{"id":35056,"date":"2020-11-03T21:29:46","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T21:29:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/?p=35056"},"modified":"2020-12-24T07:02:28","modified_gmt":"2020-12-24T07:02:28","slug":"prepare-telephone-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/prepare-telephone-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Prepare for a Telephone Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Though you can learn a lot about somebody by talking to them in person, these days a telephone or Skype interview is a perfectly acceptable alternative and something you might encounter on your job search<\/a>. Because this kind of interview lacks the face to face element, though, you\u2019re going to have to try a bit harder to get your points across. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get tripped up by technology<\/strong><\/p>\n

Make sure that there will be no technical errors or anything to jeopardize the interview while it\u2019s underway. Make sure your phone works fine, your headset isn\u2019t broken, your internet connection is solid and that you know how to use conference calling software if your interview will be with more than one person.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Give yourself enough time<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t sit down to a phone interview 2 minutes before it starts, and also avoid scheduling something else for right after. If you\u2019re rushed or distracted, it will show in your voice<\/a> and you won\u2019t be able to give the interviewer your full attention.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s still an interview<\/strong><\/p>\n

It might sound silly, but prepare your interview as you would an in-person one<\/a>: get dressed nicely<\/a>, sit up straight, and smile and gesture as you talk. True, they won\u2019t see any of this, but it will absolutely come through in your voice and what you say. It\u2019s possible to hear when a person is smiling. Throw your shoulders back and open your lungs so that your voice projects well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Focus on your breathing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking of your voice, in a telephonic interview this becomes much more important as it\u2019s all the interviewer has to go on. Take some deep breaths beforehand and remember to slow down (people often speak too quickly when they\u2019re nervous). Enunciate your words clearly, avoid saying \u201cum\u201d or \u201clike\u201d and make sure you\u2019re not breathing heavily into the mouthpiece. Pay attention also to the pitch of your voice: nervousness makes the voice higher-pitched. Consciously lower your voice a little and try to speak clearly, calmly and with focus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Watch for distractions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let everyone know when and where you will be having your telephone interview and that they should not disturb you. A barking dog or crying baby in the background can be distracting and unprofessional. Make sure you won\u2019t be receiving guests, other calls or people hooting at your gate during this time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Be prepared<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a little unprofessional<\/a> to ask your interviewer to just \u201chang on a second\u201d while you scratch around for your CV or some other information. Have everything easily on hand and be ready to answer questions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pay attention to the conversation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lastly, a telephonic conversation can\u2019t fall back on non-verbal or body language, so you\u2019ll need to be more clear in your communication<\/a>. Listen carefully, don\u2019t interrupt and think for a second what you intend to say before you say it. Keep your voice friendly and professional, and you\u2019ll make a good impression on your interviewer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Though you can learn a lot about somebody by talking to them in person, these days a telephone or Skype interview is a perfectly acceptable alternative and something you might encounter on your job search. Because this kind of interview lacks the face to face element, though, you\u2019re going to have to try a bit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":171838,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35056"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35056"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":171908,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35056\/revisions\/171908"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/171838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.joblife.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}