you could talk at another time and suggest some alternatives.
• Clear the room - evict the kids and the pets. Turn off the stereo and the TV. Close the door.
• Unless you're sure your cell phone service is going to be perfect, consider using a landline rather than your cell phone to avoid a dropped call or static on the line.

Full Story

Pre-contact

• In certain circumstances it may be important to give additional contact information.
• Next, think about your answering machine message.
• It is helpful if recruiters can be sure they've called the right number.
• If you have roommates, housemates, a spouse, or children it's important to work out a system of message-taking.
• After you mail your applications and while you are waiting for the phone to ring is a good time to create a mini-job log to have near the phone.

When You Miss the Contact

• If the hiring staff leaves a message for you, return the call as soon as you can.
• If the message was left for you at 1 pm, and you didn't get it until you returned home at 7:30, call and leave a voicemail then.

When You're There for the Contact

• Where there is less universal agreement among recruiters, however, is your answer.
• While you are talking, make sure that your cordless phone battery is not about to run out, that your roommate is not about to run the vacuum, and that you will be able to concentrate.
• It's important that you are clear about whether or not you can hear the interviewer clearly.
• As with any interview, be prepared to ask questions at the end. You want to have the recruiter(s) hang up with a good impression of your interest in the company.

After the Call

• Immediately after the call, write a short thank-you note.

For Individuals With Hearing Loss/Deafness

• Phone interviews are not an impossibility.
• In the computer age, another suggestion may be a real-time conversation via chat technology.

A Chance to Test the Waters

• The phone interview is the second step in the process for many recruiters.

Article Via QC

1. Have your research and company notes to hand. You should also have a copy of the resume that you sent to that company. Remember, the most effective resume are those that are especially tailored.

2. Take a "surprise" call in your stride. If you are looking for work then no telephone interviews should really be a "surprise."

3. Be calm and collected. Remember to slow your breathing...at least try by counting to 5 with each inhale and exhale.

4. Smile - it really makes a difference in your voice so much so that the person on the other end can tell when you are smiling.

5. Sound positive, friendly, and collected.

6. If you need time say..."Thank you for calling. Would you wait just a moment while I close the door?" Rest the phone as you pull out your resume and company information.

7. Be professional, as if it was a face-to-face interview. Don't be over-familiar with the interviewer. It does happen!

8. You should always refer to the interviewer by his or her surname until invited to do otherwise.

9. Listen carefully to the interviewer. Listening and communication skills are essential.

10. Answer politely and keep to the point...telephone interviews are seldom more than 15 minutes.

All Tips

1. Have your research and company notes to hand. You should also have a copy of the resume that you sent to that company. Remember, the most effective resume are those that are especially tailored.

2. Take a "surprise" call in your stride. If you are looking for work then no telephone interviews should really be a "surprise."

3. Be calm and collected. Remember to slow your breathing...at least try by counting to 5 with each inhale and exhale.

4. Smile - it really makes a difference in your voice so much so that the person on the other end can tell when you are smiling.

5. Sound positive, friendly, and collected.

6. If you need time say..."Thank you for calling. Would you wait just a moment while I close the door?" Rest the phone as you pull out your resume and company information.

7. Be professional, as if it was a face-to-face interview. Don't be over-familiar with the interviewer. It does happen!

8. You should always refer to the interviewer by his or her surname until invited to do otherwise.

9. Listen carefully to the interviewer. Listening and communication skills are essential.

10. Answer politely and keep to the point...telephone interviews are seldom more than 15 minutes.

All Tips