Top 10 Phone Interview Dos and Don’ts

This article is part of our Video Game Job Hunt Guide. Read the full guide to learn how to write a strong resume, build a winning portfolio, ace your job interviews and more.
Man waiting for a phone interview
Do you know the 10 Dos and Don’ts of phone interviewing?

The phone interview could be your first and best chance to make a good impression on a future employer. But phone interviews are alarmingly short — often just 30 minutes — so if you make a mistake, there’s no time to recover.

Use these phone interview Dos and Don’ts to nail your phone interview and convince any employer that you’d be perfect for the job.

Phone Interview Don’ts

Don’t answer unless you’re ready to interview

If you aren’t positive that the person calling is a friend or family, then never – and I mean NEVER – answer the phone unless you’re prepared to start a phone interview. If you aren’t sure, then it’s okay to let the call go to voice mail. You can call back later when you’re in a better spot to do an interview.

If any of these things are happening, then you should probably let the phone go to voicemail:

  • You aren’t sure you’ve got strong reception. It’s frustrating and unprofessional to keep repea… yourse… …connecti… dropping out…
  • You’re someplace noisy. For example, if you’re at a grocery store or a mall. Taking calls at a heavy metal concert is also a bad idea.
  • You’re someplace that doesn’t allow normal or safe conversation. For example, if you’re in a library, in class, getting a haircut, or driving a car.
  • You’re not in a good mental or emotional state. Have you just woken up, or are angry, or have been drinking? Then it might not be a good time to take a call from a future employer.

Don’t “um”, “like”

A lot of people are uncomfortable with silence, so we’ve developed a habit of filling the silence with words such as “like” and “um” while thinking about what to say next. Don’t do it!

It’s okay to be silent while you collect your thoughts, especially after the interviewer asks you a hard question. Silence is better than mumbling.

For some people, this is a hard habit to break. The best strategy is to eliminate “um” and “like” from your vocabulary completely, in all of your conversations. Then you won’t be tempted when you’re in an interview.

Don’t drown them in detail

You’ve done a lot of things in academics or previous jobs that you’re proud of, and you want to share every exciting detail with your interviewer, right?

Wrong. You only have 20-30 minutes, so if you go into too much detail, you’ll run out of time. It doesn’t make a good first impression, but even worse, the interviewer might not get a chance to ask all the questions they need to make a decision.

Remember to think of the phone screen as the “teaser trailer” for your career, not the feature film. As tempting as it may be, do not go into detail unless the interviewer specifically asks you follow-up questions. Save the exciting details for the feature film: the on-site interview.

Don’t wait too long before calling back

If an employer leaves you a voicemail, call them back as soon as you can. You’ll either get the recruiter or hiring manager you’re trying to reach, or somebody who is a “gatekeeper” for that person. Either way, start by clearly stating who you are and why you’re calling.

If it’s a gatekeeper, be sure to mention why you’re calling. They’re more likely to let you through if you have a good reason. “Good morning! This is Jason Bay, I’m returning a call from Jessica Smith. Is she available?”

On the other hand, if it’s the person you’re calling, start with something short and direct. “Hi Jessica, this is Jason Bay returning your call. Is this a good time to talk?”

And remember to speak clearly, and e-nun-ci-ate.

Don’t forget to leave a message

If you return an employer’s call, but then you get transferred to their voice mail, don’t forget to leave a brief message.

Follow these tips to leave a message that’s sure to get a return call:

  • Speak extra slowly and clearly.
  • Say your name, the name of the person you’re trying to reach, and the reason you’re calling. Be brief — don’t ramble or over-explain.
  • Repeat your name and phone number twice. It helps them write it down without having to listen to the message again.
  • “Hi, this is Jason Bay returning a call from Jessica Smith about the game design job opening. I’m at 425-555-1212. Please call me back any time. Again, that’s Jason Bay, 425-555-1212.”
  • If they don’t call you back, it’s okay to call them again in 2 or 3 days.
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Phone Interview Dos

Do prepare and practice your “teaser trailer”

Any interview is a chance to convince a potential employer that you’re awesome, but in a phone interview, there’s just not much time. The last thing you want is to hang up the phone without convincing the interviewer that you’re amazing and would be a great fit for their company!

So think of the phone interview as a “teaser trailer” — an brief overview to make the employer excited to learn more in a full interview later on.

Here’s how to prepare your teaser trailer ahead of time:

  1. Write down, on paper, the 3 major points of your sales pitch and have them in front of you during the call.
  2. At the start of the call, tell the interviewer that there are 3 major points that you hope to have time to discuss.
  3. Have a clock in front of you so you can keep an eye on the time.
  4. You may need to actively manage the pace of the call, especially if the hiring manager isn’t a great interviewer and ends talking too much. Halfway through, if it doesn’t seem like you’ll get through all the points, move the conversation along so you can get through them all.

With your prepared talking points at hand, your interview will be a lot more successful than if you were just winging it.

Do research the company

Fact: Companies want to hire people who are fans. Not just people who want a job, or people who are passionate about making games – people who want a job at this company, and are passionate about making games at this company.

