The phone interview is given to candidates who have passed the first round of screening at a job fair. From your resume, they see that you are a potential intern/employee, but they need more information about who you are, how you handle pressure and conflict, and what you want from the company.

 

Overview

To have a successful interview, it is always best to 1) be calm and 2) know your resume inside and out. It's as simple as that.

 

The Q&A

Although the process is simple, there are a lot of ways to strategize the process of your answers by not having to think on the spot more frequently than you have to. Look at the file "Interview Tips" in The Job Fair tab to the left. Come up with your examples of teamwork, leadership, and other difficult obstacles that you have had to overcome to be where you are today. If you do this, you will have ammo for any behavioral question that the recruiter will throw at you.

 

Other tips

Be genuine : You can spot a person that just spouts things you want to hear a mile away. Be honest and thoughtful with your responses, and you will be able to go a long way.

 

Smile : When you smile, you will sound happy. If you don't, you might sound unenthusiastic, or off putting. This is a huge part of how you come off as on the phone (try it in regular phone conversations).

 

Be patient : If you scheduled a phone interview at 12 and the interviewer hasn't called you for 10 minutes, do not call him/her. They are probably on another call with a prospective intern.

 

Have notes : Have notes in front of your when you go into a phone interview. However, do not speak verbatum; it will reflect as droning and it may be obvious that you are reading responses of a page.

Conclusion

The phone interview can be hard if you are not prepared, but with these tools and tips, you should be able to have a successful interview.