Job interviews on the phone: how to prepare and pass. Effective telephone interview

Telephone service A large part of customer contact takes place over the phone. Many companies have automatic systems installed - an answering machine answers the client. The disadvantage of such systems is that the client cannot discuss his problem. Therefore, it is better if

A phone interview is the first step in selecting candidates for a job opening. How to properly invite for an interview by phone, prepare and conduct an interview, we will tell in the article.

From the article you will learn:

Why is the telephone interview format so popular?

Telephone interviews are used by employers as a preliminary stage in the search and hiring of candidates. At minimal cost, except for time, these allow you to immediately weed out those applicants who clearly do not meet the requirements of the vacancy or corporate culture.

With candidates who live in another locality or out of town, conducting an interview by phone becomes a mandatory item if the company is not going to waste them and ruin their image. For positions that involve remote work, this method of interviewing the applicant may be the only option.

The multi-stage selection process can take up to three weeks over time. But already at the stage of a telephone interview, an experienced recruiter will be able to assess the presence of critical thinking and interpersonal skills necessary for effective communication. By “culling out” less qualified applicants, you narrow the pool of applicants while improving the quality of the remaining ones and saving time spent on .

Telephone interviews have another advantage. In a telephone conversation, the interviewer is not distracted by external factors and focuses on the meaning of what the interlocutor says. This allows you to form a deeper, more holistic portrait of the candidate and an objective one.

You need to prepare for such an interview in advance, whether you are a recruiter conducting an initial interview or a hiring manager making a final decision. You need to know not only how to properly invite for a phone interview, but also how to correctly interpret his answers to your questions.

Answered by Vera Mukhina

HR Director of ENKOR.

A typical picture: HR conducts a face-to-face interview with a candidate and understands that it was possible not to do this. There is a formal circumstance due to which the applicant is clearly not suitable. Moreover, this circumstance could be found out even at the stage of telephone screening ...

How to invite for a phone interview?

The rules of business etiquette suggest that the candidate should be given time to prepare for a conversation with a recruiter. Therefore, there should be two phone calls from the company:

1. You agree on a time when it will be convenient to answer your questions and specify whose call will be outgoing - yours or the applicant's.
2. Just a phone interview.

In both cases, you should remember and follow the elementary rules of business communication adopted in the modern business environment. By following these rules, you will create a good first impression of the company and increase its prestige.

How to invite for a phone interview (example)

Good day, Sergey. My name is Natalia, I am the HR manager of Alfa company. We have received your resume for the position "" and are ready to conduct a preliminary interview by phone. Now, would it be convenient for you to give me a couple of minutes and agree on a time for it?

When is it convenient for you to answer my questions about your resume? What is more convenient for you - will you call us yourself or will you wait for a call from us?

Good. So, we agreed that you will call us on the 15th, on Monday, at 10:00. I remind you that my name is Natalia, I will wait for a call from you at the appointed time. Thank you. Goodbye and have a nice day.

Note! An invitation to an interview by phone is an example when the applicant himself sets the time of the conversation - it is also a way to check its commitment and punctuality.

How to conduct a telephone interview?

The result of a competent telephone interview will be the right decision - whether this applicant is suitable for your company and whether he meets the requirements of the vacancy. To conduct an interview with a good result, the recruiter must get an idea about the experience of the interlocutor, his skills. To do this, he must know when to ask questions and when to listen carefully to the answers.

If during the telephone interview it becomes clear that the applicant may be suitable, the task of the recruiter is to interest the interlocutor in this vacancy. Therefore, a good recruiter provides information about the company based on motivations and, his goals and career aspirations. So, at the beginning of the conversation, you need to learn as much as possible about the interlocutor before telling him about the employer.

