How to prepare for a phone interview
Even before a global pandemic forced whole swaths of the population into their homes, phone interviews called ‘screeners’ have been a time-honored tradition in many industries, legal included. Job-seekers may not love them, but employers do: they can be brief, require no travel, and help winnow down a long list of candidates to a shorter, more manageable list (to schedule longer interviews with).
I like to tell job-seekers that employers are looking for a solution to a problem when they are hiring. A phone interview is the first step in determining if you could be that solution.
First, a few basic things you should do to prepare for any interview:
Do at least some cursory research on the company (ie, look at their website).
Get a sense of who you’ll be talking to in the interview.
Are you talking to an external recruiter hired by the company to help fill the position? Are you talking to an internal recruiter who works in HR at the company? Are you talking to the Hiring Manager AKA your prospective future boss? 10 minutes of sleuthing on Linkedin should help clarify this.
Be prepared to talk about every single experience that’s listed on your resume.
Be prepared to mention any experiences that aren’t listed on your resume, but which relate to the position you’re interviewing for.
An example of this might be a high school job at an ice cream shop. You wouldn’t list that on your resume, but it’s relevant experience if you’re applying to work at Ben & Jerry’s.
Be able to articulate at least one reason why you are interested in the job.
Reasons like, “I need to pay rent” or “my current boss is a monster” may be true, but aren’t especially compelling to employers as reasons to hire you.
It’s better to be able to name some aspect of their business that is genuinely interesting to you.
Now that you know who you’re talking to and why, it’s best to make key preparations and decisions at least an hour BEFORE you’re scheduled for your interview. They are:
Check the tech
Is your phone battery charged? You don’t want it to die in the middle of your call.
Is there proper reception for calls? If you know you’re sitting in a service dead-zone, you’ll need to scout out a better location.
Do you have the contact information for the person you’re supposed to be speaking to? Are they going to call you or are they expecting you to call them? Make yourself available to answer their call when it comes so you don’t end up in a game of phone tag.
Location. Ideally, you should take the call in a place that’s:
Quiet / has minimal background noise
Thanks to the lockdown, many people are much more understanding of unavoidable background noises due to families, pets, etc. If there’s any kind of disruptive noise you can’t get rid of, be proactive in addressing it at the beginning of the call with an explanation like, “Unfortunately, there’s construction going on in the building next door, so if you hear some noise that’s what it is.”
What you don’t want is for the person you’re talking with to be distracted with trying to figure out what a noise is (is that a cat meowing? what’s that sound?). You want the focus to remain on you, your answers, and what a great fit you’d be for the position.
Physically comfortable.
I like to walk around when I talk on the phone, so it’s helpful for me to pick a spot that allows me to do that.
If you like to sit while you’re on the phone, pick a seat and stay there so you’re not distracted halfway through the call looking for somewhere to sit.
Have paper and pen within reach in case you want to jot down notes.
I’m not a fan of using a computer to note-take on the phone because the tapping of keys can be audible over the line and make your interviewer feel like you’re checking your email/doing something else instead of paying attention.
Paper and pen is quiet, and allows you to record any information that may be useful for you to know later on (for example, the name of the Hiring Manager or other people you’ll be interviewing with.
Speak clearly and be pleasant on the phone.
If you feel genuine excitement and interest in the role, don’t be afraid to show it.
If you feel uncomfortable using the phone, it might be worthwhile to do a short mock interview with a friend/family member to get some practice.
I’m also available to do mock interviews as well. During the mock interview I’ll ask questions I know legal employers typically ask and give candid feedback on not only the content of the answer you provide but also how you deliver it (whether your answer is as clear and engaging as it could be). I can give you a list of topics that are typically asked about (so you can prepare talking points before an interview) and strategies for how to formulate an answer for an unexpected question. Contact me to learn more.
The main thing to keep in mind when it comes to phone interviews is that they strip away a lot of information we’d usually get in person: eye contact, body language, and other visual cues. All you and the interviewer have are audio cues to understand each other—which is why it’s doubly important to minimize distractions during the course of the call.
You want an interviewer to be able to focus on getting to know you and why you’d be great for the job, not wondering whose dog is barking in the background or struggling to hear you because of bad reception.
Good luck! If you’d like to schedule a time to practice interviewing, I’m available for a one-on-one consultation. Contact me to learn more.
