Preparing for a Phone Interview with a US Company: Any Tips from Fellow HR Pros?

Dear All,

I have an interview for an American-based company in Chennai. The consultant informed me that the employer will contact me for a phone meeting. I kindly request my colleagues on this forum to provide guidance on how to approach this phone interview.

With regards,

Trisha
HR Professional

I got an interview for an American-based company in Chennai. The consultant told me that the employer will call me for a phone meeting. I request my colleagues on this forum to elucidate how to attend this phone interview.

Hi Trisha,

First of all, all the best for your telephonic interview.

Nice to hear that you got a nice offer for a telephonic interview for an American-based company. So, you got this offer through a consultant, right? What is your concern regarding the telephonic interview? Nowadays, most companies are conducting telephonic interviews rather than direct interviews to control time and cost.

The advantage of a telephonic interview is they don't take much time. They directly focus on the candidate's communication skills, American accent, voice, listening abilities, providing proper replies, and honesty.

Moreover, you are taking the interview from your place, so there will be no pressure on you.

During the telephonic interview, greet them, speak clearly, but don't intimidate the interviewer, and get to the point quickly.

Before the telephone interview, have a glass of water and relax.

All the best!!!

Regards,

Saravana
Executive - HR

Hi Trisha,

It is great to know that your profile has been shortlisted for the telephonic interview. Most of the companies follow this system, especially where there is an urgent requirement. In telephonic interviews, mostly the employer wants to know about the candidate's technical suitability for the job and then how you present yourself in the meeting (like how prompt you are in replying to the employer's questions, how communicative you are, etc.).

Do not be panicky. Mostly, if they feel that the candidate has satisfied their requirements, they shall discuss regarding the remuneration of the candidate; otherwise, they will inform that they shall get back to the candidate.

Wish you all the very best.

Cheers,
Sowmya

Hi Trisha,

I usually conduct telephonic interviews. I would suggest the following things when giving tele interviews:

1. Drink a glass of water before the interview.
2. Keep a copy of the resume in front of you. That should be the same resume that the recruiter has on the other side of the phone.
3. Don't speak too lightly or too loudly. Speak in a nice, audible manner. The trick here is to keep the receiver at a proper distance from your mouth.
4. While giving the interview, please make sure that there are no external disturbances like television, audio, or road traffic.
5. Don't get panicky if any answer doesn't come to you immediately. Ask graciously for a few seconds to think and then give your answer.
6. Greet the interviewer properly. Say "thanks" and "have a nice day/evening" once the interview is over.

I hope these small things would make the tele interview more effective. If I have missed something, I request the seniors to add it in.

Regards,
Ajay

Dear Trish,

Greetings!

Tips for attending Telephonic Interview

THE INTERVIEWER'S ENVIRONMENT

Conference call

Very often interviews are conducted on a conference call. In such cases there may be more than one interviewer. They will introduce themselves in the beginning. Note their names and greet them depending on the time of day in their country.

Resume

The interviewer will have a copy of your resume in front of him. This will often be the base on which the interview takes off.

Eye contact

The interviewer cannot see you. For this reason you loose the advantage of body language, gestures and eye contact which often helps in convincing the interviewer.

Silent interviewer

Sometimes you may find that you are continuously talking without any response from the interviewer. Do not worry since, he is probably taking notes of what you are saying. In case you are doubtful you may ask him “ Am I making myself clear?” or “ Is that OK?” to elicit a response from him. Do not say "Hello, hello, are you there?"

Interviewee's Environment

Distractions

Eliminate all distractions around you. Keep a note pad handy. In the office do not take the call close to a noisy passage or corridor. At home do not take the call close to a television, dog barking or baby crying.

Resume

Keep a copy of your resume in front of you to help correlate any questions based on it.

Speech

The tone, pace and confidence with which you speak are the parameters that create an impression with the interviewer in the absence of eye contact.

Other People

If there are a few people near the telephone ensure that they do not whisper or talk to each other during the interview. This may give the interviewer an impression that some one is helping you with the answers.

PRACTICAL TIPS

These points have been put together after studying several interviews. They are covered under language, media and etiquette.

LANGUAGE

Interviewers Accent: In case you have difficulty in understanding the clients accent you could ask him to repeat the question by saying:

“I beg your pardon”

“ I didn't get you, could you repeat the question please”

“ I'm sorry the line isn't clear, could you repeat the question please”

The best way of getting tuned to accents is by listening to the BBC or CNN on TV. Do not use the same phrase repeatedly.