When inviting the applicant for an initial interview by phone, the recruiter has the right to decide for himself how to conduct it. The advice that can be given to him is often similar to what candidates receive when they are waiting for such an interview:

1. Prepare in advance. Find out as much as possible about the interlocutor before the interview; for this, use social networks. Study the job description, prepare questions, the answers to which will show whether the interlocutor meets the established professional criteria.
2. Be quiet and free from distractions. Do not announce both the invitation to the interview by phone and the interview itself and do not conduct it “on the run”, in a noisy place, while traveling by public transport, etc. Do not be distracted during the conversation - do not answer calls, do not check e-mail. A calm, continuous conversation will help you better focus, hear and understand each other.
3. Don't talk too much and quickly. Follow the general principles of the interview - ask questions, do not let the interlocutor be distracted by details during the answers, listen carefully to them.
4. Be prepared for unexpected questions. Like the candidates themselves, they never know when a non-standard question will be asked. If you are ready for such a situation, you will be able to answer correctly any tricky question.
5. Tell the candidate about the next steps. This must be done at the end of the telephone interview. This will eliminate unnecessary calls and emails with questions from the applicant. End the conversation by thanking for your time and let them know when you will call to report the results of the interview.

If the question arose of how to refuse an applicant after a telephone interview, do not use the phrase “You are not suitable for us”, although it reflects the true state of affairs. Be clear about the reasons for the denial, but be aware that you may be required to provide written justification for it if discrimination is suspected.

Telephone interview, an example of an employer talking to a rejected candidate

Unfortunately, we only had one vacancy. Based on the results of the interview, you took second place, so now we cannot hire you. But, if you do not mind, we will leave information about you in our database and, if a similar vacancy appears, we will contact you again.

This is the initial selection stage before an interview in the office and a position. Can you make it successful? In this article, we will consider an example of a telephone interview.

general information

The hiring manager prefers the phone interview to a face-to-face meeting because he thus can communicate with a much larger number of people than when meeting.

It can be concluded that start preparing for the interview in advance, preferably immediately after sending the resume.

An approximate algorithm for passing a telephone interview, questions and answers:

1. Before the phone interview, write down the questions (and the answers to them). What does the company do? What will you be doing directly? What will be your working hours? What is your future salary? Is she white? And so on.
2. Ask people close to you to evaluate your speech and your voice while you are talking on the phone. The phone may be distorting sound or there is interference. Perhaps the voice sounds slurred or the speed of speech is fast from excitement.
3. If you get a call from a recruiter and you feel uncomfortable talking, apologize. Confirm that you are interested in the position and ask when you can call back. Specify the phone number and name of the person to be contacted.
4. Talk in a room where no one can disturb you during the interview.
5. Eliminate loud noises so as not to annoy the interlocutor. If possible turn off the internet to exclude the sounds of instant messaging services.
6. Vocal experts recommend that you talk on the phone while sitting at a table or standing, so you will speak more confidently.
7. Answer the manager clearly, to the point of the question asked.
8. Listen to the question until the end. Correctly specify the question if necessary.
9. Ask your questions about the proposed work when you are offered to do it. Keep a list of questions in front of you.
10. Speak to the manager in a cheerful voice, even if it's already 101 interviews.
11. Rehearse your conversation by phone. Ask people close to you to help you with this.
12. If it is possible to provide a landline phone for contacts, use this to avoid interference from the mobile operator.
13. At the end of the conversation find out when to expect interview results. If you were refused or the vacancy did not fit, politely thank the manager.
14. If you are invited to a meeting, please write down the address, date and hour of the meeting, how to get there, and a telephone number for questions. Specify how the interview will take place, what documents you need to bring with you.
15. Do not hang up first at the end of the interview.
16. Do not immediately call the recruiter back to clarify something.

Pros and cons

The phone interview is a pre-selection.

For the recruiting manager, these are numerous benefits: no need to go around the whole region in search of the right applicant, economic benefits, efficiency of recruitment, wide geography of search.

For an experienced manager, the picture will be formed in a few seconds: first impression, level of interest in the vacancy, relevance.

They can refuse you just because you were not ready for a conversation: you were confused, lethargic, insecure, spoke inappropriately or unfriendly. And for you, the same few minutes will allow you to find out how this vacancy suits you personally.

If something does not suit you, do not show it with your voice. Suddenly you won't find anything better? It is better to write down the phone number, position, duties, work schedule, contact person, dates of a possible meeting, etc.

