January 23

Phone Interview Tips – #27: Biggest Phone Interview Mistakes

Finding a Job, Getting Hired, Interviewing Skills and Tips, Job Interview Advice, 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.

For such a short conversation, phone interviews are a surprisingly wide-open opportunity for screw-ups.  Why is that?  Partly, it’s because in a phone interview, the interviewer is really looking for mistakes.

Telephone interviews are a screening process—a way to weed out too many candidates.  So they’re looking for reasons to mark you off the list.

Here are the biggest ways to make that happen:

Failing to Prepare for the Interview

Yes, phone interviews are the prelude to the big event—the face-to-face interview.  But that’s no reason not to take it very seriously.  If you don’t do well here, there is no big event.  Spend as much time as you can preparing for this conversation—research the company, research the interviewer, practice answering common interview questions, and make a list of questions to ask.  Failing to prepare for this interview practically guarantees you won’t get to the next one.

Allowing Your Environment to Be Noisy

This telephone interview is so important, you don’t want any distractions that will keep you from being your best and making a good impression.  The easiest thing that you can control to make that happen is the noise factor.  Choose a quiet place to have this conversation, and do not allow anything or anyone to disrupt you.

Talking on a Cell Phone with Poor Reception

Do you really want half of your conversation to be, “Can you hear me now?”  Choose a landline whenever possible.  If you must use a cell phone, be absolutely certain that you have crystal-clear reception before your call.

Bringing Up Any Concerns You Have About This Job

Even if you have valid concerns about commute time, health benefits, or the company itself, the telephone interview is not the time to bring it up.  Any negativity on your part puts a damper on the whole conversation.  Even if it turns out that there’s no problem at all and it will all work out wonderfully, they will feel differently about you if you bring up potential problems this early in the process.  Just wait.

Talking About Money

In general, it’s always too early to talk about money until you have an offer in your hand—they’ve decided they want you, and price is a secondary consideration.  I know it doesn’t always work out that way, but that’s the ideal.  The farther you can put off that money question, the better.  That means that the phone interview is way, way, way too early to be talking about money.  You should never bring it up yourself, and if they bring it up, your goal is to deflect.  See how to answer interview questions about salary.

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

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