Last week we discussed Egg Hunting While Working Online from Home, so it is only logical to go to the next step if your applications are successful: the phone interview.
Whether you are you are a work at home agent looking to become and employee, an independent contractor, or freelancer; there is a chance that you will at some point need to do a phone interview.
Many of the same concepts of doing an in person interview apply to doing a phone interview. I recently did a phone interview for an independent contractor position, so I compiled a list of tips that helped me:
- Be prompt. Your interview likely has a busy schedule and quite a few interviews to do; being prompt will start you on the right foot.
- If you have call waiting turn it off! My business line has no features, and if you are interviewing for call center work it is a must to have plain old telephone service (POTS) with no features on your line.
- Do not eat or drink during your interview. You can imagine how bad it sounds to be talking to someone who is chewing throughout a telephone conversation (this includes gum!). Although you should keep a glass or bottle of water on hand in case your throat gets a little dry.
- If you have children, make sure you schedule your interview during school hours (if they are school aged, and not homeschooling), or enlist the help of a friend, relative, or babysitter (if they are younger or being homeschooled).
- Smile. It is true, a smile does project over the telephone, and it will give your interviewer a positive image of you. This is essential if you are interviewing for any call center position for customer service or sales.
- Use the person’s title (Mr., Mrs., Ms. etc.). This shows respect. You should only use their first name if they ask you to.
- Always use appropriate language and grammar. Just don’t over think it, you should sound natural and not mechanical, and you will want to be thinking of your answers not whether or not you are ending on a proposition. And under no circumstances should you use profanity, this is never appropriate!
- If your interviewer is late, remain polite. This has happened to me before, but you must remember that the interviewer has a busy schedule with many interviews to conduct. So be understanding if they are late.
When interviewing for any work at home position, the interviewer will likely ask you quiet a few questions about your home office setup; be honest with your answers. The questions may range from whether you have a home office that is has a closing door and is free from distractions, to what operating system you have on your computer.
Many work at home companies and freelance projects have a list of home office requirements and work requirements listed on their site or project listing. Do your homework before doing your interview.
