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4 Tips to Make a Good Impression on Your Phone Interview

By Irene Enriquez
One advantage of applying for a home based job is that you will only be interviewed over the phone. This lessens the pressure to mind your posture, hand gestures, and overall appearance. But just because you won’t be facing the person that will conduct the interview, it doesn’t mean that you should prepare any less.

1. Do some research before the interview.

Knowing is half the battle. You may not know the answer to all the questions  but doing some research will help you feel more confident. (You will be amazed as to how much research can help you. I have done research to almost all of the interviews I’ve done in my life and it really helped me a lot.)  The questions usually asked are the same as the questions one would ask in a face-to-face interview. First few questions would be about yourself – your interests, experience, strengths and weaknesses. You must also know the ins and outs of the position your applying for. Research what are the usual tasks and responsibilities and relate them to your skills and experience.

2. Practice makes perfect.

The first thing you must possess to get a home based job is to be fluent in English. You might be confident of your communication skills but when the interview comes, nervousness can affect your voice and even your sentence construction. One thing you can do is to write a question in a piece of paper and roll the paper. Make about 10 or so questions and put them in a box or container. Pick one paper randomly and answer the question comprehensively.

3. Don’t forget to smile.

I know this advice is really a cliché but that’s because it works really well. Interviews are mostly conducted over Skype. I had to undergo several interviews and all of them were done through Skype. Your voice and the way you speak will be the only way for you to present yourself and convince the other person on the other line that you are right for the job. Smile and sound energetic and friendly.

4. Be honest.

There may be times that technical questions will come up. Some of these questions may involve asking if have you already used a specific software or application before. If you are not familiar with some of them, tell the interviewer honestly. But don’t end your statement with simply telling them you don’t know. Say things like, “I am not familiar with that software yet but I can learn pretty fast.” or “I find it interesting to learn new things. I consider it a challenge and I’m sure I will be able to perform well once I get the hang of it.”

If you’re still not confident, ask a friend to act as the interviewer. You can have a role play and this will be a great experience for you both.