The best part about a phone interview is you can relax about your appearance…no need to dress up or even get dressed if you don’t want — who’s going to see you? However, you may want to reconsider and treat your phone interview just like an in-person one, dressing and preparing for it the same way.
- Dress for the job you want. Whether on the phone or in person to interview, it helps to wear appropriate clothes for the part. Consider how you feel when you put on your fanciest outfit to go to a formal party or a uniform to play a sport — it helps you feel as though you’ve taken on the role. Even on the phone, your role is that of an interviewee, and dressing professionally may well help influence how you approach the interview. A positive mental attitude can have a strong impact on your responses; interviewers can hear it in your tone.
- Prep appropriately. Again, as with an in-person interview, have a notepad and pen ready as well as the latest copy of your resume to refer to. Go over the job description and make notes on how your experience and skills fit each aspect well. Here’s where doing a phone interview truly gives you an advantage — you can, and should, have those notes in front of you to refer to during the interview. Become very familiar with the company and research information about your interviewer if you can. Have a list of your own questions ready to ask.
- Be your best interview self. If you feel it will give you more energy, do the interview standing up. Allow yourself to use your hands to gesture if that comes naturally to you. Don’t use speaker phone — you know the sound quality gets poorer, and you want to avoid that at all costs. Remember to smile; you can tell when someone is smiling as you speak with them on the phone and so will your interviewer hear it in your voice. Have water nearby so your mouth doesn’t go dry while talking…and asking to pause for a sip of water can give you a few extra seconds to think about your reply.
- Listen. You may feel pressure to gab during a phone interview because the person can’t see physical cues to interpret what you mean. An interview should ideally be a two-way conversation; allow the other person time to talk. Feel free to ask, “Did I answer your question completely?” This gives the interviewer a chance to think over what you’ve said and ask follow-up questions.
Think of the phone interview as a stepping stone to the next phase, meeting in person. The better you can do on the phone, the more likely you’ll get the face-to-face interview, and you’ll have already made that all-important first impression.
For more interview tips, read our related blog posts or reach our to our medical staffing team at Medical Professionals today!
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