Phone Interview Tips for Software Engineers

Interviews (or screenings) on the phone can be simple questionnaires all the way to long and difficult programming questions. While this might seem intimidating to someone who has never had an phone interview, there are several things you can do to make yourself feel much more confident when the big day comes.In this post, I will outline the basics to help you feel coolheaded during your phone interview.

Your Phone

Do you or someone you know have a landline phone? I would highly recommend using this. If not, do you trust your cell phone provider to not drop calls? And along with this, does your battery run low quickly? Phone interviews can be hours in length and easily drain your battery. Go to the room in which you will interview and call a friend to test your reception. To be very safe, put an additional phone charger in the room. Just one dropped call / bad reception can easily make a smooth interview turn into a nightmare.

Your Voice

You can tell a lot about someone by the way they talk. Your voice is your most important tool for portraying that you are confident and will take on a hard task. Imagine talking to an applicant who was very shy and unsure about themself. We all form an image of people when first interacting with them, and you do not want to make the interviewer think you have no personality.

Do this. Call your phone and leave a message. You can say something like "Hello! My name is .... I applied for this job because I am good at ... I have always been interested in the project at ..., and I think my background fits the work" Yes, this will seem strange, but give it a try. Now play back your message. I bet that you will be surprised of how you sound. Listen to your voicemail and observe if you are doing the following.

1. Do you often use words like "ummmm" and "like"? Once someone notices you saying these words all the time, it can be quite hard to ignore it.



2. Is your voice clear, and are you pronouncing everything well? It can be really frustrating when your interviewer doesn't understand you.



3. Are you talking with one tone the entire time? Do you end your sentences with an upward inflection?



4. When you hear your voice, do you sound dull or excited?

The interviewer cannot see body language. Try to make up for this and form an image in the interviewers head using a confident, clear, and commanding voice.

Leave another message and try this. Walk around the room when you talk. Feel your voice coming deep within your chest, and try to talk like the phone is at the wall of the room. Smile while you talk, and purposefully speak slower while focusing on your enunciation. This will feel weird at first, but time spent consciously focusing on how you talk can not only help yourself find any bad habits in your voice, but it can also provide a significant edge during the phone interview.

The Software Engineering Interview Tips Blog

Now that you can sound good without anxiety over if your phone will get reception, it is time to start obtaining information about the organization and your interviewer. Check out the software engineering interview blog for more tips!