The phone interview should not be feared, but should be welcome by any candidate. You should try your best to schedule the interview at a time when you are expecting the call. Too often the phone interview is not even scheduled at all. The interviewer can call at a moment's notice. Their questioning will be based on qualifying you for the in-person interview or to clarify your resume.

Most job applicants take the call and proceed to answer the questions. More often than not their answers are more reactive than responsive. Knowing that the person on the other end of the phone can determine whether or not you qualify for an in-person interview can be quite intimidating. We have found there are very simplistic ways is which to deal with the phone interview and turn it around to your advantage.

Let's say that you are applying for a position with a variety of companies. You have sent in your customized resume and are expecting a phone call to schedule an in-person interview. Since you have now read this article you remember that a lot of companies will call you for a phone interview prior to the in-person interview. There are several ways to address this call to your advantage:

1. Organize your customized resume, research and questions to ask the interviewer. Place the information in an area next to the phone so it can be accessible.

2. An important note here. Just because they call you for a phone interview does not mean you have to be interviewed at that time. If they call you around dinner time, as most of them do, tell them that you have some important personal items to take care of and that you can call them back or schedule a time for the next call. Too many job seekers jump at the chance to have opportunity for an interview so they will immediately take the call. I would encourage you not to take the call the first time. What I would encourage you to do is thank them for calling you and reschedule the call. You will be surprised how they actually will re-schedule you! Do not think that not taking the call initially will harm your chances. They realize they are calling you at random time and you might not even be there for the call. Reschedule if you can. You will be glad you did.

On the scheduled phone call you can now respond to the questioning rather than react. You now have more time to prepare for the interview. Time to do additional research and rehearse your responses.

Being more prepared can drastically reduce the stress level. You want to be prepared and have the chance to choose your words wisely. Most job seekers will take the phone call and find their answers to be reactive and therefore not as professional as they would like. I have found when I interview candidates on the phone, in at least 90% of the cases, they will take the call and ad lib most of their answers. Ad lib-ing can be perceived as not prepared and amateur. Their responses are laden with the words, "you know", "ok", "all right", "know what I'm saying", "ah", "um", etc.

You should set the parameters of the phone interview and asked them how much time you have for the phone call. Knowing the time limitations will force you to choose your words wisely and get to the point with minimal fluff. Generally most phone interviews range from 20 to 30 minutes. Sometimes you'll interview with more than one person.

By being prepared, the interviewer will be impressed when you ask them questions based upon the position, company, industry and their competition. Make sure that prior to the phone call you take your notes, research and questions and arrange them around the area of the phone. It is ideal to have a cordless phone where you can be next to a table that has your materials. You can then easily access the respective ones as you are responding to the questions. Having a cheat sheet is highly advisable. Use one as an outline of important points that you wish to remember.

Make sure you have a notepad and pen available to write down important points the interviewer states. It is highly advisable to repeat some of the hot buttons or important points that the interviewer has mentioned previously. Repeating some of those important points gives the impression that what the interviewer has said is important and that you have excellent listening skills.

If the interviewer mumbles or talks too quickly, you might not understand what they have asked. It is important that you ask for clarification. Responses such as "Excuse me?", "Pardon me?", or "Could you repeat that please?" are professional responses.

When scheduling the interview it is best to schedule at your peak time of the day. If you're a morning person, schedule the phone interview in the morning hours. If you're an afternoon person schedule it in the afternoon. You want to insure that you'll be at your mental best.

Prepare for the interview just as you would the in-person interview. Make sure that all distractions are in control. Your windows are closed, dogs are not around, children are not running around, the television or radio is turned off and no books, magazines or others can distract you. It takes just a little distraction to turn your focus from the interviewer's questioning.

Finally, make sure that you have a quality phone. A cheap phone might have a tendency to distort at times and not provide clear reception and transmission. Tell your friends who call you frequently not to call you at least 30 minutes prior to the interview. A major turnoff to any interviewer is a busy signal at the time of the interview. Call forwarding should be turned off.

May God richly bless you in your job efforts.

By: Jeff Farmer, MA NCCC
©Christian Employment Resource, 2010