Interviews are one of the toughest situations to face in life for any candidate. These days when jobs are not restricted to political boundaries, it has made it very convenient for people to apply for jobs at different places.
The firms are opting for a telephonic job interview to pick out the candidate with the best caliber fit for the job. The telephonic interview has mutual advantages for both the employer and the candidate since there is no hassle of traveling or accommodating. After the telephonic interview conversation, the employer may ask for a personal face-to-face interview. While you may not be physically present at the office for the interview but telephonic job interview question and answers need to be accurate in order to get shortlisted for further procedures, as usual, it works as a stepping stone.
Listed below are a few pointers which would help you understand what is a telephonic interview. Keeping these in mind can help you prepare better, and these telephonic interview examples are common across all types of job interviews.
1. Spot for interview
The firms usually give notice well in advance for you to prepare for the telephonic job interview so that you can schedule your time-table accordingly. The first thing to prioritize or to begin with is finalizing the spot for the interview. You are expected to choose a space where you would not be distracted throughout the interview process and can focus on the interview. There should not be any kind of noise which might become chaotic as firms do not prefer taking interviews in such a manner. Make sure that there is no one to intervene while the interview is in progress.
2. Keep your documents ready
You are expected to be prepared with all the relevant documents for reference. It is better to keep hard copies of mark sheets, certificates and other relevant documents which may help you secure the job and make your application stronger.
Most importantly you should have your cover letter and resume you have submitted to the firm as many questions could be expected out of it and it would be easier to keep it with yourself as a reference. Keep the documents handy with an additional notebook to note down anything you are asked to send later if you do not have access to it by chance.
3. Make your notes prior to the interview
This can also be called as the cheat sheet. One benefit of the telephonic job interview is that you can use any material at your dispense to help you assist in answering the questions. You can prepare a list of expected questions relevant to the type of firm and the position you have applied for. This might save you from going black or panicking at times of difficult question being asked. It can give you a heads-up.
4. Keep yourself boosted
You should be enthusiastic about the job interview, and it is important for you to be fresh. Be energetic but calm with confidence. Though the interviewer may not be able to see you physically, the tone which is delivered over the telephone reflects a lot of things about the type of candidate and their inclination towards getting the job. These get reflected directly while you are answering the questions or even while giving your own introduction right at the beginning. A good start can fetch better results compared to a dull one, so greet them with happiness and full of energy.
5. Know the company
One thing which is extremely important even before your interview is knowing about the company you have applied at. You may have gone through the company website briefly while scripting your cover letter, but it is advisable to have in-depth knowledge about the company profile and also about the job position you have applied for. If by chance, you are given the names of the interviewer, then it is better to know a bit about their background to understand the type of questions they may ask. This would make the interview more fruitful and help in fetching the desired results.
6. Interaction is important
The interviewer may not be physically present in front of you to interact, but this may not give you the leverage to not take them seriously only if they cannot see your physical or facial appearance. This is a tedious process to go through to secure a job, and any mistake in the process would eventually be reflecting on the chances of getting selected for the job. It is advisable to treat the telephonic job interview with utmost honesty and confidence as you may to a physical interview while you are dressed up in formals. The outcomes would be the same no matter, even if the format is different.
7. Ask if you do not know
The candidates at times get confused with the questions, in such a state, you may ask them to repeat or elaborate the question politely. Candidates get nervous thinking about the outcome, and that affects the interview negatively from that point as the interviewer may sense the difference during the telephonic job interview. The interviewer would also give you an open-ended opportunity to ask something to them, and you should not miss this opportunity. You can utilize this opportunity to answer your queries or clarify your doubts regarding the company or the position you have applied for.
8. Keep salary negotiations away
The telephonic job interview stage is a very nascent stage of the application process to secure a job and using this opportunity to discuss the salary may not seem right. Many candidates out of curiosity get into the hassle of salary negotiations directly in this phase. This stage should help you boost your application and make it stronger through your past experiences rather than discussing anything which can be shifted for the next stage. A confident candidate would definitely make their way through by knowing the intricacies of the job and being curious about it over anything.
9. Resolve the doubts
The interviewer may have asked you a long list of questions, but towards the culmination phase of the interview, it is always a good habit to ask them if they still want to know something about you. This pools in a common opportunity for both of you to discuss anything which may or may not be directly related to the company or firm but would explain your strengths and eventually helping you make the application stronger. This would also help them reflect upon the questions they have asked, and if they have missed out something, they would have an opportunity to check that as well.
10. End with gratitude
The candidate usually puts in a lot of effort to prepare for the interview and the methodology can be tedious in accordance to the firm or the job position applied for. Though the process of a telephonic job interview is difficult for the candidates, they should be mindful of the fact that the interviewer to has a lot on their plate to cater to the firm. Try to end the telephonic interview questions and answers with a pleasing thank you and it will make a huge difference as showing gratitude towards hard-work is highly appreciated.
These are a few of the tips which you can keep in mind during the telephonic job interview. The process may seem difficult and challenging, but if you know the basics, then it would not be a difficult task to cruise through the interview.
All you need is to be confident about your skills and have sound knowledge about your job profile.
