The Why, What, and How of Phone Interviews

Phone based interviews, whether as the main interview or part of a preliminary screening process, are extremely prevalent in many fields, including public health. Phone interviews can help employers refine a large pool of applicants and/or can facilitate interviews for geographically distant applicants (i.e. that Epidemiologist I job you applied to in Alaska). I have done four phone interviews so far in my career (including one from my car—not generally recommended but works in a pinch) and I remember wondering how best to prepare: what types of questions would they ask, what did I sound like on the phone, should I prepare notes for myself?

As someone who will likely undergo a phone interview at some point in your career, and who may be in a position of conducting them yourself, it is important to be knowledgeable about best practices for phone interviews and the subtle ways they can differ from in-person interviewing. The below series of articles by Allison Green documents why employers conduct phone interviews, how to best conduct yourself during a phone interview, and, always important, what not to do during a phone interview. I would also encourage you to check out Allison’s popular website, askamanager.org, for more great tips on the job search process and answers to almost any job related question or scenario you can think of.

Why Employers Do Phone Interviews

How To Ace Your Next Phone Interview

Don’t Make These 10 Mistakes In Your Next Phone Interview

-Nicole Regan, EPI ADAP