How to Have A Successful Phone Interview
Presented by Career Services
The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars
The 3 Stages of a Phone Interview
1. Pre Phone Interview
2. Phone Interview
3. Post Phone Interview
Slide 2
Pre Phone Interview
Preparing for the Conversation
The most important person
to research…
What skills do you want to use
in your career?
What experiences have honed
these desired skills?
YOU
Is this position an opportunity
for you to use and improve the
skills you want?
What experiences do you need
to further develop these skills?
How do I look online?
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Google yourself
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Check out Reppler as a tool for managing your online reputation
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Downplay the negative
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Keep social network profiles clean or private
Emphasize the positive – is your LinkedIn profile the first result?
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Make your LinkedIn profile interesting
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Get recommendations (hint: recommending others = good karma)
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Post articles
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Join groups
Custom LinkedIn URL
Pre Phone Interview:
The Research Hierarchy
Industry
Company
Job
Pre Phone Interview:
Knowing the Industry
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Bureau of Labor Statistics
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Career Guide to Industries: http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/home.htm
Occupational Outlook Quarterly: http://www.bls.gov/ooh
Vault.com
Hoovers.com – check if your school pays for this service
Pre Phone Interview:
Knowing the Company
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Company website
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Avoid wasting time asking questions that can be answered on the website
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About Us Section
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Mission Statement
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Management Team Bios
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Recent Press Releases
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LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
AnnualReports.com
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More than financial information
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Company successes
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Areas for improvement
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Strategic plan
Interviewer(s)
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Google them, they are Googling you anyway!
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LinkedIn (again)
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Facebook (again)
Pre Phone Interview:
Knowing the Job Function
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Read the job description carefully
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Look at each responsibility and note any experiences that prepare you
Watch for skills explicitly included and write out specific experiences where
you demonstrate those skills
Know which responsibilities you are not prepared for or don’t understand
 Opportunity to ask interviewer for clarification
Pre Phone Interview:
Getting Set Up
YOUR VOICEMAIL
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Greeting Example: “Hi, you have reached Jason. I’m unavailable to come to the phone right now. Please leave
your name, phone number and a message and I will get back to you. Thanks!”
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Check your voicemail everyday and return all messages within 24 hours!
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Watch for the following area codes for the DC and surrounding areas (202, 703, 301)
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An employer may call and want to interview you on the spot. If they call and it is not a good time for you have a
long conversation or interview, don’t answer the phone and let it go to voicemail.
YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
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Make sure your address is professional
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Good email addresses: [email protected], [email protected]
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Not so good email addresses: [email protected], [email protected]
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Return all emails within 24 hours.
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Follow directions. Do they want you to call or email them back?
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Keep it professional
HOUSE PHONE
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Make sure you are receiving the messages.
Slide 10
Pre Phone Interview:
Other Helpful Tips
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Keep your resume in clear view so that it is at your fingertips
when you need to reflect back to it.
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Have a pen and paper handy for note taking.
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Clear the room! (evict the kids and pets, turn off the stereo and
the TV, close the door)
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Charge your cell phone.
Slide 11
Phone Interview
Showcasing Your Best Self
Important Reminder
Make sure that you note the Eastern Standard United
States Time Zone for your interview!
For example, 9AM in Washington D.C. is 6AM in
Los Angeles, California.
Slide 13
Phone Interview:
Setting Up
STAND OR SIT UPRIGHT WHEN ON THE PHONE
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This allows your voice to project and sound more confident.
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Wake up plenty of time before the interview.
SPEAK CLEARLY
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When people get nervous they talk fast and mumble.
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This makes communication even more difficult over the phone.
FEEL FREE TO USE NOTES, BUT DON’T READ FROM A SCRIPT
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Bullet items that you want to mention in your interview.
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Have your questions ready.
SMILE AND BE ENTHUSIASTIC
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When you smile, the interviewer can actually feel it.
Slide 14
The Most Common
Interview Question
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Tell me about yourself.
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School
Year in school (graduation date if you are graduating)
Major(s) and minor(s)
I am interested in…industry, type of work, etc.
I am drawn to this position with your organization because…
I would benefit your team with these skills and experiences…
Slide 15
Explaining why you want
to work for them…
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Why did you decide to apply for this position?
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Answer this question before they ask when telling them
about yourself!
This requires self-reflection – what do you want?
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What sort of work do you want to do?
Be as specific as you can – e.g., you can “help people” in many
ways, but why this way in particular?
This involves company research – what are they looking for?
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Slide 16
Know the company’s purpose
Know the job description
Common questions
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What would a coworker say it is like to work with you?
What is your ideal work environment?
What is your greatest strength?
What is your biggest weakness?
What were the responsibilities of your last position?
Where would you like to be in your career five years
from now?
How do you handle stress?
