Telephone interviews are not the standard in my discipline (English), but they are typical in other fields, and even in literary studies they are becoming more common in the current economic downturn.  Many grad-programs provide guidance to help candidates prepare for conference interviews and campus-visits, but phone interviews can pose some unique challenges.  In what follows, I’ll offer some tips and things to consider if you have a phone interview.  You should also read Brian Croxall’s Tips for Hacking Academic Interview if you haven’t already.

Answer the phone!  This might seem obvious, but when the phone rings, answer it.  I was never more nervous than the minute or two before a phone interview, and when the phone did ring, you may experience a jolt of panic.  It will pass.  Take a breath and answer the phone.

Location, Location, Location: Make sure that you can take the call in a place that is private and quiet.  This might be at home or on campus, but where ever you are, you should be free of distractions: pets, office-mates, roommates, kids, trains, etc.  You want to be somewhere that you are comfortable and somewhere that you can concentrate.  If you plan to take the call on your mobile phone, make sure that you are somewhere that you will get a full signal.  If your coverage is spotty, try to find a landline.  Turn off the ringer on the other phone if it is in the same room, and disable call-waiting if possible.  If you are a pacer, clear yourself a path so that you don’t trip over a stray shoe mid-answer.  You might want to take the call on a hands-free headset if you are comfortable with them; if you aren’t, now is not the time to experiment.  Basically, you want to eliminate all possible distractions so that you can focus on the task at hand: wowing the search committee.

Timing is Everything:  Make sure that you know when the call is supposed to come and be ready for it.  One of my phone interviews was scheduled for 9:00 AM.  The school interviewing me was on the East Coast.  I was on the West Coast.  That meant that 9:00AM wasn’t really 9:00AM.  Thanks to the three-hour time difference, it was actually at 6:00AM.  Needless to say, I’m very glad that I double-checked with them about the timing of the call; otherwise, I would have been caught unprepared (and likely half-asleep!).

The Incredible Invisible Candidate: Of course you aren’t really invisible, but it sure can feel that way.  The typical phone interview deprives both parties of physical cues both facial expressions and body language.  It can be very disorienting to interview with people you’ve never met or seen, especially because often there will be a pause between your answers and the next question.  This pause is less awkward in person because you can see the SC members jotting down notes, trying to decide who speaks next, or looking at their list of questions.

It might be helpful to have something to look at since you can’t see the people to whom you are talking.  If you know in advance who will be on the call, you can cyber-stalk look them up on the department webpage.  If the department has photographs of its faculty posted, it might be reassuring to put names to faces.  Even if there are no pictures, you can at least find out a little bit about your audience and their interests.  I had note cards that served as place settings with the interviewers’ names on them and a brief note about their specialty (for example, mine might read “Erin Templeton: Modernism, American Lit”).  I also drew happy faces on the cards to remind me to smile and not freak out.  I got the note card tip from a counselor at my alma mater’s career center—he said that it helped interviewers remember that their talking to real people and helped them sound less stilted.

In addition, it can be tricky to know when to stop talking without nonverbal cues.  At its best, a phone interview should be conversational.  Listen to what the interviewers ask and to their responses to you.  Don’t interrupt, finish someone else’s sentences, or blurt out responses.  Be careful not to ramble on especially if you have this tendency when you get nervous.  Offer a succinct answer (2-3 minutes) to the question and then stop talking and wait.  This will let the interviewers know that you are finished.  If they have follow up questions, they will ask them, or you can ask “Does that answer your question?” (just don’t do this after every answer).  At the same time, try not to get rattled if the interviewers interrupt you.  This might seem like a double standard, but if you have answered a question to the committee’s satisfaction it is not uncommon for them to cut you off and ask the next question.

You might want to have a glass of water handy, or if you, like me, tend toward the clumsy end of the spectrum, you might opt for a sippy cup bottle of water with a cap.  But, and this might be obvious, just because the interviewers can’t see you does not give you license to chew gum, smoke, or eat.

Dress for Success?  Many career counselors recommend that interviewers dress for the telephone interview the same as they would for a face-to-face meeting.  Wearing your interview clothing might help you feel more confident and in control.  Others suggest that you should wear whatever makes you most comfortable.  Just remember that if you opt for comfort, you are still participating in a professional interview not a pajama party.  On a more serious note, dressing the part is about more than finally getting the chance to wear that interview suit or outfit.  Many experts across the internet suggest that putting on professional attire helps candidates get into a confident and practiced mindset.  Maintaining a professional attitude is important, so if the clothes help you to get “in the zone,” so to speak, put them on.

Notes?  One of the benefits of the phone interview is that your interviewers can’t see you (unless you are skype-ing, in which case they can, so you are out of luck on this tip), so you can have some notes available.  I had my syllabi, my dissertation abstract, and my CV all spread out on my desk.  I also had my list of questions for the search committee nearby.  BUT do not plan on *reading* from anything—your materials should only be used to prompt.  If you read, you will likely sound flat and pre-packaged.

Practice!  Even if you are experienced in the art of face-to-face interviewing, practice for your phone interview, preferably with someone who is experienced in this rather unique medium.  By practice, I mean, practice on the telephone.  Have a friend call you, even if they are calling you from across the hallway.  The telephone element of this interview should not be underestimated.  Trust me; it is different.  Different doesn’t have to mean bad, but be prepared and force yourself to go through at least one mock-phone-interview before the real one even if you are comfortable talking on the telephone.  If you are not already comfortable on the phone, you will want to do what you can to get comfortable: practice.  Verbal tics (err, um, uh, like, you know) are especially noticeable over the phone.  Speak clearly and slowly, and be sure to speak directly into the phone.  Smile while you speak, and you might consider standing up (apparently, this makes the voice sound stronger).

Prepare:  There are certain questions that you should expect and prepare accordingly:

• Why [Small Liberal Arts College/Compass Point U/Flagship campus in State of Bliss/etc.]? (No, you cannot say “I need a job, and you are hiring”)
• Tell us about your dissertation.
• Tell us how you would teach Intro to [fill in the blank]
• If the school has a graduate program, “How would you teach that subject as a graduate seminar?”
• Do you have any questions for us?

For a more exhaustive list of questions, you might visit this thread at the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up:   After you hang up the phone, you might be left wondering how you did.  Because you cannot see your interviewers, there is a good chance that you will be left with a feeling of uncertainty, and the temptation is to dwell on things that you could have or should have said (or should not have said) rather than on your actual performance.  It is much easier to say than to do, but try your best to put the experience behind you and get on with your day/week/life.

Lastly, try to remember that if you made it to the phone interview stage, you are doing something right.  The phone interview is another chance for the search committee to get to know you.  Try to think about the interview as an opportunity to impress rather than a trial to endure. Be positive. Be enthusiastic.  Be thoughtful. Be yourself.

Good luck!

Do you have other tips for phone interviews?  Do you have any stories to share?  Feel free to add to this list or share tales from the trenches in the comments section!

[Photo by Flickr user soylentgreen23 and licensed through Creative Commons.]