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Whilst the job interview has historically been a point of much anxiety for prospective candidates, the rising trend of discussing the role in a preliminary phone conversation is often overlooked – despite often being the first opportunity to exert your competency for the role and exert your winning personality.
So what should your candidates be doing to ensure that this essential step in the process is a success? Here are five tips for acing it…
Do your research
There is nothing more off-putting to an employer than a candidate with no concept of what a company does or its place in its sector. To ensure that you have a wealth of knowledge to draw from, a candidate must set aside some quality time to invest in research. Find out who the key players in the company are, find out about company culture and research others with similar positions to the one you’re applying for.
Make notes
The old adage ‘failing to prepare is preparing to fail’ is never truer than in a phone interview. Constant fluent conversation and confident retorts have the power to win over an interviewer, so ensure that you’ve made a concise list of key points you want to cover and other talking points.
Have questions prepared
Almost all interviews will end with an opportunity for the candidate to ask questions; this is a chance for the candidate to demonstrate knowledge and intelligence. Ensure that you have a long list of engaging questions to fire off when the time comes.
Keep your CV handy
Being able to refer to your CV when needed is a massive advantage. It gives you access to relevant dates, key past responsibilities and a timeline of your employment history – ensuring there are no awkward silences whilst you try to remember if you ended a previous role in November or December.
Listen, think, react
Nothing will turn off an employer faster than a candidate that doesn’t listen and that talks over them. When the interviewer is talking, take in what they’re saying, digest it and react with a relevant response. Diving in without thinking leads to rambling answers with irrelevant information.
