Some important Tips for Phone / Skype Interviews
A) Phone Interview
1. Be Prepared. Place a copy of the job description and your CV and in front of you. Remind yourself of your application – review your CV/application and re-read the job description. Prepare examples of how your experience matches the skills required and consider what questions you might ask the interviewer at the end of the interview.
Make sure you have web access if needed and make or receive the interview call on a landline if possible.
Do your own Homework. Try to find out as much as you can about the job prior to the interview, from friends, old colleagues or better still someone who actually works there now, to try to understand the work environment and its demands. Research the company on the internet too and make note of any major projects or new products recently released as a good starting point for questions later.
Make yourself Comfortable. Many contractors make the mistake of trying to fit a phone interview during their lunch hour at work. If the interviewer is running a few minutes late or the call goes well and last longer than anticipated this will create silent tension into the interview as it progresses. So make sure that you set aside 90 minutes in your schedule to accommodate any unforeseen changes, this will relax you in preparation, allow you to take your time in the interview and even show the flexibility to conduct an immediate second interview if things go really well
Start Strong. The first 2 minutes of a telephone interview are crucial, first impressions usually remain. So make a really positive start to the call, take charge by answering the phone by stating your name in a very friendly manner. This lets the person on the other line know exactly who you are and saves them the trouble of asking for you.
Be Patient. Everyone has different phone habits. The key to a great phone interview is to treat it like a game of Tennis, vary your tempo and length of responses to exactly match the interviewers lead, similar to a long rally in a game. Take your time listening to questions, and expecially Take your time before you answer. When responding to questions, focus on your achievements and stay positive. If you do not understand a question, ask them to explain it further. If you still do not know the answer, tell them you do not know and explain how you would find out the answer.
Leave a Lasting Impression. You must convince the interviewer that having you come into the office for a personal interview will not be a waste of their time if needed. Assure them that this is something beneficial for both parties and ask them the process for this to gauge their interest in hiring you too. They may be interviewing a number of candidates so make yourself memorable by smart questions, a shared experience, demonstrating flexibility and most importantly a clear intent to deliver the services they are looking for by making it easy to hire you both financially and personally.
B) Skype Interview
Similar to a phone interview, you need to decide on the best interview environment ahead of your online interview. You will need a quiet, uncluttered space where you will not be distracted. Similar to a traditional interview in person, you will need to decide on what to wear too.
Spend some time before the interview practising using the video software and check that your device is set at the right height for where you will be sat. During the interview, imitate direct eye contact by looking into the camera rather than at the screen. Also, try and limit your movement as your connection speed may not be able to keep up.