For employers, the disadvantages of telephone interviews are:

• the inability to visually verify the sincerity of the candidate;
• the inability to check the compliance of the candidate's appearance with the requirements of the vacancy.

One of the forms of a telephone interview is. The specialist will evaluate not only your speech, but also your external data. In this case it is better to appear in front of a person not in home clothes, but in an office suit.

Main steps

Standard phone interview with a candidate consists of 2 blocks:

The telephone interview with the applicant begins with a greeting, introduction of the manager and a brief message about the vacancy:

• assessment of the candidate to the relevant requirements;
• clarification and addition according to the candidate's work experience;
• preliminary conclusion on compliance.

If the candidate is not suitable for this vacancy, you should correctly, painlessly and honestly refuse, thanking for the attention.

Arrangement for a future meeting:

• detailed presentation of the vacancy;
• answers to the applicant's questions;
• appointment of the place and date of the interview.

Selection of candidates by telephone interview is applicable to all categories of candidates.

For selection of individual vacancies. For mass vacancies in any industry. For remote vacancies, so as not to pay for travel to the office of all job seekers.

The telephone interview is a recruitment method that has been around for a long time. more than a decade. Knowing the basics of preparing for it, you can be sure that having a high-quality base in the form of professional training and work experience, you can safely apply for the selected vacancy.

Useful video

This video provides useful tips to help you successfully pass the interview:

With the help of a well-written resume, you have passed the first stage of selection and approached the second - an interview. As a rule, a personal meeting with an HR specialist of the company is preceded by a telephone interview. What are the characteristics of a telephone interview? Why does a job seeker and recruiter need it? What does a recruiter pay attention to when conducting a telephone interview? How to pass it successfully? This article will tell about all this.

Features of this type of interview.
Main Feature telephone interview is the lack of eye contact with the interlocutor. On the one hand, this makes the task easier, since there is no need to worry about the external presentation, and on the other hand, your speech becomes even more important - what and how you say. Playing on the ability to please outwardly, charm with manners and a perfectly fitting suit in this case will not work.
Second feature- limited time. Typically, a telephone interview lasts within half an hour, usually 10-20 minutes. This nuance dictates the need to speak briefly, succinctly and to the point. If this skill is not developed enough for you, you need to work on it.
And the last. The applicant cannot track the recruiter's reaction to his answers and questions, as in a face-to-face interview. Lack of non-verbal feedback can add uncertainty to the candidate.

So, you sent your resume to the database of vacancies you are interested in, and in response received a letter or SMS from the employer asking you to call back. Or a recruiter, having read your resume, called you himself.

In the first case, you have additional opportunities - before calling, carefully study the vacancy again and carefully prepare for a telephone interview. If the HR specialist called you myself it is important to be prepared for a telephone interview. There are two recommendations here:
start preparing for a telephone interview even at the stage of compiling a resume, because after it is placed in the public domain or mailed for vacancies, recruiters will contact you,
it is good to think over what time interval, convenient for a call, to indicate in the resume.

If you are not currently ready for a phone interview(you are in the wrong place, you don’t remember the job description, you don’t feel up to par physically or mentally, etc.), it would be better to reschedule this conversation for another time. At the same time, it is important to thank the recruiter for responding to your resume, express interest in this vacancy and agree on a convenient time for a telephone interview. In such a situation, the best solution would be your call to the company's personnel service, unless the recruiter offers another option.

Phone interview. Main target The last stage of selection for a recruiter is to cut off unsuitable candidates so as not to waste time on them in a face-to-face interview.

What does a recruiter pay attention to during a telephone interview?

1. Organization and punctuality applicant.
Clarification: if the letter specifies the exact time or interval for the call, it is important to call exactly when you were asked. If something prevents this from being done, it is necessary to warn by letter or SMS. In the case when the time is not indicated, it is better to contact from 10:30 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 17:30. During the interview, nothing should distract you from the dialogue with the recruiter, make sure that you are alone in the room.

2. Appropriateness of the candidate.
Inadequate manifestations include: unmotivated aggression during a conversation, inability to conduct a dialogue, a lengthy conversation on abstract topics, etc. Being appropriate to the situation is important.

