Why a telephone interview? It is not at all uncommon for companies, particularly larger organisations, to conduct initial interviews via telephone as part of their recruitment process.

Crucially, you should by no means feel that a Telephone Interview is less important than a face-to-face meeting, and should take full advantage of being given the opportunity to make that initial favourable impression.

PreparationPreparation prevents poor performance thus increasing your chances ….

You should be equally, if not more prepared than you would be for a face-to-face meeting.

Have notes to hand, but do not rely on them; there is nothing worse than a long pause during a conversation as you scrabble through your papers and notes!  Ensure you are well rehearsed and that answers come quickly to mind.

To lessen the possibility of distractions and unwanted noise, make sure you find yourself a quiet room where you are unlikely to be disturbed. It will not present a good impression if a TV, noisy children or ambient noise can be heard in the background.

Make sure you establish the procedure. Are you calling them or are they going to call you? What time should you expect the call? How long is it anticipated to last? Who are you going to be speaking with? What is their name and position within the company? What should you do if you miss the call or can’t get through to them?  Is your mobile fully charged? Do you need to prepare anything in particular?

These are all questions which your consultant should answer for you. However, if they do not, or you have any other queries, please call the office and we will try to answer them for you.

Keep a copy of your CV to hand and in sight, this will come in handy if any questions are asked about its content.

Before the interview Pre-prepare answers to all the usual questions you would expect:

Tell me about yourself

• This is a commonly asked question designed to ‘loosen’ you. Try having a pre-prepared précis of your qualifications, career history and your range of skills. Emphasise the aspects relevant to this specific job

What have been your achievements to date?

• Select achievements that are recent. Identify the skills you used in the achievement and quantify the benefit. If this can be closely related to the job role then even better

Are you happy with your career to date?

• Do not give a negative response, as your interviewer may question why you have not addressed your career concerns sooner
• Remain positive and answer yes, but if you have hit a career plateau or you feel you are moving too slowly, then you must explain why

Tell me the most difficult situation you have had to face and how you tackled it?

• Select a difficult work situation that was not caused by you. Explain how you defined the problem and what solution you applied to overcome it.

What do you dislike about your current role?

• A good approach is to focus on aspects that inhibit your growth, such as the role not being challenging, or that there seems to be no scope for progression
• This is a key opportunity to mention that you feel these aspects are available in the new position on offer

What are your strengths?

• List just three strengths and provide brief explanations of how they could benefit the employer

What are you weaknesses?

• We all have weaknesses, but always try to turn your weaknesses around so they can be strengths, such as, "I am impatient because I like to have things done quickly."

Why do you want to leave your current employer?

• State how you are looking for more of a challenge, responsibility, experience or a change of environment and explain why you feel you are no longer receiving these things from your current role.

Finally before the call, clear the room of all distractions, turn off any other phones you may have and check you have everything you need.


During the interview It is important to remember that even though you will not actually be having a face-to-face meeting with your potential new employer, their first impressions of you will be based on how you come across during your telephone interview. You do not have the advantage of your body language speaking for you; therefore the interviewer will be paying even more attention to what you say and how you say it.

Our top tips are:

• Smile - this will project a more positive tone of voice
• Do not interrupt the interviewer - if you begin to talk at the same time as them, stop and listen
• Use the Interviewer’s name throughout your conversation - either Mr/Mrs or their first name if that is how they introduced themselves
• Take your time - it is quite alright to consider your answer before you speak. But don’t take too long or be hesitant, this may make you appear unkeen/unsure
• Give short and concise answers - if they like what they hear they will either ask you more or will invite you to a face-to-face meeting. Ideally you should only be talking for 50% of the time
• Stand up - This is simple but very effective, it increases your lung capacity and you will automatically sound better. You will feel more confident
• Do not rush your answers - be clear, concise and be sure to enunciate your words correctly
• Listen - Take on board what the interviewer is saying, and how they are saying it. Mirror how they talk and build a rapport with them during the conversation. You will be one of many voices they hear on a daily basis so be sure to let your personality shine through

Take notes throughout the interview. This will make sure you don’t ask the same questions twice and also will allow you to think through the position after the call.

At the end You may be given the opportunity to ask questions, if so take advantage of this as it is a good demonstration of your enthusiasm for the role and your motivation. Don’t ask too many questions and remember that the aim of this conversation is to secure a face-to-face meeting.

Some good questions to consider are:

• What do you see as the main challenges facing someone in this role?
• What is of the highest priority? And what would you like to see achieved in the short/medium term?
• Why has the position become vacant?
• How does the role fit into the structure of the department?
• How does the department fit into the organisation as a whole?
• How would you describe the company’s culture?
• Are there opportunities to undertake further training?
• What does the future hold for the company?

Finally, end the conversation by thanking the interviewer for their time and call them by name, this will re-establish the fact that you have been attentive throughout the conversation.

Follow upOnce your interview is over, call your Consultant at SLM Search & Selection to provide early feedback. Mention where you felt it went particularly well, as these can be strengths you can build on.

Our consultants are on hand to give you additional advice, please do not hesitate to contact us on 08700 668116.

Best of luck with your telephone interview!