The Telephone Interview

Sometimes employers use telephone interviews to ‘screen’ applicants to decide whether to invite them in for a traditional interview. You need to prepare for this in a similar way as a traditional interview:

• Choose somewhere quiet and private to phone from
• Have a pen and paper available
• If you are using your mobile, make sure you have enough credit
• Before you call, have the job description, your CV and the name of the person you want to speak to
• Decide what you are going to say – practise your opening lines
• Speak clearly, not too quickly, keep to the point and try to sound confident
• Before you hang up, make sure you know what is going to happen next. For example, do you need to complete an on-line application form or send in your CV or have you been invited in for an interview.