Best Practices for Phone Interviews

In my journey as a young budding professional, I’ve gone through a series of phone interviews for various organizations, jobs, and positions over the years. I’ve even been on the other end as the interviewer for phone interviews. Through these experiences I’ve learned a lot about things that work for me, some must do’s, and plenty in between. I’ve taken some time to reflect over these lessons and now I want to share it with you in hopes that you could take some of these things and apply them next time you have a phone interview! Here are the 8 tips I would recommend for your next phone interview.

Find a Place to Take the Phone Interview

It is important to make sure you are able to find a place where you can sit down and have a quiet, isolated place to take the phone interview. You want to eliminate as much distraction as you can for the interview. Try to create a setting that emulates an in-person interview but is still comfortable for you. Don’t forget to have your phone charged and be in a place where you get good cell coverage!

Dress Professionally

This tip might seem a bit odd to you. Why dress up if it’s a phone interview where they can’t see me? I choose to dress professionally when I take phone interviews because it helps me set the tone within myself that I am taking a serious interview. Plus dressing well is always a nice boost to your self-confidence which can only help in an interview! 

Review Documents you Submitted for your Application

A very key thing to do before any interview, especially a phone interview, is to review any documents that you had to submit for your application. This would likely include a cover letter, resume, examples of past projects, or anything else. It’s important to familiarize yourself with these items prior to the interview because the interviewer(s) will refer to those items during the course of the interview and ask you questions about them. With your review, you will be better prepared to ace these questions with accuracy and clarity.

Have Materials to Take Notes with

Definitely make sure you have a notepad and pen with you during the phone interview! This is very handy when you want to take notes on important things that the interviewer(s) say, or if you have questions you want to ask later you can write them down as you think of them. Doing this has saved me a lot of time and stress in the past so I definitely recommend doing this.

Make a “Cheat Sheet” 

When I say make a “Cheat Sheet” I don’t mean that there’s some answer key out there for the phone interview you’re about to have. By making a “Cheat Sheet” I mean for you to write down notes about the company and things you want to make sure to mention during the interview prior to the call. Have these notes during the interview! This will really help you prepare for the interview and anticipate the direction it might go in. This is something you typically wouldn’t be able to do in other interview formats so definitely take advantage of it.

Be an Active Listener

With the nature of a phone interview being exclusively auditory, it is imperative that you are an active listener throughout the course of the interview. This means not getting distracted by any outside facts, asking clarifying questions when it’s appropriate, and even smiling and nodding just to keep yourself focused and in tune with the interview. Whether you believe it or not, interviewers can tell if you are actively listening. So make sure you do because it goes a long way.

Take your Time Answering Questions

It’s okay to take a deep breath and take a minute to think through your answer, or even ask to come back to a question! This is something I definitely did not have the confidence to do earlier on in my young career going through various interviews, but it is entirely okay to do this! You want to make sure that you are giving clear and complete answers to questions you are asked, and if that means you have to take a moment to think through your answer, take that moment. You will be much better off with well-thought out responses rather than rushed answers.

Ask Questions at the end of the Interview

To me, this is an absolute must! Asking a few questions at the end not only helps build clarity for you, but it also lets the interviewer(s) know that you have invested interest in pursuing whatever position you are interviewing for. However, avoid asking questions that could be easily answered with a quick search online. Instead, ask explorative questions about the specific position you're interviewing for or even the company in general. I personally love asking questions about the direction they see the company going in the near future then speaking to how I could play into that. But no doubt, be sure to ask questions at the end of your phone interview!

Closing Thoughts

To sum it, these are the eight biggest things that work for me during phone interviews. However, I truly believe these tips are very applicable for the majority of people taking phone interviews. There is no doubt that there will be an increase in phone interviews given our global environment due to the COVID-19 outbreak, so it definitely does not hurt to try a couple of these tips. I wish you all the best of luck and success on your next phone interview!