January 16

Phone Interview Tips – #21: How to Listen Well

Finding a Job, Getting Hired, Interviewing Skills and Tips, Job Interview Advice, Job Interview Preparation, Job Interview Questions and Answers, Job Interview Skills, Job Search, Job Search Success, Job Search Tips, Jobseekers, Phone Interview Questions, Phone Interview Tips, Phone Interviews

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Phone Interview Tips Series

Table of Contents

Phone Interview Tips 1-10
  1. Phone Interview Tip #1 -- Check Your Voicemail Greeting

  2. Phone Interview Tip #2 -- The Best Time to Set Up Your Call

  3. Phone Interview Tip #3 -- Where’s the Best Place for a Phone Interview?

  4. Phone Interview Tip #4 -- How To Keep Your Focus

  5. Phone Interview Tip #5 -- How to Build Your Confidence

  6. Phone Interview Tip #6 -- How to Project Enthusiasm

  7. Phone Interview Tip #7 -- Use Cheat Sheets

  8. Phone Interview Tip #8 -- Research the Interviewer

  9. Phone Interview Tip #9 -- Research the Company

  10. Phone Interview Tip #10 -- Prepare Answers to Common Phone Interview Questions

Phone Interview Tips 11-20
  1. Phone Interview Tip #11 -- Practice Your Phone Interview

  2. Phone Interview Tip #12 -- How to Hit Your Phone Interview Goals

  3. Phone Interview Tip #13 -- The Best Phone for Your Interview

  4. Phone Interview Tip #14 -- Your Phone Interview Voice

  5. Phone Interview Tip #15 -- How to Give the Interviewer What They’re Looking For

  6. Phone Interview Tip #16 -- How to Project the Right Image Over the Phone

  7. Phone Interview Tip #17 -- Help Them Qualify You for the Face-to-Face Interview

  8. Phone Interview Tip #18 -- Speak the Right Body Language (Yes, Even On the Phone)

  9. Phone Interview Tip #19 -- Secret Tricks to Phone Interview Success

  10. Phone Interview Tip #20 -- Ask Questions

Phone Interview Tips 21-30
  1. Phone Interview Tip #21 -- How to Listen Well

  2. Phone Interview Tip #22 -- Don’t Talk Too Much

  3. Phone Interview Tip #23 -- Watch Your Language

  4. Phone Interview Tip #24 -- Phone Interview Etiquette

  5. Phone Interview Tip #25 -- Getting the Face-to-Face Interview

  6. Phone Interview Tip #26 -- How and When to Follow Up

  7. Phone Interview Tip #27 -- Biggest Phone Interview Mistakes

  8. Phone Interview Tip #28 -- Small Phone Interview Mistakes That Cause Big Problems

  9. Phone Interview Tip #29 -- Things You Should Never Say

  10. Phone Interview Tip #30 -- Make a Phone Interview Checklist

Phone Interview Tips 31-37
  1. Phone Interview Tip #31 -- Relax, Be Calm, and Make a Good Impression

  2. Phone Interview Tip #32 -- Good Telephone Communication Tips

  3. Phone Interview Tip #33 -- Typical Phone Interview Questions

  4. Phone Interview Tip #34 -- Thank You Notes

  5. Phone Interview Tip #35 -- The One Question You Should Ask

  6. Phone Interview Tip #36 -- How to Keep Them From Screening You Out

  7. Phone Interview Tip #37 -- How to Prepare for a Phone Interview

Click to expand question sets, then click individual questions to read the article.

The art of conversation requires that you not only express yourself well, but also that you listen well.  Good listeners are valued.  Being a good listener means that you’re going to have a more productive, higher-quality conversation than you would otherwise.

Being a good listener is especially helpful in a telephone interview situation, where one of the biggest challenges is that you can’t read the interviewer’s expressions or body language, and they can’t read yours.  So much of communication is reading visual cues, and you just can’t do that in a phone interview.  You can’t rely on the usual rules for showing you’re a good listener, which recommend things like “maintain good eye contact,” “lean forward in your seat,” and “nod.”  And you can’t rely on those visual cues to help you understand what the other person is saying.

Still, there are plenty of communication techniques that show you’re a good listener, give you a much better conversation, and make for a great phone interview:

  • Create a quiet space for your interview.  You can’t listen well if you can’t hear what they are saying to you.  This conversation is a priority, so treat it like one.
  • Pay attention.  Don’t let yourself get distracted by ANYTHING.  This conversation is so important.  Don’t try to conduct it in a restaurant, while driving, or anywhere near a child or a pet.  And try not to be thinking about what you’re going to say while they are talking.  You could easily miss something important.
  • Don’t interrupt. Assertiveness is fine in an interview (see this article on closing); rudeness is not.  Don’t interrupt your interviewer, ever.  If they mention somethinphone interview tipsg that confuses you or raises a question for you, write it down to ask about when it’s your turn.
  • Take notes.  As your interviewer talks, take notes on what he or she is saying.  This will help you when you are asking questions, it will help you write a better thank you note, and it will help you prepare for the face-to-face interview.  They might even ask you to write down a phone number or website.  If you have been taking notes, you can do it without missing a beat.
  • Ask great questions.  Asking relevant questions is a powerful way to show that you are listening and you are interested.  Ask questions about the job and the company.  Don’t ask questions about the salary, the vacation, or the perks.
  • Clarify for understanding.  If the interviewer asks you a question and you’re not sure what they want to know, ask.  Blindly launching into an answer that turns out to be wrong is much worse than saying, “Do you mean X, or Y?”

Got a big phone interview coming up? Let’s make sure you’re ready with a half-hour of coaching!

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