Smile while you speak. Did you know that people can hear you smile? People who heard someone speak, but couldn’t see them, were able to correctly identify when the speaker was smiling. Smiling into the telephone receiver is a great way to show that you have a pleasant personality and that you get along with other employees.

Dress. Putting on your professional work clothes while on the phone, your professionalism will shine through as well. When you wear casual clothing, your tone of voice is much more casual than if you are wearing a suit or dress.

Keep important papers handy. Have a copy of the job description and your resume in front of you when you have your phone interview. That’s a good way to talk about your experience on your resume when it comes to the job description you’re interviewing for. Have a pencil and paper handy as well to take notes if needed.

Avoid telephone interruptions during your interview. A call waiting signal can interrupt your train or thinking or interfere with hearing what the interviewer is saying. You can deactivate call waiting on most telephones by dialing * 70 first. When you are done with your interview and hang up, your call waiting feature will automatically reactivate.

Eliminate all distractions. Get rid of all unnecessary noise during your interview. Children, pets, televisions, radios, and computer videos should not be within hearing range while you are having your interview.

Here are some more tips to remember during your phone interview:

* Speak slowly and clearly. It’s okay to take a few seconds to collect your thoughts.
* Do not smoke, chew gum, eat or drink.
* Address the interviewer by your title (Mr. or Mrs.) AND your last name. Don’t use their name unless they ask.
* Don’t interrupt the interviewer.
* Do not go into lengthy details over the phone. Keep your answers short and save the details for a face-to-face interview.
* Thank the interviewer and ask if it would be possible to meet in person.

You don’t have a second chance to make a first impression. Your telephone interview is the first impression the interviewer will have and will determine whether you advance to a face-to-face interview. Take advantage of the resources at JobPrepCenter.com to make sure your first impression really blows them away!