In a world like this, where things are constantly on the move and time is so valuable and since most companies happen to be so remote, a technical phone interview is obviously becoming very common these days.
It is actually very beneficial if you have been thinking otherwise. It will allow the hiring manager to screen his candidates and finally come up with a list of candidates they are hoping to fill.
If you have been never attended a phone interview and are worried about whether you can make it that far or not, consider this post to be your ultimate guide. Yes, you will be helped majorly! Some of the tips and suggestions have been enlisted here that will definitely help you prepare for a technical phone interview and ace them like a pro.
Tips to Handle Technical Phone Interview Successfully:
1. Practice answers to important and basic questions before the interview:
Always make sure you have checked out some of the basic questions they usually ask during technical phone interviews and make it a point to rehearse them. Make sure to prepare your answers from before so you don’t have to look like you aren’t ready or confident enough to handle them.
You can also come up with a “cheat sheet” that you may use during interviews but try your level best to make it look like its coming out of your mind and not from an answer sheet.
2. Find someone to help you out:
You can also ask someone to help you out while preparing for the phone interview. The two of you can have something like a mock interview where your friend will be asking you a couple of questions.
This is the time to pay close attention to yourself, understand what you are saying so that when you are actually sitting for the interview, you will be ready. At the end of it, you should ask your friend for feedback and ask him/her how you’ve fared. .
3. Look for the perfect location:
Obviously, when you are going to attend a phone interview, you have to be comfortable and relaxed. So choose that part of your place where there is quiet and place. Make sure the environment there is calm enough for you to attend an important phone call.
Keep away from everything that distracts you. This includes children, pets at home or even your partner. You shouldn’t be interrupted whatsoever. So select the perfect spot before you can begin.
4. Use landlines instead of cell phones:
Even though your cell phone is good quality, they are still so unreliable these days. Our suggestion is to choose landlines instead of mobile phones. In this case, you will never have to worry about the battery dying or running out of the connection.
You should be able to hear all questions clearly so even your answers should be very clear to the recruiter. So make sure to pick your landline because in that way you will never have to worry about the call getting ruined in any way. Even experts would suggest you to do the same.
5. Keep all important materials close to you:
When you are about to attend a phone interview, you must have all the important materials right by your side. This includes both your cover letter as well as the resume. All other important documents that you think could help you during the interview could help as well.
Most candidates like to keep their pen and paper notes by their side so that they can answer questions accordingly. You could also have a “clear sheet” ready if you are worried about running out of words. All of this should definitely help.
6. Note everything that your interviewer is asking:
You should be able to answer all questions like a professional. So make sure to observe and listen carefully to all questions that are being asked. You should be able to ask all the questions with precision.
Make sure to stick to the topic. Never make the mistake of digressing. That is never considered acceptable. Your point is to give answers that are direct, clear and very specific. Also, pay close attention because you will have to come up with follow up questions that can further be clarified. If you like, you may also prepare a list of questions.
7. Try to be positive throughout:
No matter what, you should never make the mistake of bashing any of your employers, colleagues or bosses. So make sure you are positive and that your communication skills are good enough to make it to the top.
Yes, you will be asked about your strengths and weaknesses like all interviews, so be well prepared to nail them as well. Kindly make it a point to keep miles away from sarcasm or even an abrasive tone. The interviewer might not be able to see your expressions or body language but the way you speak is certainly going to make a huge difference.
8. Be more social and cordial:
When you are speaking, try to smile a bit. Also please do not hesitate to speak about how excited you are about your opportunity to work towards the growth and development of the company.
Show that you are interested in learning and growing through these people. Also make sure you are friendly enough to open more doors of communication with these people. This might help you significantly in the future. Also it would be great if you hear from them again in the future.
9. Don’t forget to say thank you!:
Never forget to thank your interviewer at the end of the interview. You should always make it a point to express your gratitude and show how thankful you are. If you would like, you can also write them a mail later on or even send them a letter saying how grateful you are to them for giving you this wonderful opportunity.
They will definitely appreciate and remember you for this. Plus, you never know. It could increase your chances of landing the job. So try your level best.
10. Be prepared with everything you need:
You should be prepared when it comes to basic things like an internet connection. You never know what is going to be asked and expected of you. So make sure you have that ready.
A good and stable internet connection is very important to keep things going. So be alert and be prepared to handle this.
11. Always understand the process before it begins:
In order to nail the interview like a professional, you should understand the process as well. The first step is usually handled with the recruiter who happens to be in the human resources department. The second step is most popularly called the technical interview. This is where you will be speaking to one of those you will be working with.
Technical phone interviews are most of the time conducted for those kinds of people who are staying outside the geographical region. This occurs because the company you have applied for would like to have some level of confidence in you and your technical abilities before they think of spending money on you so that you can fly to them and attend an in-person interview. It makes a lot of difference so please be alert and well prepared in that way.
12. Brush Up And Revise Everything:
Before you attend an interview, it is very important to brush up on all your technical skills. This is very important because you will be asked questions related to this and you should be able to handle them.
Most importantly, make sure to revise everything you know from beforehand. That should help as well. Plus your communication skills should be on point. If three of these points are tackled well, then nobody can stop you from landing or acing the technical phone interview.
Conclusion:
This brings us to the end of the discussion. Handling a technical phone interview is definitely not as difficult as you might have thought earlier. It might not be super easy either. But you can always improve this by preparing yourself, staying alert and of course understand the whole process before the interview begins.
This will give you a better idea about things and you will be able to handle technical phone interviews in the future as professionals do.
On that note, good luck! And here’s hoping the article has benefitted you. You will definitely land the job of your dreams after this.
