Companies often use phone interviews to screen hundreds of applicants before inviting a select few candidates to interview in person. In many cases, phone interviews are a critical yet awkward part of the process of landing a job.
Phone interviews require a unique set of skills because you must communicate your enthusiasm and experience audibly and navigate nonverbal cues. That being said, if you relied on in-person interview skills to get by in a phone interview, you might feel a bit uneasy now.
If you’re nervous about a recent phone interview, here are seven signs that your phone interview did not go well and important lessons that you can learn to prepare for your next one.
Signs That Your Phone Interview Didn’t Go Well
If you noticed any of these bad phone interview signs happening during or after your interview, don’t panic. Take the chance to learn from your mistakes so that you can rock the next phone, video or in-person interview you find yourself in.
1. The Interview Was Shorter Than Expected
If you had an hour booked in your calendar, but the interview ends rather quickly, it’s a sign that the interviewer didn’t think you were a good fit. Common reasons that an interviewer may be unimpressed include a candidate’s lack of knowledge about the role or company, unsatisfactory answers to common interview questions or a lack of relevant work experience.
How to Improve: Conduct extensive research about the company you are interviewing with. A little research on their website and LinkedIn profile can be telling as to what they’re looking for in a candidate.
2. The Interviewer Doesn’t Seem Enthusiastic
A job interview should be exciting for both parties. This is a win-win situation in which a new employee can land a gig, and the company can end the search for a potentially successful employee. In most cases, an unenthusiastic interviewer suggests that the interview isn’t going well.
How to Improve: Make sure you share your excitement about the job and company. If you apply for a job that doesn’t get you excited, an interviewer can often sense that lack of enthusiasm.
3. You Struggled With the “What’s Your Biggest Weakness” Question
This question is a popular one in job interviews and can often make or break the interview. If you stumbled on this question or stated a weakness integral to the position, this could be the cause of your bad phone interview.
How to Improve: Be honest. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and most of the time, the interviewer just wants to make sure you’re transparent and self-aware. For tips on answering this question and more, read here.
4. The Interview Felt Awkward
Chemistry in the workplace is vital for a healthy company culture. If the interview felt awkward, the hiring manager may question your place in the company’s culture.
How to Improve: Try to keep the conversation flowing. Don’t forget to ask the interviewer engaging questions so that they can tell you’re interested.
5. You Didn’t Have Questions For The Hiring Manager
It is standard practice for interviewers to open the floor up to applicants for questions at the end of the interview. The interviewer may think you weren’t prepared or taking the interview seriously if you didn’t have questions prepared. A lack of curiosity is never a good look during an interview.
How to Improve: Prepare interesting questions to ask the interviewer ahead of time. Give some thought to what things you’d like to learn about the company, and be sure to ask about things that can’t be easily found online. This process will help you gain valuable information about the company and display your interest in the position.
6. You Haven’t Heard Back In Awhile
Another sign of a bad phone interview is radio silence from the company. While it’s not considerate, depending on the number of applicants, some companies can’t get back to all the candidates that didn’t make the cut. This can be frustrating as a candidate, but you can work to prevent it from happening.
How to Improve: At the end of the interview, always ask for a post-interview timeline. Most hiring managers are willing to give you a timeframe. In addition, send a follow-up email after the interview if you don’t hear back within the given timeframe.
7. The Interviewer Questioned Your Qualifications
Last on the list of signs you bombed a phone interview is an interviewer’s lack of confidence in your experience. If an interviewer doesn’t appear to think you have the role’s qualifications, they’ll likely believe you are not a good fit.
How to Improve: Your resume only tells part of the story; it’s up to you to convey the confidence and skills to help the interviewer trust you. Consider vital skills you learned from your previous roles. Articulating these skills in the interview will make it clear you’re qualified for the role!
What To Do After A Bad Interview
Whether it’s just a bad day or nerves got the best of you, there are ways that you can turn an interview blunder into a learning experience. Follow these quick tips to learn what you should do after a bad interview.
Do’s:
- Do evaluate your performance. Take time to run through the interview in your head, dissect areas of the conversation that went poorly, and make a note of how you can better prepare. This can help you avoid repeating these errors in the future.
- Do send a thank you note. No matter how you feel about the interview, it’s important to express your gratitude to the interviewer for their time. This leaves a positive impression and sets you apart from candidates who do not take the time to do this.
- Do ask for feedback. If you are not offered the position, ask the interviewer for honest critiques of your interview performance. Hiring managers have a unique perspective that can give you valuable insight into the interview process.
- Do learn from your mistakes. Consider the areas you felt didn’t go well and ways to make sure you don’t run into the same complications again.
Don’ts:
- Don’t be hard on yourself. Interviewing requires a unique skill set. Don’t fret if you don’t master the appropriate skills needed right away, especially if it’s your first interview. In this case, practice does make perfect.
- Don’t apply for jobs that aren’t a good fit. You should be interviewing a company as much as they are interviewing you. You want to land a job that will make you happy.
- Don’t self sabotage. You may think the interview went poorly, but you could be magnifying the mistakes as you replay the conversation. Unless you made an egregious error, there is no need to send an apology letter or note explaining your mistakes. This can make you come across as unsure of yourself or desperate, so refrain from taking this step.
- Don’t give up. Your dream job is out there! Hard work and practice can help you meet your employment goals.
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