I have an interview for a position I'd like to get. Its phone interview which I've never done before. I dont consider myself good at phone calls.


Any tips?

(Edit: passed phone interview into final round zoom meeting now)

I just did a Webex interview Friday. I fretted for days because I really want the job. It was a two on one, uncle Sam agency. They were gauging my integrity and character with situational questions, 'tell us about a time'.
Just be honest and don't add anything that is not asked of you. I tend to want to sell myself and want to point out the good stuff but, sometimes I go too far. Just answer the questions and shut up. Somehow I passed, Thank God!

Nice. Congrats!

Be on time.
No background noise.
DO NOT say this is your first phone interview.
If this is for a remote work position, don't express any uncertainty or reluctance to work from home.

I did okay on one a few years ago by printing out some answers to the questions they like to ask and then laying the sheets on the island in the kitchen. That allowed me to look at them without rustling through a bunch of papers. I also concentrated on just answering the question that was asked.

This is a good suggestion. Try not to think about it too much during the interview. Also come up with some prepared statements or answers before hand. They usually like to hear your background, so get good at concisely speaking about your history and experience as it pertains to the job in question.

- Stand so your best voice projects

- Keep the phone tilted up to your mouth

- They'll ask questions about you application/resume

- They'll ask simple, straight questions about how you can perform at the position

- Give concise answers


(When you're hired, I'll need an $87 coaching fee payment.)

Try and figure out, based on how they're talking, if it's going to be relatively informal or very formal.  Then match that.  Don't be stuffy if they're being laid-back and conversational.

...or don't take advice from me, since I've been trying for over a year to find another higher-paying job, had multiple phone interviews, and still haven't been offered anything yet.

Groom yourself as if you were going for an in-person interview.  It'll put you in the right frame of mind.

Likewise, sit at your desk or kitchen table.

Don't suck dick.

Drink a beer before it,   with nothing on your stomach.

It will get the nerves gone slightly, take off the edge and plus it will give you some more confidence which I get the feeling you need (asking for help on AR15)

Good advice in this thread.

Other things I would add:

Try to highlight your strengths with every response. For example, if they ask you about a time that you overcame adversity, if you can bring Teamwork as well as Perseverance into your example, it becomes more powerful.

Also, try to highlight lessons that you've learned along the way. This shows you have initiative, as well as the ability to grow.

If you were able to hint at the position, it may give people more context to give you better advice, but completely understand if you're not comfortable with that.

make sure you incorporate your model train and imitation crab meat collection into the conversation

obviously kidding, no advise 'cause I suck so bad at those things I'm amazed I have a job, but good luck

I like to walk around while doing phone interviews. Whether it just walking back and forth in my house or walking around in the back yard. It helps get rid of the nervous energy.

What’s the position?

When the time is right, ask them how long they have been there, why they choose this company and what is it they like about working there.

You may know about the company products in general but what business group will you be working if it's a big company.

Get really drunk about 90 minutes beforehand and make sure the tv is loud enough you can hear it so you don't miss something important.

Can you hold a second? Hooker knocking on the door, be a minute.

Good advice. And if you bomb it, just tell them that you were drunk.

This.

Do your homework about the company!

Make sure to have porn playing on your computer the whole time.

We do model trains? Ohhh boy...

Had a ton of phone call interviews recently. Finally landed a new job but it took probably a dozen phone calls and 10 virtual interviews. I did well on the phone and procured the next step numerous times but didn't do well virtually.

Funny thing is, I only had two in-person interviews and both offered me the job.

Be prepared to talk about your resume and how the experience relates to the job you're applying for.

Know the job description well, or at least the best you can. This ties in to #1. On a 2nd step virtual interview, I stated I felt my current skills would line up well based on the job description. The guy then asked me how and I gave a shitty answer.

Prepare for popular interview questions, like why are leaving your current job, how have you solved disputes or worked with a difficult coworker, how you balance numerous deadlines, name a time you faced a difficult situation and how you overcame it, how you've added value to your current firm, what kind of work culture are you seeking or mesh well with, etc.

If you get the STAR format, good luck with that. Interviewed with Caterpillar and they used that. I prepped for it but the questions weren't straightforward and tripped me up.

