Strategies for a Successful Phone Interview

How to Wow Them During the First Phase of the Interview Process

Many companies use the phone interview, or phone screen, to help limit the amount of candidates that come in the door. This prevents the hiring manager, as well as any support staff that would meet with potential candidates, from taking time out of their days to meet with duds. In order to succeed at these interviews, there are three things you need to know:

1. The purpose of a phone interview.
2. How to prepare for a phone interview.
3. How to conduct oneself during a phone interview.

Although few companies will bluntly state their true motive, the phone interview is simply a device for weeding out the bad candidates. These are the ones that within the first 15 seconds of the job interview, the hiring manager knows they either lack the qualifications to perform the job or the proper attitude to fit in with the team. So instead of having his or her staff schedule time to meet with someone that won't be a fit, they request that someone in human resources have a conversation to answer questions and get more information about items on the applicant's resume.

As a job seeker, understanding that this is the first round of elimination is key to your success. Take a look at your resume and look for things that someone may find questionable. These things include:

• Short stints at several companies / job hopping.
• Unexplained lapses between jobs.
• Loss of responsibly from job to job.
• Inconsistent experience.

It's often hard to critique our own resumes so you might want to enlist the help of a friend or professional recruiter. Have them take an objective look at your resume for any flaws or red flags.

Researching the company and position is equally important. Look at the listing for the job and match up your qualifications and experience with each required item. Try to come up with an example of how you meet each requirement - these will be the talking points that you'll try to work each answer during your interview towards.