Just because you can chat for hours with your friends or families on the phone, make successful sales calls, or lead awesome phone meetings does not mean you’ll automatically ace an interview. Brush up your phone interview etiquette with these do’s and don’ts for a successful job interview. When the day comes, wear clothes that help you feel confident, capable, and professional. Then, set up a quiet space where you can sit at a table with a copy of your cover letter and resume. Make sure you have a pen and paper, and most importantly, keep background noise to a minimum. You don’t want your dogs, kids, spouse, or parents yapping for your attention while you’re on the phone. Arrange for privacy (or a babysitter) if need be. Hopefully, you’ve already done your research before the interview, so there should be no need to scramble for answers while you’re on the phone. Whether or not your rambling is adding value to the conversation is irrelevant; at a certain point, your interviewer will stop paying attention, will perceive you as someone who lacks the ability to listen well, and might get annoyed as you chop away time for other, more important questions and answers. Think of your answers like a great cocktail: you don’t want it watered down. Keep it short and strong. If it’s going to be difficult to take the call, consider rescheduling for a time that’s better. Here’s what to do when you need to reschedule a job interview. Hint: Silence the devices that you aren’t using to take the call. For example, if you’re on the landline, put your cell phone on mute. If you’re using your cell phone, turn off your computer volume. If you’re using your cell phone, turn on “Do Not Disturb” mode once the interview begins, so you do not get distracted by calendar and news alerts or text messages. If you’re calling your interviewer and not the other way around, start dialing a minute or so before your scheduled appointment, so your call comes in right on time. If your interviewer is calling you, make sure you’re ready to take the call a few minutes prior to the scheduled time. On the one hand, this is good news in that you have multiple opportunities to prove your candidacy. But, it also means that there will likely be many others vying for the job, so it’s important to do your very best each time you interview to make it to the next round. Don’t think that just because you’ve been invited for a phone interview that you have the job in the bag. In many cases, it is only a gateway to other interviews.
