Art of giving Telephonic Interviews - 35 Golden Tips

These days telephonic Interviews are gaining more & more popularity all over especially in the IT sector. It is a comparatively economical & fast track method of hiring people with ease. Employers get an easy opportunity of assessing the candidates on areas like: a) Communication skill b) Knowledge on the subject and presence of mind Usually you may not get enough time to prepare for a telephonic interview. You dont know when you will get the call once you start sending your resume out. The call may come at the worst of time. Hence you should avoid being caught completely off-guard by keeping your resume and a note-pad by the telephone all the time. However if a particular time has been decided for a telephonic interview, you can go by following guidelines, that can be quite helpful when a call arrives from a prospective employer. Important guidelines to get ready to receive a call from an employer for a telephonic Interview Guideline-1: Ensure that your mobile phone battery is charged up if you are going to use a mobile phone for taking the telephonic interview. Guideline-2: Ensure that you also give additional telephone number in case the interviewer is unable to reach you on the particular mobile number. Guideline-3: Ensure that while attending the telephonic interviews there is no disturbance or noise around you. Guideline-4: Make sure that there is a proper coverage for your mobile phone. Guideline-5: If possible, provide your land line number also to the interviewer as a back up. Guideline-6: Usually the interviewer asks his pre-decided set of questions, which are based on their requirements and your resume. So get ready to be asked about anything in your resume. Guideline-7: Practice asking yourself questions, then answer them with confidence in front of the mirror. This will give you an idea of your pronunciation & facial expressions etc.. 35 Golden Tips for sure shot success in a Telephonic Interview: Tip-1: If you receive a call as a result of a mailed resume or a telephone message you left, and you are unprepared, remain calm. You can convey to the other person, in a very courteous manner, that you are in middle of something or a meeting etc. and will take just a moment to switch attention. Most Important is that you dont panic & should sound positive & friendly. Tip-2: While talking on phone pronounce your words clearly. Never try to deviate from your natural accent in an attempt to copy some elses accent that probably impresses you. But do learn the pronunciation of the words and be familiar with common phrases. Tip-3: Don't talk too fast or loud. You may ask the interviewer if he/she can hear you properly to tune your volume. If your pronunciation has heavy accent, pause between each sentence for a bit.

Tip-4: Do not smoke or eat while talking on the phone. Tip-5: Do not use any words of your native language, raise your voice during the interview or interrupt the interviewer while he/she is talking. Tip-6: While starting the Interview, you can ask the interviewer if what name does he/she want you to use to refer him/her. Very carefully Listen to the First Name / Surname of the interviewer & you must carefully remember it throughout your telephonic conversation. Now onwards you should refer to the interviewer by his or her first name. Tip-7: Do Not ever address your interviewer with some wrong name or surname during conversation because of your short memory or lack of your attention while the interviewer had been telling his / her name to you in the beginning. Tip-8: Very importantly, when you address the Interviewer, Use his / her first name or put Mr. / Ms. before last name. Tip-9: While starting a conversation, introduce yourself with your first name and last name (if any) and greet your Interviewer with a "How are you, Sir/Madam" or "How are you doing, Sir/Madam" Tip-10: Do talk about your projects in the past that is relevant to the kind of work experience needed. You may point out major problem you faced in these projects and how you approached them and solved them. Tip-11: Do ask a few questions of your own that will reveal you as an intelligent person. But don't ask questions just for sake of asking. For example, ask what immediate projects the interviewer's department is involved in and other projects the company is involved in. Tip-12: If the interviewer appears to be asking trivial or irrelevant questions - take them equally seriously. Maybe he is trying to check your communication skills and general attitude. Tip-13: Avoid giving monosyllabic answers like "Yes" or "No" or "Exactly" or "Very True" etc. They convey no real information about your abilities. Also, try giving answers which give details about you to the interviewer and he/she can ask you more questions. Use the keywords as much as possible; especially if you can elaborate on them. Tip-14: Be factual in your answers. However they should be brief but to the point. Don't drag a conversation on one topic. Tip-15: Avoid repeating yourself. If a situation arises where you are forced to say "I do not know", do so. There is nothing wrong in not knowing. Make up by saying "I do not know, but I can study that and I am confident that given the opportunity, I can master it in a short span of time". An Interviewer will always take it positively when you admit the truth. Tip-16: Do not try to hide your shortcomings, but every time you acknowledge your shortcoming, do it in a positive manner. Tip-17: Keep on taking down the notes. They will be invaluable to you in preparing for the face-to-face meeting or for you to ask questions. If, for any reason, the interview is interrupted, jot down the topic under discussion. When he or she gets back on the line, you can helpfully recap: "We were just discussing . . ." That will be appreciated and will set you apart from the others. Tip-18: Keep a copy of your resume in front of you. The interviewer may ask about individual project details, your roles, responsibilities, major accomplishments, product advantages, techniques followed,

