Advice with telephone interviews

[HappySonHappyMum]

Never had one before - so am completely blown away on how to prepare for this 30 minute interview. Have been told I'll get two situational questions (answer should be what I would do) and one competency question that I should answer using STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result). It says prepare, prepare, prepare - but how?!

Go onto Barclays life skills website , they have lots of great advice.

Prepare some sample answers.

Make sure you are sitting in a quiet room with good reception to take the call. Have pen and paper to hand and your cv in front of you.

Prepare several questions to ask them. Not about money ! About stuff like what they enjoy most about the role , what they think the company does well etc.

If it helps you feel more in control, it's okay to stand up. Also, try and smile as you would face to face, as it will be heard in your voice.

Aside from prepping STAR responses (maybe check out some of the civil service literature as it’s widely used there for recruitment), I would also test out all the practical stuff a few times, particularly finding a place in the house where you feel really comfy, making sure you don’t have distractions etc. It can be good to dress up in your interview gear! I sometimes find phone interviews can be more relaxed, but silences can feel a lot longer and a decent bit of informal chat at the start in important.