Phone Interview Etiquette
So you've read the phone interview tips. But what about etiquette when you're on the phone? Believe it or not, seemingly small slip-ups on the phone can greatly affect an employer's decision whether to hire you. So here are some useful basics
One major difference between phone interviews and face-to-face interviews is that you can't see each other. Secondly, phone etiquette differs from that of personal interview etiquette. Here are some tips on phone interviews that help ensure that you get a call for the actual interview:
- Don't do anything that could disrupt the interview. Eating, drinking, smoking or over enthusiastic talking all cause unnecessary interruptions.
- Never miss the call. If you are not home at the appointed time, a human voice (relative) would be better as an answering machine might annoy the caller. If you think that you will miss the call for some reason, ALWAYS call the interviewer before they call and inform them that you are not available.
- Ask for the caller's name and confirm it is for the interview. If you have genuine reasons to reschedule the interview, explain it at this stage and suggest a new time.
- Use the person's title with his or her last name.
- It is fine to take a moment to think about your answers. Enunciate clearly, making your answers short and to the point.
- Avoid sneezing and coughing while on the phone and when you can't avoid it, say "Excuse me".
- Your smile can be heard over the phone. Smile as you would do in an actual interview.
- Avoid answering in short yes or no answers. Always elaborate if you can.
- Discuss the salary issue only if brought up by the interviewer first.
- At no point in time should you get into an argument with the interviewer over any issue.
Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.
