LSE - Small Logo
LSE - Small Logo

Maddie Smith

August 29th, 2019

5 top tips for telephone interviews

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Maddie Smith

August 29th, 2019

5 top tips for telephone interviews

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

If you have recently applied for a role and have been successful in the initial application stage, you may find that you are invited to participate in a telephone interview. If that’s the case… congratulations! It’s a great indication that an organisation has been impressed with your application so far and would like to know more about you.

So why a telephone interview as opposed to a face to face interview?

Employers have a range of ‘first interview’ processes which are designed to screen applicants and these include telephone interviews. (Automated video interviews are also increasingly popular). It’s a way to get to know you beyond your CV or application form in a way that is not as resource heavy on an organisation as arranging an in person interview process. That generally comes later once you have impressed in the initial interview stage.

Does that mean I don’t need to take a telephone interview as seriously as an in person one?

Not at all. Quite the opposite in fact. It is still important to prepare diligently for a telephone interview and below are five top tips to help you get through to the next stage of the recruitment process!

  1. Prepare, prepare, prepare just as you would for any type of interview
  • Research the sector, organisation and role and think about your genuine reasons for wanting the role.
  • Review your application and think about which parts have led to you getting the telephone interview and whether there are any areas that may raise questions.
  • Prepare for key competency and motivation questions.
  • Think of questions you wish to ask them at the end.
  • Deal with any nerves with some simple voice warm-up exercises, and positively visualise a successful call before it begins.
  1. Think about your environment
  • Answer the phone professionally and take the call in a quiet location.
  • Switch off other devices and give the interviewer your full concentration.
  • Sit or stand by a table with a copy of your application.
  • Use cue cards or stick notes on the wall to act as interview prompts.
  • Make notes to help you focus on the question.
  • If your reception/line is bad tell the interviewer and arrange a callback.
  1. Sound enthusiastic!
  • With no visual cues, tone of voice and pace is really important. Smile when you’re talking to show you’re enjoying the process. They can’t see the smile but it makes a huge difference to how you sound on the other end of the line
  • Use examples where you enjoyed the experience to convey your enthusiasm.
  • Don’t write your answers beforehand and then just read them out. You’ll come across as flat and disinterested.
  • Talk clearly, distinctly and at a reasonable pace. Practising out loud should help.
  • Don’t be unsettled if you aren’t getting any verbal feedback. This is common.
  1. Think about the structure of your answers
  • Familiarise yourself with the STAR approach (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and ‘think in threes’ – ie. have three key points for open ended questions such as ‘why do you want to work here?’ Drafting notes beforehand under these headings can be really helpful.
  • Remember to give enough evidence but keep your answers succinct. Telephone interviewers often have a set number of questions to get through in a tight time-frame.
  • Pause after a question has been asked to help you structure your answer.
  • Ask for clarification if you don’t understand or didn’t hear a question.
  • If the interviewer pauses, don’t just keep talking. They may still be taking notes or seeing how you respond to the silence. Don’t start talking again – they’ll start speaking again when they’re ready.
  1. Finish the interview on a positive note
  • Ask questions at the end but recognise the interviewer may not have the answers or be directly involved in the department.
  • End on a positive note and thank your interviewer.
  • Reflect on the interview and make a note of any questions you were asked. This should help you if you’re successful in getting through to the next round.

Again, congratulations on getting to this stage of the interview process. Hopefully the tips above will be useful in helping you to impress on your next telephone interview and hopefully even enjoy the process. For further information about different parts of the interview process, explore the interviews section of the LSE Careers website.

Good luck!

Share

About the author

Maddie Smith

Careers Consultant, LSE Careers

Posted In: Interview | LSE Careers

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Bad Behavior has blocked 1540 access attempts in the last 7 days.