Local words: The use of local language words often confuses the interviewer. While he tries to interpret the word he misses most of what you are trying to get across. Words like “THEAK” “ AACHA” “HAA” could have a negative impact on the interviewer impression of the interviewee.



Rate of Delivery: The rate of speaking should generally be adjusted to match that of the interviewer. In USA and UK the normal rate of speaking is much slower than that in India. Also the slower you speak the greater attention you gain.



Clarity: Speak clearly and pronounce each word properly. Do not break off half way through a word or sentence. This not only confuses the interviewer but also irritates him besides reflecting badly on your communication skill.



COMMUNICATION MEDIA

Breath pick up: Do not hold the mouthpiece too close, the interviewer will hear you breathing. The distance of the month piece should be 2 to 3 inches from the mouth

Low volume sound: If you cannot hear do not shout the fault could be one way. Instead you may like to ask the interviewer whether he could hear you and at the same time tell him he can't be heard clearly.

Speaking: Speak in a distinct and relaxed tone. This will help the interviewer to accept your answers more easily. Any sign of tension in your voice could give the interviewer the wrong impression.

Listening: Do not rush to speak when the interviewer pauses or stops talking. Make sure he has finished what he wants to say before your respond.

Visualize: Try to visualize the interviewer while talking to him. This will help to put your answers in perspective.

TELEPHONE ETIQUETTE

Identify yourself: Give the name as clearly as possible. Spell your name if necessary. If your name is too difficult to pronounce give a short form that you'd prefer the interviewer to use. This helps in building rapport.

Names: Be sure you get the interviewer name right. You could ask for the spelling and pronunciation if required.

Greeting: Wish the interviewer his time of the day - not your time of day..

Politeness: Being polite to the interviewer is the minimum courtesy you can extend. Wherever appropriate use the words “Please”, “Thank you”, “Sorry” etc.

Small talk: Learn to engage in small talk about the weather or other things. The interviewer will start this way out of politeness and then set the pace.

Clarifications: You could paraphrase a question to get clarification if necessary. A direct way could be to say “ Sorry ”; I didn't get you, could you please explain what you mean by...

Doubts: If you are not confident about something it is better to be truthful and say that you are not sure. This is because you are likely to get cross-examined.

Thinking Time: Ruminate over the question and take your time replying. Avoid hesitating and using words like “er” “um” “uh” etc. This reflects your nervousness and lack of confidence.

Call End: You could sign off by saying -“It was nice talking to you. Thank you”

Rgds,

John N

Dear Trisha,

Congratulations.

I am sorry for the delay since I saw your posting just now, and I am not sure whether you finished the telecon or not. Anyway, I would like to add my points to take up the telecon. The first and foremost would be - please attend the call immediately when the panel member calls you. Otherwise, that will create a black mark on your part. I am sure they would have given you the slot for the telecon (e.g., between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM). In that case, make yourself free from other work and attend the call. Because we face lots of problems when we arrange for telecon - candidates don't respond properly, they disconnect the call...

Prepare yourself well for the telecon.

All the very best.

Leena Nambiar
leena_titu@yahoo.co.in / leena.p@techspectra.com
Chennai

Dear Ms. Trisha,

Please read this article on tips for attending a phone interview. I hope it helps. All the best for your interview.

1. Ensure that you are not involved in anything else at the time of the interview and that there are no background noises to disturb the interview process.

2. Sit with a copy of your resume for reference.

3. It's important that you are available on time for the interview. Where possible, schedule the interview for a time when you know you would be available and comfortable to take it.

4. Be confident, but not overconfident. There is no substitute for confidence. It is noticed at every level.

5. Don't reschedule the interview multiple times.

6. Be thorough with your subject. It leaves a bad impression to say that you could not prepare for the interview and would like to reschedule because of this.

7. Try to respond to questions within 60 seconds. You don't want to be monosyllabic, but lengthy responses can make the employer lose interest, and you might lose your own focus.

8. Listen and respond to answers directly. If you are unclear about a question, ask for clarification.

9. Be prepared to discuss how what you have done in the past will affect how you will perform in your future position. Give examples that show your value to the company and the job.

10. Prepare yourself by understanding the business of the company you are applying to, the skill set they are looking for, what you want to achieve, and what you are looking for from the company.

11. It's generally not a good idea to be rigid with your salary expectations. However, it's reasonable to let your salary expectations be known when asked.

12. Ensure that you have all the details of your earlier projects with you. It's not good to say, "Sorry, I can't recollect what I did on that project."

13. Don't take help from anyone during the interview.

14. Thank the interviewer for their valuable time and for considering you for the opening.