3. Communication skills, the ability to listen and hear.
Depending on the vacancy, the importance of the degree of development of communication skills may differ. At the same time, most positions still involve interaction with people - if not clients and subordinates, then colleagues and partners, so the ability to communicate and build relationships is necessarily taken into account. It is important during the interview: do not interrupt the interlocutor, listen and hear with interest, and, if necessary, politely ask and clarify again, do not take a tough stance in the conversation, do not try to pressure, beg or get personal. It must be remembered that no matter what high position you hold at your previous place of work, during a telephone interview you are an applicant, and the right to manage the course of the interview belongs to the HR specialist.
In my recruiting practice, I came across such candidates for top managers who “did not get out of their role” and tried to lead me and dictate their conditions in a telephone conversation. The outcome of these negotiations, I think, is clear.

4. Speech. The applicant's speech is evaluated from at least 2 sides: in fact, as the ability to convey one's thoughts to the interlocutor and from the point of view of obtaining additional information about the candidate's personality.
Here are important: the timbre of the voice, the ability to clearly and coherently express thoughts in Russian, the pace of conversation (haste as well as "hanging" on thoughts will obviously not add points to you), the absence of gross errors in speech (especially if the candidate is being considered for a qualified or leadership position).
In addition, while listening to the candidate, the recruiter simultaneously conducts a psycholinguistic analysis, determining the candidate's personality type, his value system, motivation, and personal characteristics. Here, the applicant does not need to try to guess and “play along” with the HR, it is better to behave naturally, this will help both parties make the right choice. If the candidate is incompatible with the corporate culture of the company, then let this be identified as early as possible to avoid wasting time.

5. Activity, positivity and confidence.
Here, I think, everything is clear - gloomy, frightened and inhibited people are unlikely to seem suitable for work to anyone, unless this is the case when the specialist is so valuable and rare that some character traits are ready to forgive him. But it's better not to count on it. and psychologically prepare for a phone interview.

6. Compliance with the basic requirements of the vacancy.
In this case, those key points that are characteristic of this particular position, the presence of which is mandatory for the applicant, are clarified. For example, professional skills, knowledge of a foreign language, possession of a driver's license, etc.

7. The applicant's interest in the vacancy and the company.
Initial loyalty to the company and work is a serious help for the candidate in successful employment. The opinion of an HR specialist about this indicator is formed on the basis of how carefully the applicant listens to him, what questions he asks, how ready to a constructive dialogue and give-and-take, how you finished a phone interview, etc.

How to prepare and pass a phone interview with dignity?
Carefully study the vacancy: requirements, tasks and functionality, working conditions. In order to have a meaningful conversation, you need to have good knowledge of information.
Before a telephone interview, tune in psychologically, enter the so-called "resource state". It's best to stand up for a phone interview as it helps you speak louder, more clearly, and with more confidence.
Prepare a mini-presentation about yourself and your professional achievements, as well as a short story about why you are interested in this job.
If necessary, practice passing a telephone interview by asking to temporarily be a "recruiter" of your friends or relatives.
Make a list of questions that are necessary and appropriate to discuss during a telephone interview. It should not be very extensive, by phone you need to clarify only the most important points for you, the presence or absence of which in the company is important for you and allows you to draw conclusions about expediency face-to-face interviews. Do not forget that not only you are chosen, but also you.
Salary issues are not very appropriate to discuss during a telephone interview, it is better to do this at an in-person interview. Firstly, not every employer will want to publish commercial information over the telephone, and secondly, it is more correct to raise the issue of compensation after the scope of duties and tasks at a new job has been outlined for you, and this usually happens at the interview at the company's office.
If you forgot to clarify something important during a telephone conversation, then Not recommended immediately call the personnel service with questions. It is better to do this the next day, but always before the face-to-face interview.
Whatever the outcome of the telephone interview, you need to thank the HR specialist for the time and attention given, and politely say goodbye. If there was no explicit refusal addressed to you, and you yourself continue to be interested in the vacancy, you need to ask the HR specialist what your next steps are and agree on an algorithm of actions.