You can prepare by doing some research ahead of time. Learn as much as you can about the company. Care about their games — know what makes them special, and think about how you could personally contribute to make their future games even more awesome.

Here are some ways to research the company ahead of time:

  • Research the company online. Read about any recent news or exciting announcements. This might give you an opportunity to congratulate them on a recent release, or ask informed questions about any recent mergers or other business-related announcements.
  • Google the interviewer. If you can find out who’s interviewing you ahead of time, search online to learn a little bit about them. What other companies have they worked for? What games have they personally made? Knowing about your interviewer can help you make a personal connection during the phone call.
  • Play their games! Playing the company’s games will help you decide if you even want to work there in the first place. It will also save your bacon if they ask you interview questions like, “Which of our games is your favorite and why?” Or “In our most recent game, what feature would you add to make it more fun?”

Do answer the phone professionally

When an employer calls you for a phone interview, the way you answer the phone can set the tone for the entire conversation. So answer the phone in a way that’s friendly, professional, and confident.

Start with a quick greeting, and say your name so they can be sure they’ve got the right number. Something like “Good morning, this is Jason Bay,” would be a perfect start to the conversation.

If you’re worried that you don’t sound friendly enough on the phone, here’s a little trick you can use: smile while you talk! Of course the interviewer can’t see you smiling, but they’ll be able to hear it in your voice, even at a subconscious level. Smiling can also help you de-stress and relax during the conversation. Give it a try!

Do use your best communication skills

Good verbal communication is super important in team-based, highly-collaborative jobs like video game development. If you can’t communicate well in person, then it’s hard to work effectively with a team.

That’s why one of the first things hiring managers look for during an interview, is whether or not you have good communication skills. During the interview, repeatedly check in with yourself: Am I explaining myself clearly? Am I making my points effectively? Am I speaking concisely?

If you ever answer “no” to one of those questions, then try to slow down, take a deep breath, and reset.

Do speak clearly

For a technology that’s been improved and refined for over a hundred years now, it’s amazing how bad a telephone connection can be sometimes.

To avoid wasting time repeating yourself, especially if the connection is bad, focus on talking slowly and clearly during the conversation, and remember to speak directly into the phone’s mic. Better yet, use a headset, because even the best smartphones work better with a headset than with the built-in mic.

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To speak more clearly, try sitting up straight in your chair, and take a nice big lung-full of air before answering each question. Some people find that it’s helpful to stand up during the phone call, instead of sitting down.

Do pace yourself

Interviews are stressful, and stress can cause you to speak too quickly. Fight the urge to ramble by remembering to sloooow doooown.

If talking too fast is a problem for you, then one way to improve is to record each of your phone interviews and listen to them afterward. Judge yourself to see if you’re talking too fast, and get a better understanding of which parts of the conversation cause you to speed up too much. Then adjust as needed during the next call.

Do pay close attention

During the years that I’ve been giving phone interviews, I’ve been shocked at how distracted people can get. I’ve had people stop in the middle of interviews to let their cats into the house, tend to their crying babies, and even put their mobile phones down while they merged onto the freeway!

Your brief time on the interview is too precious to waste. Focus your attention by making sure your environment is 100% distraction-free:

  • Tend to your pets before the call, and get them out of the room.
  • Arrange to have a friend or family member watch your children while you’re on the call.
  • Tell your roommates that you’re doing an interview, so they won’t make noise or distract you. Better yet, do the interview when they’re not around.
  • Make the call from somewhere quiet, safe, and free of distractions. Definitely don’t take the call while you’re driving!

Do set up your voicemail

In case you miss a call or aren’t in a good position to start an interview (see the Don’ts below), the call will go to your phone’s voicemail. Think of voice mail as your personal secretary: It’s representing you to employers, so it needs to sound professional — and it needs to work.

Here’s a checklist to make sure your voice mail doesn’t fall asleep on the job:

  • Record a professional-sounding greeting. “Yo what’s up, I’m out gettin’ my swerve on, yeeeaaaaaah!” might be funny for friends, but it’s no good for potential employers. Record a new message with good reception and no background noise. Make it short and to the point: “Hi, you’ve reached Jason Bay. Please leave your name and number and I’ll call you back as soon as possible.” Boring, but much more professional.
  • Remove custom ringbacks. Some phone carriers let you use a custom ringback to entertain callers. Remove it! Forcing employers to sit through your favorite nerdcore track is not professional.
  • Empty your mailbox regularly. Your voicemail box only allows a limited number of messages before it blocks new messages from being recorded. If your mailbox is full, employers won’t be able to leave you a message, and you’ll miss your chance to interview. Don’t miss a great opportunity just because your voicemail is full – delete old messages regularly.

Do get better with practice!

If you’re guilty of having grade-school caliber phone interviewing skills, don’t feel bad. It only takes a little thought and attention to improve. Follow these guidelines, and your phone interview skills will be wearing a cap and gown and getting a diploma in no time. And before you know it, you might just be graduating into a new job!

Image: Derick Anies/Unsplash

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