How to Crack Phone Interview for Internship
Written By : Pitch N Hire
Sat Feb 24 2024
5 min read
Although a phone internship interview seems much less intimidating than an everyday face-to-face interview, you must not ignore their importance by failing to arrange it before. A phone interview internship lets a hiring manager acknowledge the candidate and understand how much potential and encouragement he/she is. When applying for an internship, it is important to be prepared because an employer can call you regarding your application at any time.
Compared with an in-person interview, a phone interview for internship is easier. You do not have to worry about the dress code, showing nervousness, or anything. Also, in an interview, both parties are allowed to ask questions if your interview lasts for around 30-45 minutes. The last 10 minutes would be allotted for you to ask questions regarding your internship and the company. So you must prepare some important interview question and answer.
If you are a person who is not available for calls most of the time, then avail voicemails on your phone so that you do not miss out on important calls. But it is important to receive every call in a professional manner. But you must receive the phone interview internship in 3-4 working days, so you have to stay prepared and alert. In this blog, we are going to learn how to prepare for a phone interview for internship, so proceeding further, let us go through it.
What are the Advantages of Telephone Interviews?
After the pandemic, the traditional interview process has totally changed, as it has reduced human efforts and time. Here are some of the benefits of telephonic interviews are as follows.
- Telephonic interviews are easy to conduct in comparison to F2F and are also cost-effective.
- Phone interviews can easily reduce the distance gap, which means interviews can be conducted globally.
- Here, you can choose your surrounding according to the comfortable environment which will be familiar to you.
- You can keep details and data with you while on a phone interview for reference at any point in time.
How to Prepare for a Phone Interview for Internship?
Keep your resume and an inventory of your accomplishments by phone in the event that you simply receive an unexpected call from an employer. Have a secluded, quiet space prepared for you to travel to conduct the interview.
- Be confident that your phone offers a proper connection, or choose to possess a landline for all interviews.
- You must not interrupt the hiring manager while he/she is in the middle of elaborating on something. You must wait for your turn to speak.
- Be prepared to show your skills and accomplishments, as well as your strengths and weaknesses, to the interviewer. There are several tips to be a confident job seeker.
- Practice answering interview questions aloud before your interview. This practice will facilitate the formulation of your ideas and the way you would like to mention them. It will offer you a chance to create mistakes before the particular interview.
- Schedule a mock interview with someone willing to assist and ready to provide constructive criticism and feedback.
- You should address your hiring manager as sir/ma’am. You can also use Mr/Mrs/Miss followed by their surname.
- If you do not understand or did not hear the question, ask him/her if they might please repeat it.
- Provide the interviewer with brief, concise answers. Most interviewers will ask if they need you to elaborate on any specific topics or questions.
- You must not crack jokes or any sort of puns during the whole interview process, as it is unprofessional.
- Speak slowly and enunciate clearly during the interview. The motive is not to fumble while answering with excitement.
- Follow up your interview with a thank you mail to reiterate your interest in the internship.
In an interview, you will encounter specific questions about the role you are interviewing for, so ensure you have examples and related experience prepared to deal with any of the required skills or specific projects and tasks listed within the description.
Most Common Questions Asked in a Telephonic Interview
Some of the major questions which can be asked during a phone interview for internship are as follows
- Tell me a few times after you had to use your persuasion skills to encourage a member of your team to participate more fully in pulling together a project or presentation.
- Why should we hire you?
- Why shouldn't we hire you? (Read how to answer why shouldn’t we hire you to construct a proper answer)
- What are your plans in this field?
- What are your greatest strengths?
- What is your biggest weakness?
- How do you manage deadlines?
- What is the most critical experience you have overcome?
- Tell us about yourself.
- What is your greatest achievement?
- Do you have any rue/guilt?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Phone interviews are usually conducted by an organization to list out applicants who have applied for internship programs. If travel is a troubling factor, then a phone interview may solely lead to an internship offer without organizing a private interview. As we have mentioned before, such an interview by phone might sound less intimidating than an in-person interview, but you, as a candidate, must not ignore its importance. It is because it can even be the only real criteria to acknowledge the candidate’s potential and description.
Why Should You Take Phone Interview for Internship Seriously?
Since companies are hiring candidates for an internship program, so even they need to hire the most effective candidate without spending an excessive amount of time on that. It is because an intern is anticipated to possess certain core competencies that are required for his superior performance at work. So such an interview session is significant not just for the organization but even for you as an intern.
Before you hang up, confirm that you simply have the name of your hiring manager and their office and email address. Every candidate, whether a job applicant or intern, must send a follow-up thank you mail to the hiring manager. This can also be a perfect opportunity to hide an additional strength you simply neglected to show during the interview due to nervousness. It would be good etiquette to send a follow-up email after the interview.
Conclusion
Although not as formal as an in-person interview, a phone interview internship should still be treated with equal seriousness. An interviewer can tell a lot about your style and personality just by your approach during a phone interview for internship. Interviewers are listening for your enthusiasm, potential, and knowledge. It is important to take some time out to get the groundwork for a successful experience. Finally, thank the interviewer for taking out her/his precious time for the interview process.