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Phone interview tips to help you land that job

These phone interview tips will maximize your chances of a successful job hunt. Generally, interviews over the telephone are the exception rather than the rule. They may be held if you and the interviewing organization are in different cities. This type of interview will typically be followed by a face-to-face meeting; it's rare for a hiring decision to be made entirely over the phone.

Interviews over the telephone do have some pluses. Your appearance, what you wear, body language, etc don't count. You may feel more relaxed since you are in your home or office rather than at their location. Keep those basic tips for interviews in mind.

These interviews on the phone have some minuses as well. Communication is more difficult, since both interviewer and interviewee miss out on non-verbal cues. Establishing rapport over the telephone is also more difficult for the same reason and presents additional challenges for your job search.

Here are several tips to help you through interviews via the phone.

Even though you're not visible to the interviewer, do dress reasonably well. The reason is psychological -- most people feel better and more confident when they're well-dressed than when they're sloppily dressed. You don't need to be in a three-piece suit, but don't underestimate the importance your attire has on YOU. Use every possible advantage at an interview.

During your preparation for the interview, you would have made notes about key points you wish to make. It's a good tip to keep these handy.

When talking to the interviewer over the phone, stand up. This will raise your energy level and give you more confidence. But don't pace the floor -- you might sound breathless, even if you don't realize it.

Keep your voice positive and upbeat while modulating it well -- those are always good tips, whether for a phone interview or an in-person meeting.

Avoid unnecessary fillers like "umm", "uh", etc. They don't sound good on the phone. Your voice is the only thing the interviewer has to go by. Any such fillers tend to stick out.

This is a basic tip, but make sure the room you're speaking from is free of distractions. If you're at home interviewing on the telephone, be sure the kids are not allowed into the room. You might also want to disable call waiting on your phone so that you're not disturbed while talking.

Take care of these basic tips for phone interviews and you should come out a winner. Be sure to review our other articles about interviewing for jobs.

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