Nail Your Next Phone Interview By Dressing Up

@benjamen: You said what I was expecting you to say. Whereas the others seem to be addressing the look and work like a pro aspect, I see that connection you're making. If you're dressed stuff and uptight, maybe that leads to you being tense. A relaxed worker might be able to get produce more and produce greater quality.

jupiterthunder

I prefer the comfort approach. I don my prized pajamas, enter a quiet, comfortable space in my home, and take the call there.

Still, most of my phone interviews are on-the-fly... that is, I get the call randomly and unexpected. I can't remember the last time I knew when one was coming.

@sean000: I feel the same way. In fact, if you told me to close my eyes and then describe what I'm wearing, I generally wouldn't have the faintest clue. If I can't even remember what I'm wearing, how can my clothes affect how I sound on the phone?

OTOH, @UlimaPolar bear & @van_line, I absolutely agree that standing up is huge. Makes a dramatic difference in the energy level and enthusiasm that comes across in your voice.

ras07

Quote from the tip: "There's lots of evidence showing that how we dress affects how we work."

I've read this before, but never really felt it applied to me one bit. My last job allowed me to telecommute quite often, and I was way more productive when I was sitting at home in shorts and a t shirt... or even my bathrobe.

As for dressing up making for a better phone interview, I guess it again depends on the person. I can certainly understand how it would give some people more confidence, but for me confidence is more about how I feel on the inside than how I look on the outside. I agree with others who suggested having as many resources as possible open on the computer (including a google search window), but just be sure to use a quiet keyboard. You don't want them to hear you typing. Awkward pauses can also be bad, so it really is best just to know your stuff ahead of time. Don't rely on the convenience of having an Internet connection at your fingertips... you never know when your ISP might screw up :-p

sean000

Wear a suit to an interview in my industry and you'll be lucky to get a job. I am a games programmer.

Of course, I still wear a suit to interviews (because I like wearing them!) and have a good success rate. Clothes don't make the man, or woman.

I don't really know what my point is!

@wewillchange: During the interview? Sounds noisy. Maybe appleSAUCE?

MPGraber

Phone interviews are a weird animal. You don't have the (dis)advantage of being able to see the other person's body language which can tell you a ton about how they feel about you. But it does have some merit.

I have had face to face interviews where the person's co-worker came in hung out, bs'd with him, he took a call. Glad I didn't get that job if I had to work with someone that unprofessional.

Runnin-Ute

Wow.

I've gotten interviews while...

... in my Boxers watching TV.
... in the Pool.
... during breaks while on Motorcycle Poker Runs.

... What a load.

Be yourself, positive and confident. You'll be fine. If you can't handle it over the phone, you sure to have trouble when you get in front of people!

Good Luck!

cgarduc

I did this once without thinking, got nicely dressed and everything and even cleaned my room just for a phone call

Chenzel

I would recommend standing up during the phone interview instead of dressing up.

Phone interviews are a 100% more difficult because you don't have the visual cues.

Also having a cheat sheet of things that you want to highlight or discuss during the interview is a good thing.

van_line

@cheesebubble: That just goes without saying

pettiblay

@keycool: Yeah, I was also surprised he went with the argument he did given the article.

omegakumar

No one's mentioned being naked for the phone interview?!

@Jason: And a quiet keyboard... you don't exactly seem quite as impressive with lag and some noisy typing between the question and the answer.

AnonJr

@mfusion: I always feel better about myself after a good haircut.

elsifer

They used to make us smile when talking to customers on the phone. I guess that's the same principle. I think it has some merit.

elsifer

I had a telephone interview where the guy asked me a question of the 'Tell me about this work experience'-type. I talked for a few minutes about some of the highlights and challenges of that role and he didn't reply. After a few more minutes, he clicks back in and says "Sorry, I had another call come in. Okay, next question..." I still got the job but was absolutely appalled by this and am thankful that I don't work in his organization.

MirandaCarme

@benjamen:

From your first clause, I was actually expecting the alternate argument about lax dress codes.

Look professional, be professional

keycool

@benjamen: old saying "the clothes make the man"

haven't you felt better after being depressed or upset by dressing up a bit. i think that's why there is so much shopping going on, girls don't feel good about themselves so they try to dress up

Funny if there's so much evidence showing that how we dress will effect our work, why do some places still insist on ridiculous dress codes for employees that never have to interact with customers or vendors?

How does being uncomfortable wearing a monkey suit or a noose make you more productive?

Don't forget to brush your teeth!

pettiblay

You have to physically stand up, it makes you more alert, and the character of your voice changes.

UlimaPolar bear

One nice thing about a phone interview is it's essentially like an open-book test in school. You can have whatever you want in front of you.

