1. DO SOME RESEARCH

Try to find out who will be interviewing you. Will there be multiple

people on the call? If possible get their names and titles. Become

familiar with these before the call and you will have one less thing

to worry about during the call. Try and get some background on the

interviewer. Any insight you can gain about him/her will allow you

to better tailor your responses to make the best possible impression.

2. ORGANIZE YOUR THOUGHTS

Make a list of your accomplishments, goals and strengths. On another

list write out your weaknesses and what you are doing to overcome

them. On a third sheet write down why you are interested in the

company. Think carefully about all of these items as they often come

up in interviews.

3. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Never forget that a telephone interview is still an interview. Take

time to practice interview questions with friends or family. Ask

them to provide honest feedback so you can improve your responses.

Mock interview questions can easily be found on the internet or the

bookstore. If you get stuck on a question, sample answers to these

questions are often provided as well.

4. DO A SOUND CHECK

During the mock interview, have your friend ask you questions both

over the phone and in person. Make sure that he/she listens not only

for content, but also tone, rate and clarity of your speech. If

possible, record yourself speaking. Are you speaking slowly and

clearly? Can you easily be heard? Is your voice portraying you as a

confident and enthusiastic candidate? If not continue to practice

until you are comfortable.

5. FIND YOUR LOCATION

Stake out a quite space to occupy during your interview. Ideally,

there should be a comfortable place to sit as well as a table to lay

out your papers. Try and find a low-traffic spot where members of

the household are un-likely to disturb you.

6. ORGANIZE YOUR PAPERS

Have a copy of your resume and cover letter close at hand. Take out

those lists you made while organizing your thoughts. In addition

keep any notes related to the company that you feel may be helpful

during the call. Spread these items out across your table so they are

easy to access. Only keep what is truly necessary. Too much paper

can be a distraction.

7. GATHER YOUR WRITING TOOLS

Place a notepad and several pens or pencils on the table. These will

be helpful in writing down notes, questions and most importantly,

your interviewer's names.

8. ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS

As the appointed hour draws near, make sure that the television and

the radio are turned off. Exit your email and turn off your computer

screen. If possible, disable your call-waiting. Let your family or

roommates know about the timing of the interview so they do not

accidentally disturb you. Place a do not disturb sign on your door as

a gentle reminder.

If you have been asked to call at a specific time, call at precisely the correct time. Too early shows over-keenness and may damage your negotiating position later on, or your chances of getting to the next stage. Too late shows lack of interest - excuses won't be tolerated. If you can't get through (manager busy), leave a message with the secretary/receptionist to show that you called at the right time. Ask when the manager is expected to be free, and try again then. Repeat the same procedure until you make contact. If you have been told that the hiring manager will call you - do not expect the same rules to apply! They will call you when they want to! (They're the one with the job after all!)

Tone of voice. This is the most important aspect of this form of interview. The detail is of very little importance - the manager has your CV, so they know exactly what you've done, and in all probability wouldn't be talking to you if they weren't essentially interested.

The main rules are:

* Think about how you normally answer the phone at home. When you answer the phone, do so by announcing your name, in an enthusiastic style: 'John Pickles, Good Morning!' If this is not your natural style, change it!

* Sound interesting/interested, energetic and enthusiastic

* Be succinct (don't waffle)

* Ask open-ended questions (beginning with who, what, when, why, where, how: these all ask for information, and keep the ball in the other person's court). Be prepared that they will do exactly the same!

* Don't use jargon

* Don't swear or use colloquialisms (local phrases: 'I covered the whole of London on Shanks' pony')

* Be polite: speak to Ms (not Miss or Mrs. - even if you know their marital status), or Mr. Jones. If you are invited to use their first name, then use it. Use their title if you know they are for example, a doctor.

* Use the other person's name regularly throughout the conversation (but not all the time). Also, use the company name a few times.

Closing the telephone interview

Part of the purpose of the telephone interview (from the hiring manager's perspective) is to find out how keen you are, and (especially in the case of sales jobs) whether you have natural closing ability.

As soon as it seems appropriate during the conversation, ask for a date to meet for a face-to-face interview. Say something like 'Well, this certainly sounds like just the job I'm looking for Mr. Brown. I'm sure I can contribute a lot to your company. I'd really like to visit you to show you what I can do for you. When can you meet me?'

You may have to be content with the response 'I'll call you', but at least you can ask 'When am I likely to hear from you?'. If the manager hedges, decide upon a reasonable time scale, and suggest 'Well, I'm very keen to know if I've got a chance with you Mr. Brown, so if I haven't heard from you by next Friday, would you mind if I call you then to find out?'

This approach is particularly important if you are applying to sales jobs, as you are expected to demonstrate your natural salesmanship. But even in the case of other jobs, most people will appreciate your keenness and enthusiasm. If they don't, and you lose the job on account of being 'too pushy' (most unlikely) well, is it the sort of job you wanted anyway?