tools used, and your involvement in that project. Refer to your resume quickly and answer the question promptly. Tip-19: Don't be nervous or panic. Stay cool, enjoy conversation. Remember you have the skills the client needs. Tip-20: You must know where to stop and start while answering questions. Never talk non-stop. Control the speed of your speech. Tip-21: Listen very carefully to the interviewer's questions. Understand the question and then start your answer by recollecting your experiences and knowledge. Tip-22: If you are not able to understand the question clearly, request the Interviewer to kindly repeat it. Request for more related information if you are not sure about the answer. Tip-23: If you are asked to briefly introduce your entire work experiences, take 30 seconds to explain all major points, client names and contributions you have made. I recommend you practice this by writing down the exact contents and reading it aloud in front of the mirror. Tip-24: Try to answer all questions with practical examples based on your previous experience. This way, you can recollect your experiences and prove that you have faced challenging situations in your career. Tip-25: If the Interviewer discusses issues regarding country, lifestyle, weather, accommodation, language, driving, culture, politics, food and family background (rare) - answer briefly. Tip-26: Never show or express unwillingness to be interviewed. Even if you are not interested in that job or client, don't discourage the interviewer especially after having started a dialogue with him/her. If you decide on another client call the Interviewer, thank him and give a valid reason for not joining. Tip-27: After successfully completing the interview process, if "do you have any questions?" ask! Clarify issues related to company background, place of work if hired, starting date and timings. Do not ask about the position offered or the salary at this stage since those issues comes under the negotiation process. Tip-28: When the interviewer asks whether you have any questions. Ask more questions that will improve your understanding of the job requirements. It is the high time to establish what projects you would be working on in the first six months. Once the details are provided to you, finish with a request cum question: "If I need any additional information, can I get back to you?" The interviewer will naturally agree. Do clarify if the person will prefer to be called or contacted through an email. Tip-29: Don't raise or talk about issues related to discrimination against race, religion, color, country and sex. These are extremely touchy topics and are best avoided. Tip-30: After completion of interview, say "Thanks, Sir " or "Thanks for your time, Sir" or "Thanks for your time and have a good morning / evening day" and put down the phone very slowly. Tip-31: If the interviewer makes a positive offer and you are satisfied with it, it would be nice if you said the following: "Thanks for giving me an opportunity to work with your company and I will do my best to prove my skills..... " Tip-32: If you feel you lack adequate communication skills, attempt to regularly converse with friends on general topics. Listen to the radio, watch discussion oriented TV programs. Talk to yourself in front of mirror and watch for, speed, lip movements and body language.

Tip-33: After the interview is over, recollect what you did, how you performed. Note down where you were lacking. These points will help you better your performance the next time around. Tip-34: References always works well no matter where you are applying. Managers and HR departments will always cross check with the references you have provided. So have at least 3 references who can give them a very clear picture about your experience and skill set. Tip-35: Gather as much information as you can about the company and position you have applied for. This is the master tip for any interview irrespective of the fact whether its is a telephonic interview or a face-to-face discussion.. What can be the reason of your not being hired even after a Successful Telephonic Interview? If you are not hired, there is absolutely no reason to loose heart. With a cool mind try to consider following reasons or compulsions the client or the consulting company might be having while taking a decision unfavorable to you even after an apparently successful interview: 1) Budget constraints. 2) Salary not agreeable to client. 3) Lack of communication skills - actively work towards improving your communication skills. 4) Lack of leadership qualities. 5) Applicant skills and experience is not matched with client requirements - you can't do anything. You have nothing to lose. Find another company where they can match your skills and knowledge set. 6) Not enough number of references - ensure that you have enclosed at least three excellent references. 7) Not ready to pay you what you want - before asking what you want, you need to do little market survey based on your experience. You need to go through Salary Survey and learn more about general company HR policies too.