Tuesday, March 4, 2014

How to Nail a Phone Interview: 10 Tips


By Stefany Fattor, Director of Career Services

1. Take the interview seriously.  Get up, and dress and groom as if they will see you in person.  I assure you this will change your demeanor and performance and work to your advantage. 

2. Sit at a table or desk with your materials in front of you. Or you can stand up.  Research shows that people project better and feel more confident when sitting up straight or standing. 

3. Make sure you are in a quiet place with a quality phone and good reception. You don't want the audio broken up so you have difficulty communicating and you want no distractions. 
If you need a place to hold your interview you can email Laura Greenbaum (lgreenbaum1@fordham.edu) to arrange a space in Career Services. 

4. Have a copy of your resume and cover letter in front of you. 

5. Create a cheat sheet!  This the best part of phone interviews.  Create outlines for all of your STAR stories and have it in front of you. 
S - Situation
T - Task
A - Action
R - Results

6. Do not assume a phone interview is less formal than an in person interview.  It holds as much weight and you should act with the upmost professionalism. 

7. Speak clearly and enunciate so they can understand you clearly. 

8. Since you cannot read non-verbal cues in a phone interview, it is perfectly appropriate to ask, "Did I answer your question thoroughly?" or something of that nature. 

9. If you don't understand the question don't jump in and answer.  Ask them to repeat the question so you can make the best presentation. 

10. Don't be afraid to pause and think before you answer.  Pauses in any interview seem long to the interviewee but are short to the interviewer.  It's better to take a moment and collect your thoughts than speak without thinking. 

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