While each employer has a different hiring process, many now use a phone interview in the early stages performing an initial screening to ensure that the candidates advancing to the face-to-face interview meet the minimum requirements.
Sometimes you may be contacted out of the blue, followed by a quick conversation and other times, the telephone interview can be prearranged via email. Either way ensure that you immediately know what job the employer or recruiter is discussing with you. If you struggle to remember the job you applied for, it shows a lack of interest for the position and the organisation and the caller could dismiss you in the following rounds of interviewing.
Articulating and explaining yourself well is imperative as you cannot rely on body language when communicating in a telephone interview, it is essential to be thoughtful about your tone and language in providing a clear answer. You can, however, refer to notes. However, if you refer to notes, remember to sound natural, not reading directly from a page.
In a phone interview, the interviewer usually seeks general, high-level information about you and your background, to see if you should advance to the next step in the hiring process.
It would be best if you were prepared to discuss:
Why are you looking for a job?
Why are you interested in this specific job and company?
Describing your background and experience
Salary Expectations - $ per year + super
Possible Interview time and date
Being interviewed over the phone, online or in-person is a learnt skill. No matter the interview outcome, ensure you use each interview as a learning opportunity, improving for the next time!
For further interviewing assistance and advice, head to our Prepare for an Interview resource.
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