You may think that phone interviews are easier to coast through because you don’t have to shake hands, dress up, or think about nonverbal communication. But, phone interviews can be tricky if you don’t prepare, are easily distracted, or pick the wrong place to answer your phone. Here are three tips to help you get through your next phone interview.

Be prepared – Just like with a face-to-face interview, you should take your preparation seriously. Familiarize yourself with the company, and find out who you’re interviewing with. Also, prepare questions to ask the interviewer, and practice answering commonly asked interviews questions. For a phone interview, make sure your phone is fully charged and has a good signal if you’re using your cell phone. If you can, use a land line instead. You want to be able to clearly hear the interviewers and have them hear you as well.

Stay focused – Schedule your phone at a time of day that will allow you to prepare, and pick an appropriate location to answer the call. Place yourself in a room or a corner away from distractions where you can fully concentrate on your interview. Put your résumé and cover letter in front of you so you can reference them if the interviewer asks you a specific question regarding either one. Have a pen and notepad ready so you’ll be better suited to take notes. Write down questions you think of during the interview so you can remember to ask them when it’s time. 

Limit background noise – Creating a distraction-free area will help you sound professional and stay focused. Phones can pick up background noises very easily, so be sure to limit what you can. For example, avoid chewing gum, drinking, or eating during the interview. It’s okay to have a glass of water available, but don’t gulp it loudly. Turn off the radio or television, and stay away from children and pets because they’ll only create unwanted noise and distractions.

Just like a face-to-face interview, a phone interview can lead you to a job offer, or keep you from landing a job. So, make sure to treat a phone interview with the same preparation and professionalism you would for an in-person meeting.

Professional athletes must spend many hours working toward their goals in order to succeed. The same is true for job seekers. If you’ve been on the hunt for a job for a while, you’re probably well aware of how intensive the job search process can be. Applying and interviewing for jobs takes a lot of time, energy, and dedication. To land the job you desire, focus on beefing up your interviewing skills.

Stretch Your Small Talk Skills
In sports and in job interviews, sometimes you have to stretch yourself beyond what you’re comfortable with. You may not like making small talk, but your ability to converse well with interviewers plays a big part in their impressions of you. If you find yourself clamming up or stammering through chit chat with prospective employers, you need to practice your conversation skills. To perform well at the “big game,” rehearse answering common introductory questions such as: “What do you think of this weather?” and “Did you have any trouble finding the place?” Practice will keep your answers from being too abrupt or rambling.

Exercise Self Confidence
Star players don’t become MVPs by putting themselves down or being pessimists. When you believe in yourself, others are inclined to do the same. Even if you’ve been through 50 job interviews that haven’t resulted in a job offer, keep a smile on your face and maintain a positive attitude. Remember, successful athletes have to keep playing their best even when they’ve lost a few games. So, refrain from making self deprecating remarks or using sarcasm. Instead, convince employers that you’re the right person for the job by demonstrating self assurance and optimism.

Strengthen Your Post-Interview Follow Up
When athletes are weak in a particular area, they train hard to become stronger. If your post-interview follow up is lacking, you need to focus on pumping it up. What you do after the job interview is nearly as important as how you act during the job interview itself. You can’t win the job offer without having a good follow-up game. Keeping in touch with the employer by being available for repeat job interviews and sending a thank you note are important steps in receiving the coveted job offer. Make post-interview follow-up a top priority, and you’ll be rewarded by becoming a candidate employers can’t wait to draft.

Do you ever feel like your job search skills are in need of a work out? What type of “training” do you do before a job interview?

On Monday, I posted a list of some of the most common interview questions and asked readers to think about how they’d respond to each one. Today’s post digs in deeper and offers tips on answering these questions.

1. What do you know about our company? Here’s your chance to show off the research you conducted about the organization before the interview. That’s right, you’ll need to find out some basic information about your prospective employer before showing up for the interview. Good things to know include: how long the company has been around, what they do and what’s unique about them. If the company has a website, review the About Us pages. Other ways to get more background include asking friends and family what they know about the company.

2. What are your strengths? When answering this question, think about your strengths which would be most valuable in relation to the job you’re applying for. Sure, being a trivia wiz or a great dancer are fun abilities, but they’re probably not what the interviewer is looking for, unless you’re applying to be the next host of “Jeopardy” or a contestant on “So You Think You Can Dance.”

3. What are your weaknesses? This is one of the most dreaded interview questions around. Nobody wants to list off their low points to a potential employer. But don’t despair – answering this question wisely can score major points with an interviewer. Instead of focusing on character weaknesses, like a bad temper or laziness, mention weaknesses that are job specific. Also, be sure to tell the interviewer what you’re doing to remedy the problem.

4. How would your last boss describe you? It’s always a little bit difficult to speak for someone else. In this case, it’s usually best to cite something specific the boss said about you in the past. For example, “My supervisor at Widget Manufacturing frequently praised my ability to work quickly and safely.”

5. Why did you leave your last job? Be careful on this question. You never want to bash your past employer or supervisor. You also don’t want to sound money hungry by listing low compensation as your main reason for leaving. Instead, try to focus on what the job you’re applying for offers that your last job didn’t. For instance, the position you’re interested in might have more opportunities for growth, be closer to your home or offer better hours.

6. Where do you want to be in five years? This is your opportunity to share your goals and interests. But, remember to keep it professional. The interviewer doesn’t need to know that you hope to buy a Harley Davidson or win the lottery. Most interviewers ask this question because they want to know if you’ll stick with them over the long haul. Even if you’re not sure where you’ll be in five years, try to give an answer that shows you’d be open sticking around if things go well.

7. Why do you want to work here? The winning answer for this question is not: “Because I need a job.” While that may be what’s running through your mind, the interviewer is looking for specific reasons their job opening appeals to you. When answering this question, think about how your skills would benefit the company. For example, “I want to work at XYZ company because your need for an energetic office manager is a great fit with my background and personality.”

What interview questions do you have a hard time answering? How do you prepare before an interview?