4 Tips for a Perfect Phone Interview

4 Tips for a Perfect Phone Interview 4 Tips for a Perfect Phone Interview Here are four tips to get you started on a perfect phone interview: Do Your Research Once an employer has contacted you and set up the initial phone interview, the first step is to prepare. Just as if you were preparing for an in-person interview â€" do your homework. Research the company and visit their website. Know all there is to know about what they do, and the products or services they sell. Be prepared with questions about the position you are applying for. Be Organized and Get Serious Make sure you have a quiet, organized place to take the scheduled call. Don’t accept a time slot for the interview when you know you will be in the car, distracted, or have kids/loud pets at home. For a hiring manager it is frustrating to conduct a phone interview with dogs barking in the background, plus it tells them that they didn’t take the phone interview very seriously. Get a pen and paper in front of you and be ready to take notes. Have the job posting that you applied for in front of you so you know what type of skills they are looking for. Know how your abilities fit with the position and be prepared to discuss how you see yourself succeeding in that role. Outline your Talking Points A phone interview’s main purpose is to weed out candidates that seem like they would not be fit for the position. Some of this will be based on acceptance of the hours, location and salary. Additionally the interviewer will likely be asking some basic interview questions such as why you are in the job market and what you are looking for. Be prepared with these answers and rehearse them in advance. You should have a 30 second elevator speech prepared explaining why you applied for the position and why you believe you would be a good fit. Follow Up Although the person in charge of interviews may have been deluged with resumes, only about 1% of applicants send a thank you note after a phone or in-person interview. If you want the job, ask for the interviewers email or postal address and take the time to follow up with a thank you note for taking the time to interview you. This will make you stand out from the crowd, and it shows that you are considerate, detail oriented, and organized. Remember, the main purpose of a phone interview is to screen OUT applicants. Many openings for work-at-home positions only have a phone interview. If you are prepared, organized, and well-rehearsed, you will be well on your way to getting that job, whether it is work from home or a traditional position. Readers,  whats your idea of the perfect phone  interview? Tell us in the comments below! This post was written by Jeri Johansen, PHR â€"HR Blogger and Manager of Human Resources at Crimcheck.com and Chair of the 2014 Northern Ohio Human Resource Conference (www.nohrc.org). Crimcheck.com specializes in employment screening and background checks. You can find Crimcheck.com on  Facebook and Twitter also.