TEN steps to acing a Telephone Interview

For many companies, Telephone Interviews perform a crucial role within their recruitment screening process.

Here is our TEN point candidate guide, for delivering a great telephone interview that will hopefully help you to move on to the next stage of an interview process:

• Create a list of some of your achievements that match to some, or all of the job description, with specific examples (e.g. exceeded my targets by 120%)
• Find out as much as you can about the company: products, services, history, competitors etc.
• Have a look at your CV. Are their any areas you think they may question (e.g. reason for leaving a particular job or a date gap)
• For interviews in general, not just over the phone, it’s vital that you can back up all you say about yourself. Giving examples of where you have overcame a particular challenge all produce brownie points!
• Be polite and clear. Don’t speak too quickly, use slang or interrupt the recruiter. Try your best not to ‘umm’ or ‘err’ too much. Remember, your voice will be the only sales tool you have!
• Use the interviewer’s name regularly during conversation, as well as the company name where possible too.
• Try your best not to waffle and stray away from the question being asked. Stick to giving nice succinct answers
• For any telephone interview always have your CV, the Job Description and any notes you have made close at hand for quick reference. By all means make notes too in preparation for round two of interviews
• Believe it or not, smiling as your talking can really help. Studies have shown that this can have a really positive effect to the listener. Standing up can be of benefit too, helping to sound more confident and helping to project a positive tone
• Employers love interviewees to have some questions to ask as it shows you’ve gone that extra mile and that you’re genuinely interested. So make sure you make a list of several

Prospect Personnel are a Recruitment Agency based in Banbury. We deal with Permanent & Temporary jobs in Banbury and throughout Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire & Warwickshire