Thus, a successfully completed telephone interview is another important step in finding a decent job or building a career. The main task of the applicant at this stage is to reinforce the positive impression that the HR specialist has from your resume with the ability to communicate and adequately present his candidacy.

Psychologists always advise, before going to an interview, to call a personnel officer or the employer himself to clarify the details of a future meeting. There are two types of telephone job interviews: when you call and when they call you.

Advantages and disadvantages of a phone interview

The main advantage of a telephone interview is the lack of eye contact. You can ask the person on the other end of the line what your salary will be, find out about the bonuses available and not blush with embarrassment. But the most important thing is your appearance, which you don’t need to worry about, as it fades into the background. But if you have a charming smile, then on the phone it will not be possible for her to strike anyone, although it is very felt when a person smiles. Facial expressions and gestures are considered one of the main tools to influence a person. When you are confident, look directly at the interlocutor, your gestures show your strength, then telephone communication cannot be compared with such contact.

On the phone, the main load goes to the voice. The interlocutor will understand by intonation, by tempo and your tone, what kind of person you are. Therefore, one of the tips in preparing for an interview at a distance will be to train your future speech, prepare questions, and pronounce them. Psychologists advise choosing a moderate pace, intonation without a hint of hostility or discontent, a moderately official tone. In case of fatigue, you need to reschedule communication to a more suitable time, unless, of course, you are calling. If they call you and are taken by surprise, then take a time out, saying that you cannot talk now and call back during the day (be sure to say what time the call will be made).

How to pass a telephone interview

1. If you made the call, introduce yourself and state the purpose of the concern.

2. Write down your achievements in theses, the goals you want to achieve in a new place, put documents next to you that you may be asked about (diploma, passport, certificate of completion of courses).

3. Prepare a detailed story about yourself with biographical data (place of study, work, age, marital status).

4. Ask who you are talking to, while writing down the name of the personnel manager, so that later you can call him officially by his first name and patronymic (this will show your social skills).

5. Be punctual, stick to the framework that is behind the scenes (the call should be no more than five minutes).

7. Do not pause, interrupt the interlocutor and do not call back for clarifications, as all of the above are signs of disorganization and absent-mindedness.

8. Remove extraneous sounds from the tube (vacuum cleaner, TV, children's screams).

9. Think about what questions to ask during the interview. In general, questions and answers will not differ in any way from the traditional interview format. Ask about salary at the very end and do not forget to thank for the result of the interview.

How to conduct an initial telephone interview

Often a telephone interview is conducted to clarify the primary information about the candidate. During this interview, you can clarify the missing information in the resume, try to interest the candidate in the vacancy and tell a little about your company. The format of such an interview involves a short dialogue.

How to conduct a phone interview for an employer

The second interview format is a full-fledged telephone interview. This format differs only in that you do not see the candidate, which somewhat limits you in compiling his psychological portrait. The entire interview process is similar to a traditional interview. Typically, the format is applicable when searching for employees in other regions, as well as mass selection of line personnel.

How to ask for a phone interview

Most often, it is customary to interact with the employer by sending him a resume, then it is customary to wait. But you can be active and after sending the resume, call the HR officer, clarify the details of the vacancy, as well as whether your resume has been received and when you should expect the result of the review of the resume. Of course, you can get the standard phrase “we will call you back” in response, but there is always a chance that this will push the employer to study your resume in more detail, and also increase the chance of getting a long-awaited invitation. In addition, with the increasing role of social networks, interaction with recruiters is becoming more accessible.

How to book a phone interview

If the vacancy indicates that you can sign up for an interview yourself, then you should definitely take this opportunity. Call the number indicated, introduce yourself, tell the name of the vacancy and the source from which you learned about the vacancy, check if the vacancy is still relevant and specify what day you can sign up for, as well as what you need to take for an interview. Be ready to answer the recruiter's clarifying questions, as well as send your resume.

With the development of technology, telephone interviews have long become a familiar way of interaction between a candidate and a recruiter. An alternative solution could be Skype interview, video interview, chat interview.