![\"Man](\"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Phone-Skype-Interview-Header-1.jpg\")
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Before you ever get the chance to extol your virtues to a potential employer during an in-person interview, it\u2019s likely you\u2019ll have first answered some questions over the phone or via Skype (or other video software). It\u2019s easier for all parties, especially for the first round when you\u2019re really just trying to feel each other out. <\/span><\/p>\n It can be easy to be less prepared for these types of interviews — they just don\u2019t feel like they carry the same weight as meeting someone face-to-face. But taking a lax approach would be a mistake. In many ways, this first impression is <\/span>more<\/span><\/i> important, because it\u2019s just that — a company\u2019s first impression of the kind of employee you\u2019d be. You\u2019ll never make it deeper into the hiring process if you\u2019re stopped at the gate.<\/span><\/p>\n In general, you want to prepare for these interviews just as you would the in-person variety: go into it knowing how to tell your career story in just a couple minutes, explain unconventional aspects of your resume, answer behavioral questions — that sort of thing. <\/span><\/p>\n To get you started, here are a few articles we\u2019ve done about job interviews:<\/span><\/p>\n Be sure to read up on those, as I\u2019m not going to cover all the general basics of interviews below. Rather, while I\u2019ll take you through some classic interview tips, they\u2019ll be focused specifically on the context of handling a phone and\/or video conversation. <\/span><\/p>\n Stick to your house for phone and Skype interviews. Don\u2019t try to do it at a coffee shop; that\u2019ll annoy both the interviewer (background noise can make it hard to hear you), and the other coffee shop patrons as well. Plus, you just aren\u2019t in control of your environment. The crashing sound of someone spilling a drink nearby can throw you off your game. <\/span><\/p>\n Of course you want to choose a place with reliable cell service and\/or internet. If your home office is in the basement, but you don\u2019t get good cell service down there, head upstairs. For a phone call, your parked car can even work great (so long as you aren\u2019t in a parking garage, where cell service is always spotty). If you know there\u2019s a corner of the house where the wifi is spotty, best not to head there for your video chat. <\/span><\/p>\n And if your own abode doesn\u2019t work, ask a friend or family member if you can steal a room for 30-60 minutes. <\/span><\/p>\n Of course, don\u2019t do the interview at your workplace, and especially not on company time! <\/span><\/p>\n There are additional location considerations when video chatting, which I\u2019ll cover in more detail below. <\/span><\/p>\n This is obvious if it\u2019s a video interview — you can\u2019t look like a schlub in front of an interviewer. On the phone, though, you might be tempted to rock some sweats and not bother with combing your hair. I don\u2019t recommend that. <\/span><\/p>\n Rather, whether the interview is on the phone or over video, dress and groom just as you would if it was an in-person meeting<\/a>. It gets you in the right mindset for the position you want to hold. If you go through the routine of getting ready for an interview, you\u2019ll jump into things as if you were right in the interviewer’s office. That time spent getting ready even serves to allow you to rehearse things in your mind versus sitting on the couch watching TV right up until it\u2019s time for the interview. Your head just won\u2019t be in the game in the same way. <\/span><\/p>\n So shower, shave, and even for a phone interview, throw on a decent outfit. For a video chat, you\u2019ll want to dress one notch up from the position you’re applying for, which often means donning a shirt and tie or a suit. (And no, don\u2019t wear a nice top while in your underwear; what happens when you unexpectedly need to get up to grab something?)<\/span><\/p>\n For an in-person interview, showing up 15 minutes early is on-time. You don\u2019t want to be flying in the doors right when the interview is supposed to start. <\/span><\/p>\n For phone or Skype interviews, the rules are a little different. While you don\u2019t want to call 15 minutes early, you should be at your desk and ready to go at least that much time in advance. Check your cell service, internet connection, etc. You also want just a few minutes to get in the right mindset, look over your resume and cover letter<\/a> one last time, have a sip of water, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n Also be sure you\u2019ve nailed down details of who\u2019s calling who. You don\u2019t want your potential employer waiting for 10 minutes just because you were supposed to dial in to a conference line and you\u2019ve been sitting there staring at your phone.<\/span><\/p>\n While you want to do these things in person too, they\u2019re even more important with a phone or video interview. Speak a <\/span>little<\/span><\/i> more loudly than you normally would, a <\/span>little<\/span><\/i> more slowly, and really focus on enunciating your words. You know how it goes on the phone or over Skype — even with the best connections things are easily muddled or missed and an \u201cI\u2019m sorry, what was that?