January 8

Phone Interview Tips – #12: How to Hit Your Phone Interview Goals

Finding a Job, Getting Hired, 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.

What are your phone interview goals?  The bottom-line goal of any phone interview is getting the invitation to come in for a face-to-face.  That’s the whole point of a phone interview.  Your goal in this interview is not the job.  It’s the next interview.

The phone interview is a screening process to weed out too many candidates and narrow down the time spent doing in-person interviews.

Even though getting to the face-to-face interview is your biggest goal of the day, there are several smaller goals to aim for that will help you get to that big one.

(1)    Don’t give them a reason to weed you out.

In a phone interview, employers can weed you out of the running for the smallest, most seemingly insignificant reasons.  If they called you, there’s something about you they liked.  So now they’re looking for reasons not to like you.  Don’t give them one.  So, be very well-prepared, even though it’s only a phone interview.  Treat it like a face-to-face.  Research, prepare, dress well, make sure you have a quiet spot, be on time, focus, and let them know you’re interested in the job.

(2)    Find out their biggest problems.

The job interview is a sales process.  You are both the product and the sales rep.  No sales rep ever sells anything without finding out a few pertinent facts about their customer.  In this case, the customer is the company you’re interviewing with.  So what do you need to know?  First, you need to know why and when they need someone.  Knowing that timeline will help you later.  Second, you need to know what their biggest problem or challenge is.  What skills do they need someone to have in order to meet those challenges?  Ask questions.

(3)    Answer their questions well.

Answering their questions well depends partly on the answers you’ve prepared ahead of time and partly on what you learn during the interview.  When you ask questions, the answers they give you tell you a lot about what they want to hear in their answer.  For instance, if you ask, “What does your ideal candidate look like?”, their answer gives you a list of the qualities they are looking for most.  Now you know what to pick out of your own experience to talk about when you answer their questions.  It will have a big impact on them.

reach your phone interview goals

(4)    Close for the next step.

You have a much bigger chance of getting invited to the face-to-face interview if you ask for it.  That’s closing.  It’s a sales term that just means “asking for the business.”  In a phone interview, all you have to do is say something like, “Wow, Jim, I’m really excited about this opportunity.  It seems like I’m a great fit because of X, Y, and Z.   When can we get together to talk some more about it?”  If you’re brave enough to ask, you’ll boost your chances of getting the results you want by a LOT.

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

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