Don't say anything negative about your current boss. Made it to the 3rd round with EQR and I could tell the old hag wanted to trip me up to narrow down the candidates with difficult / direct questions and tripped me up about my boss. It's almost like she knew my boss was a mega-bitch and wanted to hear me say it. Once the floodgates opened and I realized I messed up, I went scorched earth on prior mgmt lol. Not too bright, but learned something in the process.

Good luck!

I always ask in phone interviews or in person how many layoffs in certain period and how stable the company is. One dipshit said "oh yeah everything is great already talked to the bank about a loan to cover your salary". Ummm no thanks.
I don't work in the corporate world thankfully. Most "phone interviews" are just talking and I can get them at any time, not set up or anything. We just talk like two people, not HR.

I also like to have a copy of my resume in front of me. It especially helps with the exact timelines of what you did.

At the end of the interview, finish with "...and furthermore, Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself."

Dress up as if you were in person.

Stand, but don't pace around a room
If you choose to sit, don't sit in front of a computer.

Smile. Your smile not only improves your mood, but the people on the other end will notice.

Consider headphones. Blocks out noise on your end, makes you sound more professional on their end.

Be confident. I feel since you aren't in person, their perception of yourself is altered. The only thing they know about you is what's on paper and your voice. Put that to your advantage.

I had a phone interview last year.  The dykey-sounding chick called me on what must have been the worst cell connection I've ever heard.  Extremely distorted, I had to keep asking her to repeat herself.  It didn't last long.  I didn't get the job.  I didn't really want the job anyway, my plan was to get paid for the training period and then bail.

I just got done with my 6th phone/zoom interview for a job I’ve been really trying to get for some time now.

If you’re doing a video, tidy up your space and dress nice. I just wore a plaid button up shirt. Nothing too fancy but also not my pajamas at home. (This job is remote fr at least the next 6 months or so)

Research the company before hand so you have good meaningful questions that you can ask when presented with the opportunity.

Take notes. I always tell them I’m gonna take some notes so they don’t think I’m working on other stuff when they hear me typing. They’ve been helpful to look back on for subsequent interviews and have been great segue points at times.

Send a thank you email to the interviewer Within 24H after the interview. I always tell them that I’m grateful for their time, the conversation and a short 2-3 sentence blurb about how I feel like I’m a strong candidate for the position based on what we talked about. This step is important IMO.

These have helped me on video interviews and in in person interviews over the past few years as I’ve interviewed with probably 15 or so different companies and been offered various positions.


ETA: focus on giving results based answers that showcase how you got results done. An example I once heard was “don’t describe the hand. Describe what you accomplished with the hand”

Ive interviewed people and a question will be about coding experience and here are 2 example answers Ive gotten.

1.) “Oh I love Python, it’s a fun and useful language and easier than the more rigid languages I learned in school. Ive worked with it for about 2 years now”

2.) “I used Python to automate a data reporting pipeline at my last company that had been bogging the team down for 4-5 hours per week for more than 6 months. We then took this pipeline and expanded it out to collect data analytics from additional sources and scaled it up to cover the entire product suite.”

Candidate number 2 gets the job. He/she described not only their experience (the hand) but how they used that skill to increase productivity.

This is an open ended time for you to talk yourself up. Don’t waste open needed questions like this as they are opportunities to highlight your skills.

Wear ear bud gizzmoz and walk around your place. It keeps your brain active. Look out your windows, walk outside if you can...garage maybe. Don't hold your phone keep it in your pocket. Talk with your hands and body like you would in person.
I even took a crap during an interview...
I'm 58 and have nailed every one.
Good luck!

Imagine yourself naked to give yourself some confidence. Or them naked, I can never remember which way round it is.

Know everything about anything on your resume
Give examples of what you personally have done
Dont talk yourself down or bring up things you didnt do well or are bad at

Call from a quiet place with good reception on time

Thanks people.

I have a zoom  final interview tomorrow mid day.

Any more tips.

There is some sort of h.r. consultant in the meeting too.



We will be given questions 15 min in advance. Not sure why.