How to prepare for a telephone Interview

Telephone interviews are becoming more common to help employers draw up a shortlist of candidates. We asked our expert team at Oscar Construction to share some of their top tips to help you nail that phone interview and progress to the next stage.
 

Practice

Telephone interviews are starkly different to face-to-face ones in that you can’t gauge the reaction of the person on the other end, and those dreaded awkward silences can more prevalent. To make you feel more comfortable, practice talking about your skills and experience out loud, and come to the phone with some questions prepared for the employer.
 

Voice

Are you aware that only 20% of what you say communicates what you actually mean? Most messages are carried in your body language, so you may be losing more than you think over the phone. The only way to overcome this is by remaining animated throughout your conversation, so going hands-free, sitting up straight or even standing up can help you communicate more effectively.
 

Prepare visual aids

One major advantage of a telephone interview is that you can refer to any materials you need, whether that’s your CV, market data, employer information or key statistics. Rather than shuffling through papers or clicking different tabs on your computer, try sticking notes to the wall that you can view without distraction.
 

Oscar Construction quick tips for telephone interviews

Ask the experts

Oscar Construction helps all of our candidates effectively prepare for telephone interviews, whether that’s through tips, insider client knowledge or coaching.