Phone interview is a form of interview that allows the human resource department to weed out candidates who may not ace the interview in the long run. It is a simple question and answer interview wherein acing it is no problem as long as you are disposed to answer those questions.
Getting the call from the company as a fresh graduate may be a little bit exciting but remember that the call is never an assurance that you are hired. It is another stage that you have to go through so that you can move to a more formal interview.
Staying Calm
When a company calls you, stay calm. Being excited about it is ok but you do not want to be too excited. When you hear your phone rings and the caller ID says it is from the company you want to work for, do not pick it up immediately.
Not that you want to convey that you are desperate for the job but you have to breathe first before you pick up the phone. By taking a deep breath, you will be able to calm yourself and would think clearly during the job interview. Although you are not hiding your excitement, you should calm yourself to answer the questions well.
Taking Notes
When you are expecting a phone call, it is always recommended to have your resume just in case they want to ask some questions about it. But you do not just bring out the resume; you need to have an actual notepad or just a blank sheet of paper during the call.
You will be asked a lot of questions and you might need to take notes during the interview. This will prevent you from forgetting the questions and ask them correctly. You will not have any second chance during the interview so you have to listen intently.
One Way Exchange of Information
When on the phone for an interview, expect that the interview will be all about you. During the face to face interview you may interact and listen to what they say about certain topics but this will never happen during the phone interview.
You will be bombarded with questions not only personal but also test questions. Phone interview questions are usually the same for each candidate so that they could easily gauge the answer of the candidate. Forget about talking to the interviewer regarding personal questions as this will very inconvenient.