As companies desperately try to screen through candidates in today’s work environment, we are seeing more and more telephone screening interviews prior to a face-to-face meeting. 
Here are some tips to maximize your success:
A. Stand up when taking the call; you project yourself much more confidently and with greater enthusiasm. (Just this week I had a friend tell me about screening phone messages for a duplex rental he has available. Based on the phone messages left he decides who he wants to actually see in person.) You too will be screened out quickly if you are seen as not having enthusiasm.
B. Stand in front of a mirror if possible. Ask yourself if you look positive. Dress as if you were in an actual interview. Looking sharp will help you feel sharp.
C. Smile. I stress this a lot. It may sound corny, but I do believe the person on the other end of the phone can “hear” your smile.
D. Eliminate other distractions. Do turn off the TV. Hearing gunshots and screaming will not add to a positive impression.
You can expect to go through multiple interviews that may consist of a phone screening, with different managers or co-workers, over lunch, or on the golf course. All of these are legitimate parts of finding out who you are and what value you may bring to that organization.
I used to work for phones for a company and the one thing they always said was smile while you’re speaking, the guests can hear that in your voice. They also said to slow down when you’re talking, we tend to speak too fast!
That’s really funny. What do think the difference was, Kimanzi? I mean, does that cheerful tone really carry over? And did they mean a real smile or could you get by faking one? 🙂
When you smile while you’re talking it does come through on the other end. I’ve seen them test this. I think it’s not so much about real or fake, it’s the enthusiasm.
Great advice! I used that very same thought process to land a great engineering position. In addition to what you shared, I had an outline of a few things that I wanted to elaborate on. It allowed me to project enthusiasm and passion.