Phone interviews are becoming more common for multinational organisations. They’re also common across the student market if you can’t get to the interview location - i.e. you’re studying in Manchester and the company office is in London. They vary slightly from face-to-face interviews but most of the same rules still apply.
I once had a phone interview for an international organisation which involved a German interviewer who was working for the company in Holland - a strange situation with some language barriers and therefore you need to be prepared for all circumstances.
Make sure you follow the steps below to ensure you perform well in the interview:
Before the interview:
- Prepare - we can’t stress it enough. Make sure you know what the job will entail and that you know enough about the company. - make sure you research the company - how big is it? Is it a leader in the industry? What profit does it make per year? How many employees does it have? What countries does it operate in? - your CV could help to sell you (that’s effectively what you’re doing in an interview - selling yourself to the company). Check out our guide to the perfect student CV in the CV Section. - ask someone you know to do a practice interview with you so that you can prepare your answers.
- Research the company
- Get your CV up to date
- Practice
During the interview:
- Listen intently and think about your answers before you speak. You need to make sure you answer the question specifically (in the same way as exams) rather than generically.
- Be concise in your answers - interviewers are busy people and don’t want people to babble.
- Smile - this sounds weird but you can often get a sense over the phone if someone is smiling. This shows that you’re positive and happy to be having an interviewer with the company. It also shows the interviewer that you’re a positive person.
- Be positive - always ensure you’re answers are positive and that it would be a great opportunity for you to work for the company.
- Ask questions regarding career progression - this shows the interviewer that you are already thinking about a long term future with the company.
After the interview:
- Ask the interviewer for any feedback regarding your answers and ask if they have any concerns about any answers you gave. This will help you with all future interviews. - after all they’re busy people and have the time out of their day to talk to you. - for example will they call you, are there further interviews etc. - you’re perfectly entitled to say that you need some time to think about it. You can get wrapped out with the talk of money without thinking about whether you’ll be happy in the job. - i.e. ‘I look forward to hearing from you’.
- Thank the interviewer for their time
- Ask what the next steps are
- If you’re offered the job THINK before you accept
- Finish on a positive note
