If you’ve got a telephone interview coming up it can be tempting to treat it more casually than a face-to-face meeting but as this is the first opportunity you may have to put your voice to a name with potential employers, we always recommend taking just as much time to prepare. Here are our top tips to help get you started:
Do your research!
Find out as much as you can about the company including the size, what it specialises in and the market it works in. Understand more about the industry and any challenges currently facing it by searching news articles, also look at the companies’ competitors. In addition, if you have a name for the person interviewing you then you could also look them up on LinkedIn.
Have your CV and the job description to hand.
It can be easy to lose your train of thought when you are focusing on the conversation so have the job description and your CV in front of you with key points, such as key achievements or skills highlighted so you can refer to them easily. Knowing that you have these at the front and centre of your attention will ensure you don’t miss anything.
Write down any questions you want to ask
Any interview is an opportunity to understand more about the opportunity you’ve applied for, and questions don’t need to be solely focused on the role. Great questions could be based on the company culture, potential growth for both the company and your position. Have something to hand so you can take notes and then you can refer to these answers in further interviews or emails with them.
SMILE!
The tone of your voice is impacted by your environment, posture, and energy. By smiling throughout the call, you will sound more upbeat and energised. Test it out on a personal call first to hear for yourself!