6 Telephone Tips for Graduates

Telephone interview tips for graduates

Many graduate recruiters conduct telephone interviews as a preliminary step in the recruitment process. The telephone interview enables the recruiter to sift through numerous applicants quickly and efficiently, and determine whether or not you should be advanced to the next round of interviews.

You can expect a graduate-level telephone interview to last anywhere between 15 and 45 minutes.  They are usually quite straightforward, but it is important that you do plenty of research beforehand. Key questions will focus on your general competencies as well as your skills, work experience and education, as well as your motivations for applying. Your aim is to show your commitment and enthusiasm in clear, concise answers.

Here are a few tips for a successful telephone interview.

 

 

Prepare ahead of time

Research as much as you can into the company before your interview. Try to go beyond what’s on the company’s website and perhaps look at their competitors website, trade press, or even industry-specific commercial awareness issues. Remember you can never be over-prepared., but it is vital you don’t read from the paper, as you will sound too scripted.

For telephone interviews, practice makes perfect. You may think practicing for a telephone interview is a little futile, as you won’t know what you’ll be asked. However, just by getting a friend to prepare and ask you a few questions can help you adjust to giving answers in a professional manner. Think of possible questions you may be asked by the recruiter and make a list of your answers, including your skills and experience examples for competency-based questions.

Remember when you answer competency questions (could you give me an example of a time when), you should use the STAR method:

Situation – Set the context of the situation you were in. Don’t panic, set the scene properly. Where were you, who were you with?
Task – What were you doing; what was the problem?
Action – What did you do? Take ownership of the action or idea you had. You must focus on your actions, not those of someone else.
Result – What was the outcome of your action? Can either be a success or a learning point. Careful not to lay fault with other people. This is about you, not about blaming who you’re with!

Think about your work experience, campus involvement, society work, sporting achievements and anything that is relevant.

Control your environment

Sitting in a café just isn’t good enough for a graduate telephone interview. You should set yourself up in a quiet room and let your family/housemates know what time your interview will take place so they know not to disturb you.

Some people like to stand as it helps to make them feel more in control and confident, others prefer to sit at a desk with their notes, CV and cover letter in front of them. Be sure to only use speakerphone if you can guarantee you will not be disturbed. Interruptions are unprofessional and can throw you off your train of thought.

 

Dress the part

This might seem a little odd given that your interviewer will not know how you’re dressed, but wearing formal—but comfortable— clothing can help put you in the right frame of mind. You need to feel professional and in control, so sitting in your loungewear on the sofa is likely to do the opposite.

Stay professional

Your interview starts right from the first hello, so it’s important you answer the phone clearly and confidently. A friendly greeting and stating your name, such as ‘Good morning, Joe Smith speaking’ should get you off to a great start and will be appreciated by the recruiter, as they won’t need to check they are talking to the right person. Don’t forget to ask your interviewer how they are, too!

As the interview progresses, it can be easy to go off-track or become over-familiar with the recruiter. You should avoid ‘chatting’ to your interviewer and instead stay focused, convey enthusiasm and find a balance between professional and friendly.

 

Take notes

Keep a pen and notebook next to you during the interview so you can jot down important information. Don’t make your notes too long though as you don’t want to seem distracted as you try to scribble down heaps of detail. Simply write down key points such as topics you can ask questions on at the end of the interview or perhaps time/dates/location of the next part of the graduate recruitment process.

 

Ask questions

As mentioned above, asking questions is always a good idea. You can prepare some in advance or note them down during the interview and come back to them at the end. Asking questions shows your interest in the job role. However, don’t ask questions just for the sake of it and make sure to keep them relevant—the recruiter will have many interviews to get through so they won’t want to spend long on the answers if they are not necessary.

Telephone interviews may seem daunting, but remember that these types of interviews are usually just preliminary. Unlike a face-to-face interview, you are able to have notes in front of you, so you’ll already be in a great position.

To help you advance to the next part of the process prepare well ahead of time, research the company, get lots of practice and relax into the interview. Try to speak clearly and sound confident and capable. Lastly, put these interview tips into practice and you’ll be ready for your first call.