Spend a few minutes beforehand getting those things set up which are most likely to make you smarter and more effective in the interview.

* Reboot your computer for a clean start
* Open your resume (the same copy you sent them!)
* Open some new tabs in 'fox and . . .
* bring up their webiste
* bring up their hoovers profile
* bring up google
* bring up any other relevant news/info sites
* have in front of you (electronic or paper) copies of relevant work you've done

I'm not saying you're likely to need all of this, or possibly any of it. But having it all at hand means that should questions come up where you *wish* you had something at hand, you won't waste time and momentum shuffling around for it.

A hands-free headset is also nice!

--Jason

Jason

"I find eating an apple really helps me have good conversations on the phone"
-GC

Makes sense.

Guitarfool5931

@cgarduc:
I was hired for the company I have been with for 15 years and counting, through a telephone interview conducted on my lunch hour from a public phone on Hudson Street in Manhattan - I had to add quarters every few minutes.

JAKE1960

@AnonJr: And maybe flickr the monitor off, I find it hard to concentrate on the phone conversation while looking at a screen

@guardianfox: You get actual unscheduled phone interviews?

They're not just calls from recruiters or headhunters trying to see if you're interested in a position?

I get those all the time unexpectedly, but have never had someone call me out of the blue for an actual interview over the phone right that second.

@Guitarfool5931: I did it last time and I think it helped me get the job. I was way more confident that way. I could nearly imagine the phoneterviewer in face of me. ^^

Marc Tremsal

@ras07:
Yes...I agree that standing up, or at least sitting up straight, can make a difference. It's difficult to breathe and speak well if you are slouching, slumped, or laying down.

I've been on both ends of telephone interviews... as as candidate for hire and (more often) as a hiring manager. I've done a few face to face interviews (as follow ups to telephone interviews) with candidates who sounded much more confident and prepared for their face to face than they did for the telephone interview. I think most people are actually more nervous about telephone interviews than F2F. I know I prefer meeting face to face even if I'm a candidate. It's nice to have visual cues from the interviewers body language so you know when you are on the right track or rambling for too long.

The worst are telephone conference interviews with multiple interviewers. I hate those. There are always awkward pauses followed by two or more interviewers speaking over each other. I've never been asked to do an online meeting with audio and video, but I know people who have. They say the technology and (often) poor quality can be distracting.

sean000

@Headlam: I run an exploit board and own a RMT site for games. I have hired, fired, and more over chat. I personally care more about if someone can program, what they feel about contracts & NDAs, and if they are willing to break one to come work for me (they don't get hired). I want to chat with someone who is comfortable, not with someone who sounds stuffy. And that is something I would worry about if I were in someone else's shoes trying to vie for a job.

@wewillchange: and of course, thie IS the best method if you want a job at Apple. It shows them you are ready to take a bite into their company.

@keycool:

Sure, if being professional means doing crappy work :)

OK, my comment may have been a little confusing, jupiterthunder helped clarify it a little bit. I personally have a little trouble getting going in the morning if I don't shower, so there's something to be said for being clean (brushed hair, teeth, shaved, clean clothes, etc.)

But I personally do not feel comfortable if I am wearing anything that I would ruin by crawling underneath my truck. If I'm not comfortable I can't get into the zone. I don't like the feeling of being "delicate" and having to worry about can I do this with the clothes I'm wearing. Or looking at it another way, if I can't just up and run a mile in the shoes I'm wearing I don't want to wear them.

That said if your job involves interacting with customers or vendors, a more professional dress code will probably help you be more professional. You probably don't want to be too comfortable and relaxed in those situations.

I liken it to those bogus studies that say an open workplace leads to more productivity. If you have a job where you need to get into the zone to do your work -- like engineering or programming, with constant interruption, you're not going to get there. Not feeling comfortable is just another interruption.

Oh come on.
Dress up?
Stand up?

If one is not capable of projecting the correct image via wired telephonic device, then one is not very bright.

Anybody ever had a video interview? That would be fun to hear about.

I think that there is some truth to the dress up and stand up tips.

I work from home and I get dressed, shower and shave every day. It helps set the tone for the work day. Now, I don't dress up, most of the time its jeans and a t-shirt, but I don't just roll out of bed.

I've tried working in my pajamas and it just didn't feel right.

I often stand up when I'm on conference calls. It helps one project better, which is important when you are just a tinny voice on a tiny box on the conference room table.

One bit of experience that might help is that, everyone first interview I've had over the phone, was always a screening interview.

Real lax, this is the job, how much do you want, type of interview though some people may take it more seriously:: eh, whatever::

So don't tense up on your first one!

chizzert

@jupiterthunder: LOL

chizzert