When talking in person with someone, about 60% of the communication is done through body language, while about 7% of the communication is through data. This leaves about 33% of the communication to be done through voice or sound. Since body language cannot be communicated through a phone, you must be very careful to be a good listener and an excellent communicator. With practice you can become a good listener by recognizing auditory clues that may not be relayed as simple information. To become an effective communicator you must learn to use your voice in the right way in order to send the right auditory clues to the person that is interviewing you.
One of the most effective tools in becoming a great communicator is attitude. Your voice should convey an attitude of energy and readiness. No one will want to hire someone that sounds defeated and unsure of themselves. You should carry an attitude of confidence and enthusiasm as you speak to the interviewer. Also remember that if the interviewer should ask you how you feel about something, don't be afraid to share with them your preference on the subject, but do so in a way that will not sound negative.
Another thing to remember as you are preparing to interview on the phone, is that you should always be respectful of the person that is interviewing you. One way to do this is to address the person as Mr. or Ms. (Mrs. is appropriate if the interviewer introduced herself to you that way.You should also be respectful of the interviewer's time by being brief yet concise. You will want to be sure to mention the things that are relevant to the job that you are being interviewed for, and avoid going into detail about things that are not pertinent to the conversation. For example, if you are interviewing for a job as a graphic designer it would probably not be a good idea to tell the interviewer that your first job was flipping burgers, and they would probably not be interested in hearing about how your best friend won a gold medal in the Olympics as a figure skater. However, they would probably be very interested in hearing that your last job gave you many opportunities to demonstrate your graphic design skills and your former boss had commented to you that your skills were a great asset to the company, and that because of your skills the company had seen an increase in clients.
As you prepare for a phone interview, be sure to think back on prior phone interviews that you may have had. You may want to make a list of the things that went wrong and also the things that went well. Another helpful idea may be to write down any information that you want to mention in your phone interview. Doing so may help you to avoid long silences which can come across as nervousness and incompetence. The more prepared you are for the interview, the more confident you will sound and the better your chances of securing a face-to-face interview will be. You may even be able to prepare by practicing with a friend or family member in order to improve your communication skills and your confidence.
Hopefully some of the techniques mentioned in this article will help you improve your interview skills and will help you be successful in your job search.
