| I recently applied for a graduate trainee scheme at a television production company. I received a call back explaining they were viewing my application and wanted to arrange a telephone interview. So, after arranging a time and date, I then realised that I have never had a telephone interview before and didn't have a clue what to expect!
I set about finding out everything I could about the company and the job role. And I don't just mean checking out their websites, I mean really finding out everything there was on them, from press releases to interviews/biographies of their employees. I'm glad I did too! Then I re-read my CV and cover letter to check I could answer any questions on them.
My actual interview only lasted about 20 minutes so it seemed to go pretty quickly. I found myself striding around the room as I spoke so don't hole yourself up in a poky backroom! Telephone interviews are quite odd as you can't see your interviewer so it felt difficult to build up a rapport. But I didn't panic, just tried to speak clearly and sound unfazed.
The usual questions were asked: Why do you want to work in this industry? Why do you want to work for this company? Why should we employ you above the other applicants?
Telephone interviews are becoming increasingly more common for larger companies to sift through the applicants. In some ways they can be less nerve wracking than a normal interview, but don't let this fool you into under-preparation. |
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