\u201d is almost inevitable. Reduce those awkward exchanges as much as possible. <\/span><\/p>\n Much of conversation happens through our body language — the gestures we make, facial expressions, even minor shifts in how we\u2019re sitting. Those are obviously entirely absent in phone calls, and harder to read in video interviews. So you really have to pay extra attention to things like tone of voice and subtle changes in inflection to know when to chime in with an answer, or even just to give an affirmative \u201cSure\u201d or \u201cYeah, that makes sense\u201d to show that you\u2019re listening attentively. Better, in my opinion, to speak up a little too much versus sitting silently for too long and letting the interviewer wonder if you\u2019re paying attention. <\/span><\/p>\n In general, you do this simply by practicing. When on the phone with other people, really practice active listening<\/a>. Nod your head even though they can\u2019t see you and offer short phrases to show you\u2019re listening (as mentioned above). If you\u2019re in the process of interviewing for jobs, make it a habit to pick up the phone a little more just so you can get comfortable with it. Call your friends, your parents, the local Thai place (rather than ordering online), etc. <\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll then carry these practices over to when you\u2019re on a phone call where a prospective employer, and the future of your career, are on the line.<\/span><\/p>\n In a phone interview you\u2019re often speaking with someone from HR or a hiring manager — not necessarily the person who will be your supervisor or team leader. You usually only meet those folks in person and in follow-up rounds of interviews. Phone\/video interviews are generally meant to be introductory — they\u2019re just trying to get to know you, get a feel for what you\u2019re like, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n With that, you\u2019ll often have some small talk at the start as a sort of test to see how you handle a new situation and new person. So be prepared to have some friendly topics at hand to discuss for a few minutes. (This is especially true for when you\u2019re going to be talking to more than one person; sometimes the second person is late in getting on the line, and you\u2019ll need to banter with the person who\u2019s present until they do. If you\u2019re not ready for small talk<\/a>, the silence will quickly get awkward.)<\/span><\/p>\n Now, this small talk exchange is trickier than with an in-person interview because you\u2019re not likely to be in the same locale. Talking about the beautiful spring weather or the local sports team isn\u2019t going to work necessarily. So find out where your interviewer is located, and do a quick search of their local news to see if anything would be worth talking about. <\/span><\/p>\n Say you\u2019re interviewing for a job in Seattle but you\u2019re in the Midwest. It\u2019s easy to find out that Seattle has had record rainfall this winter and spring, so you could say something like \u201cI\u2019ve read that your area has been deluged with rain this season; I bet you\u2019re ready for summer to make an appearance.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n If you don\u2019t know much about the weather where they are, you can always ask if it\u2019s been hot, cold, warming up, cooling down (depending on the season).<\/span><\/p>\n You could also focus on industry small talk. In the tech world? Discuss some of the new iPhone rumors — there’s always some of those out there, no matter the time of year. In publishing? Bringing up a new book you recently read and loved is always a safe bet. (Actually, that one applies to most industries!) <\/span><\/p>\n If the interview takes places around a holiday, you can ask if they plan on\/did anything fun or traveled for it.<\/span><\/p>\n Another option is to look them up on LinkedIn or Twitter — see if they\u2019ve been to a recent conference that you also attended: \u201cI noticed from LinkedIn that you went to ‘X’ Conference this year. I was there too; who was your favorite speaker?\u201d Did they tweet out an article recently? Read it, then be ready to talk about it with them. <\/span><\/p>\n Sitting up straight isn\u2019t just for mental professionalism; it projects your voice better and helps you sound more confident by opening up your airways. If you\u2019re lying down or even just hunched over, your body is compressed, and your voice will give that away. <\/span><\/p>\n You may think your voice sounds decently friendly and animated when you\u2019re talking to someone by phone or Skype, but it may not sound that way to the person on the other end. When we\u2019re disconnected from an actual human — even if it\u2019s a video interview — it\u2019s just harder and not as natural to smile and project warmth; your voice may come off flat, or even crabby.<\/span><\/p>\n To up the warmth you convey via technology, smile while you talk, especially right away at the beginning of the call when you\u2019re introducing yourself. Smiling makes your voice and demeanor exude a friendlier vibe. Plus, it\u2019ll make <\/span>you<\/span><\/i> feel calmer; <\/span>research<\/span><\/a> shows that smiling during stressful activities, even if it\u2019s fake, decreases your heart rate and stress level.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
Tips That Apply to Both Phone & Skype Interviews<\/span><\/h3>\n
Choose a Quiet, Reliable Location<\/h3>\n
Dress & Groom Appropriately<\/h3>\n
Be On Time<\/h3>\n
Speak Clearly and Enunciate<\/h3>\n
Hone in On Non-Verbal Cues<\/h3>\n
Be Prepared for Some Small Talk<\/h3>\n
Sit Up Straight<\/h3>\n
Smile<\/h3>\n
Tips Specifically for Phone Interviews<\/h3>\n