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[S.H.]

I'd greatly appreciate any comments on the dos and don'ts about phone interview, I have an upcoming one and feel rather nervous about it... Thanks!!

[name varies]

Do a search; there is a great body of collective wisdom on these fora.

Prepare well, but don't be surprised if you get questions from out in left field.  In my phone interviews, I've had trouble hearing (speaker phone); been given a list of questions beforehand, but had surprises thrown in during the call; been expected to know enormous amounts of information about the locale and the issues residents are interested in.

Some interviews were collegial conversations, others were uncomfortable and felt more like interrogations.

[Dr. Music]

I have always typed up point-form answers to standard questions and those particular to my area of expertise.  I also have points on my teaching philosophy, my interest in this particular job, and my questions for them.  I print those out, spread them out on a table (so there's no paper shuffling over the phone line!) and wear a headset that is earphones with a mic that is close to my mouth so both of my hands are free to take notes.

[Search Committee Member]

And, though you must answer the question with some detail, don't go on and on and on. We often have a set time for each interview (to get through the list while all of us are not teaching), and we want to hear about more than just your research, or more than just your ideas on teaching (whichever gets raised first).

[jj]

Definitely have easy to refer to notes handy - but not too involved or lengthy.  You don't want to be shuffling through papers while they wait for a response.  

Don't let any awkwardness in the conversation (long pauses, e.g.) get to you.  It's inevitable in a phone interview, and it doesn't mean you're not doing well.

I recently tried someone's suggestion of having cards with the interviewer's names laid out in front of me, to give them a virtual presence in the room.  I could look to each when speaking, and this seemed to help me speak more naturally and enthusiastically.  I even printed photos from the website and put them on the cards.  Silly, yes, but I found it helpful.

[Calypso]

Do put a sign on your (front) door that says something like "Phone Conference, Please Do Not Disturb" . . . no matter if you are conducting the interview at an office, an apartment or a house.    Even if you live in the middle of nowhere,  Murphy's Law says that a neighbor, a UPS delivery person or your old friend from high school is going to pick that hour to drop by.  

I can tell you a horror story about a friend who was interrupted by an apartment maintance during an interview (he started ringing the doorbell and when she didn't answer, he came straight on in to bang around on some leaky pipes).   Better safe than sorry!

[%sig%]

[tigerlily]

Good advice above about long silences--often on long-distance speakerphone there's a delay of 1-2 seconds between when you speak and when they actually hear it. Also, I've found that it's helpful for me to say something along the lines of, "That's my answer to that question" when I'm done answering a question, so they don't have to sit there and wait to see if I'm done. With no extraverbal cues (hand gestures, facial expressions, nodding, etc.), it can be hard for them to know otherwise.

[js]

Dress. I'm serious. Don't do it in your jammies.

And put your cat or dog in another room.

[Thundering Marshmallow]

Spit out the gum.

Drink water BEFORE.

Have your CV handy plus a list of courses they offer that you think you are qualified to teach.

Do NOT click mouse or keyboard, which is always heard and a dead giveaway that you are multi-tasking.

Follow up with a thank-you email.

[Eagle]

Something else no one has mentioned-- stand up, or sit up straight, while you are talking with the members. Also, remember to smile as appropriate.  These things come through over the phone and you don't want to sound muffled, tired, or unclear.

If they give you questions in advance, definitely prepare notes on your answer, but I wouldn't write a whole answer out -- then it is too easy to read straight of the card and sound canned.  

If they don't give you questions in advance, be prepared for things like:
Why are you interested in working here and / or living in this area?
Address how you are qualified to teach X, Y, and Z classes (usually the things listed in the job ad).
What could you offer the department that we don't have? (Often referring to classes)
What kind of equipment / facilities would you need for your research? (if appropriate)
Tell us a little about yourself and your background.  Obviously they have seen your application, but they want to hear how well you speak and what you think is important about your background.

In my experience, the phone interviews have always been pretty normal, expected questions because they have to compare all the people, so they ask the exact same questions.  It was during campus interviews that they were more specific toward my application.

[Annoyed ABD]

Do SC usually set up a specific time? (Is it by appointment? I would prefer to arrange for the kids to go to the sitter's place that day...)

[anon]

Be prepared with lots of questions for the interviewers - in one phone interview I got 15 minutes to ask questions!

[anon99]

In my experience, the SC chair or secretary emails/phones ahead of time to set up a time for the interview.

[Seeker]

I've done a number of phone interviews in the last six months, and have found all of them to be awkward and uncomfortable--and yet all but one produced a campus interview. After following advice on these fora and dressing up for my first interview, I decided that made little difference and, if anything, made me feel more nervous. All of my subsequent interviews were done in jeans or pajamas.

I think it is useful to have a cheat sheet of answers to common questions (why are you interested in this position, tell us about your research, what are your future research plans, do you like teaching/what would your students say about you/which courses would you like to teach/how would you teach course X described in job posting). Keep your notes brief (max. 1 page) and in bullet format for easy readability.

Jot down notes about questions as you are being asked them; in almost all of my phone interviews, I was asked several questions with multiple parts, and it is very easy to fail to answer some part of the question (i.e., You indicated in your cover letter that you would like teach X. Can you tell us a little about your experiences researching and teaching in area X? Why would you like to teach in this area? And how do you think you would go about teaching X?--seems simple enough, but it's very easy to lose track of what you're answering).

As others have noted, don't be bothered by longer pauses. These conversations rarely have flow.

SMILE while your talking. This is far more important than getting dressed. Your enthusiasm will come through much more clearly with a smile on your face.

Know the department and institution. Be able to integrate why you'd be an asset to the department/school, even in responding to questions that aren't specifically asking why you applied there (i.e., in discussing research, you could say, "I'm interested in your department specifically because I was so impressed by the strength in area X, and I think I could really contribute there.")

At the beginning of the interview, each person will likely introduce themselves. Say hello to each person. After that, I don't worry about knowing people's names and voices, especially if there are more than 3 people on the phone (one interview was with seven people, all male native English speakers--there was no way I was going to tell them apart).

Have at least 2-3 targeted questions ready for them. You should have time for at least one question. These can include questions about their own experiences in the department, what they see as the strengths/weaknesses of the department, etc., or questions about the institution or about area you would be living in. Avoid phrasing questions that sound attacking (i.e., try "I'd like to hear a bit about your experiences living in X," rather than, "I've heard X has a major crime problem and is not the most desirable place to live. What do you think?")

Watch the clock. They probably are scheduling you for half an hour. Listen for cues to wind down. Don't spend more than 2-3 minutes responding to any one question. If you have doubts that you covered everything, go ahead and ask if they have further questions about your response.

Say THANK YOU at the end.

[set time for the call, but...]

I had a phone interview that was set up for a particular time, let's say 9:00 a.m.  Well, 9:00 a.m. came and went; 9:30 came & went; by the time 10:00 rolled around, I was a nervous wreck!  And here was the kicker, I couldn't call the department sect'y to see if they had the wrong phone number, I had the wrong day, etc.

Finally had the bright idea (believe me, by this time I was not thinking straight!) to email the sect'y.  Turns out they were just running way behind schedule, but otherwise everything was ok.   If I were running the department, I would have had the sect'y call everyone down the interview list to let them know, but....

A FEW HOURS LATER, they finally called.  So, the moral of the story is, have the sitter take the kids, but leave the pick-up time open, just in case!  (And be prepared to do a lot of yoga & other relaxation techniques while you are waiting.)