Slide 17
Answering the
“biggest weakness” question
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Note an area of improvement that is not essential to the job (check the job
description!)…
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…but is also a genuine weakness that you are working to improve on
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Always end on a positive note
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“Being organized wasn’t my strongest point, but I implemented a time
management system that really helped my organizational skills.”
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“Sometimes, I get caught up in my daily tasks, that I forget the big picture.
I have been working on this in my weekly status meetings with my manager
by discussing with her how my tasks fit within the departmental and
company goals.”
Slide 18
Telling Stories
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Identify key attributes for success in the role and
prepare 2-3 stories for each personal attribute
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Teamwork
Communication
Organizational
Critical/analytical thinking
Self-starter/Innovative
Willingness to learn
Willingness to travel
Experiences related to the position
Slide 19
How to tell a story
USE THE STAR APPROACH
Source: http://www.careerservices.wayne.edu/resources/behavioralinterviewinfo.pdf
STAR Example
QUESTION: Describe a situation when you had to change your plans without warning
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Situation: One time at Company XYZ, a project deadline got moved up 2 weeks. This project
required a lot of time and research, but…
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Task: I needed to send results to my supervisor by the following morning.
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Action: I immediately put on hold some other projects that could wait and began working on
this project. I had good rapport with other staff members and they offered their help. I
delegated some research tasks, allowing me to focus on the tasks I had already begun working
on. I also stayed after work for a few hours to get the project done.
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Result: The project was turned in early and my supervisor was able to use the project to
get an important client who generated an extra $40,000 of revenue for our organization. I
was very grateful for the support from my fellow coworkers and made sure to thank
everyone. We all work together well and I am always willing to help others if they are in a
jam, and my supervisor was very pleased with the results.
Other Tips
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You will be talking about yourself, but maintain a focus
on what YOU are going to do for THEM.
When discussing negative experiences, emphasize how
you made the best of the outcome.
Vary your examples; don't take them all from just one
area of your life.
Use recent examples (high school may be too long ago).
Don’t interrupt the interviewer.
Take your time – it’s perfectly okay to take a few
moments to collect your thoughts.
Slide 22
Turning the Tables:
What to Ask Interviewers
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Prepare 3-5 questions beforehand
Examples:
 Please tell me about what you are looking for in this position?
 What are the day to day responsibilities of this internship?
 What is the work atmosphere like in this internship?
 I noticed on your website that you work with [topic], I’m very interested
in this subject, would I be exposed to this?
 Could you tell me about your supervision/managerial style?
 What is the timeline for filling this internship position?
 What is your employee turnover rate?
Phone Interview:
Wrapping Up
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Ask about next steps in the process
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Thank them for their time
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Restate your interest!
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Examples
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Slide 24
“I am very interested in this position and I hope you will keep me
in consideration.”
“Thank you very much for taking the time to interview me today. I’m
very interested and I hope to hear from you soon.”
Post Phone Interview
Making a Lasting Impression
Post Phone Interview:
Thank You
THANK YOU EMAIL
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You should follow the interview with a thank you email within 24 hours.
EXAMPLE:
Mr. or Ms. Jones:
Thank you again for the opportunity to interview for the internship position at ABC Company. I appreciated
your questions and enjoyed our conversation about (subject A, B, C, and D).
The interview convinced me of how compatible my background, interest, and skills are with you the goals of
ABC Company. I am very interested and hope to hear from you in the near future. If you have any questions
feel free to contact me at (123) 123-1234. Thank you again for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Tim Smith
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Send separate personalized notes to each interviewer with specific references to conversation
Slide 26
Post Phone Interview:
Reflection
Do you feel more or less excited
about working for this employer?
Slide 27
Post Phone Interview:
The Offer
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To accept or not to accept?
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Communicate with The Washington Center!
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Example acceptance of job offer email. Carbon Copy your contact at The Washington Center.
Dear Mr. Smith:
It is with great appreciation that I thank you for the internship offer. I gladly accept the offer and
appreciate the opportunity to (your preferred expression here). I will commence at this position
on (start date). I look forward to being part of your team and am confident that I will be able to
make a positive contribution to the (company/organization) goals. Thank you once again for this
opportunity.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Slide 28
Post Phone Interview:
Rejecting an Offer
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Call first before following up with email
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Example rejection of job offer email. Carbon Copy your contact at The Washington Center.
Dear Mr. Smith:
Thank you very much for your telephone call and letter offering me the [position name] position
with [company]. While I believe firmly in the mission of your organization and appreciate the
challenging opportunity you offer, I have had another offer which I believe more closely aligns
with my current career goals and interests. Therefore, although it was a difficult decision, as I
explained when we spoke by phone this morning, I must decline your offer.
I do appreciate all the courtesy and hospitality extended to me by your office, and I wish you the
best in your endeavors.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Slide 29
QUESTIONS?
[email protected]
Slide 30