Have you ever listened to yourself on the phone, and thought:
“Is that what I really sound like?”
I went through this as a teenager, and it changed the way I approached interviews.
When I arrived home one afternoon, I stopped to check the messages. As the mini cassette tape for the machine started to spin, the tone sounded over the speaker, and then a voice. Not just any voice, but one sounding monotone and empty of life.
My first thought was the person leaving the message was sad, and or depressed and hadn’t seen a happy day in years. Then I realized that the person behind the phone message was me!
I thought I spoke in a happy and upbeat tone. I made a change from that experience. I grabbed a recorder and started speaking/acting in a way that I felt was over the top with passion and excitement. Replaying the recording I realized that I was not far off from the perceived way that I thought I was speaking my whole life.
Over time, and with a lot of practice, I learned to control my voice over the phone to come through sounding confident and upbeat.
How do you sound? Have you had a listen yourself lately? I have included a few point and rules to pay attention to when having to deal with a phone interview.
Speak Up!
In a phone interview, your interviewer cannot see you, so it’s important to make your voice convey all of the things you would in an in-person interview. Speak clearly and slowly in order to be heard.
If you talk too fast, you’ll sound nervous – so you want to make sure that you are speaking in a tempo that makes you sound calm and in control.
Smile!
Even though the interviewer cannot see you, they can hear the smile in your voice. This helps to boost your confidence and makes you sound likeable.
Stand Up!
Standing and sitting have different impacts on your voice. Standing during a conversation makes you sound more alert and confident.
Lose the Background Noise
No matter how confident you sound, if you have a lot of hubbub going on in the background, it will distract the interviewer. Find a quiet room or space to do the interview.
When in doubt, record yourself responding to basic interview questions with the help of a family member or friend. That way, you can monitor how you sound to the interviewer and make appropriate adjustments before the big day.
If you struggle with making a positive impression in your phone interviews, TopScore offers one-on-one coaching to boost your confidence and help you shine through. Schedule your coaching session on our website!