Phone interview: how to answer

If you are looking for your first opportunity for a job as a hostess or promoter, often the telephone interview is the first step. As we have already written for the “face to face” interview, “you have just a chance to make a first impression”, so let’s give you some advice on how best to support it.

Use your words well

In telephone interviews, words are all you have. Since you cannot use non-verbal communication, and with a limited amount of time, you have to communicate your strengths in the best possible way and in a few minutes.

At the same time, the most common mistake for candidates is to focus on words rather than strategic communication – so it is better not to chat as if you were talking to your best friend. At the same time, appearing too shy or silent is not beneficial for this type of work, which has a strong relational component.

The advice is therefore to maintain a professional tone of voice and not try to monopolize the conversation with unnecessary details. If you are not interested in this activity or cannot participate, thank your interlocutor and renew your interest in other activities: being bored or grumpy could preclude future possibilities.

Eliminates distractions

Make sure you are in a quiet room, without distractions and pay close attention to what the interviewer has to say. If you’re leaving your laptop open to have all the necessary resources at hand, make sure you’ve closed all chat platforms – there’s nothing worse than your interviewer hearing facebook chat notifications during an interview.

One of the major advantages of a phone interview is that you can get more information available. Open a copy of your resume to have everything within reach when asked about any dates. This is particularly important because confusing information may lead recruiters to think that you are not telling the truth.

Look, don’t interrupt, and then ask.

There is nothing worse during a phone interview than having people talking to you on it while you are trying to make the point. Listen to what the recruiter has to say during the phone interview, focus on what they are asking you, and do not interrupt even if you already have the answer. Saying confirmation words, such as “okay”, “OK”, or “I understand” at intervals can help the recruiter to know that you are paying attention. Once it is finished, ask for all the details (timetables, salary, type of activity) to understand if you are the right person and available for this activity.

If you are not interested in the activity, simply thank your interviewer: also the way in which you will communicate your lack of interest or impossibility will be noticed for future opportunities.

Speak up if you want to stand out.

Believe it or not, standing up during a phone conversation gives your tone of voice a more effective sound. Having a clear and strong voice is very similar to wearing the best outfit for an event – it’s the key to success for a great first impression. A clear, ringing tone of voice can allow the recruiter to notice your ability to communicate – which, as we have already said, are of paramount importance to this work.

The secret is always to stay calm and understand that on the other side of the phone there is someone who wants to find the right person as long as you want this job – the only thing left to do is earn their trust by focusing on showing off your qualities to the best of your ability.

Good luck with that!