How to mess up a phone interview

January 6, 10:49 PMJob Search ExaminerMelanie Szlucha

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Considering that the only thing an interviewer has to go on during a phone interview is listening to the sound of your voice, jobseekers need to be VERY aware of verbal crutches on a job interview.

Verbal crutches are those little “connector” words that all of us use from time to time.  These are the ums, ahs, and even in the case of one candidate I interviewed—fabulous, that we unconsciously toss in while we’re thinking about the next sentence.   

Let me tell you—this will KILL and I mean—RUIN your chances for a follow up interview, especially if your first interview is a phone interview. 

Three ways to clean up your act: 

1. You need to either ask your friends very seriously and honestly if you are a verbal crutch offender.  Explain to them how important this is in your job search, and unless they want to hear you whine for an additional six months about not finding a new job—they should help you.  Verbal crutches are bad habits that don’t just appear when you pick up the phone for an interview.   

2. Your other option is to record yourself while you practice for the interview.  This can be trickier because you will of course know that you’re taping and will make more of an effort to clean up your act, but it could work.   

3. Another option is to just make a conscious effort throughout the day to listen to what you are really saying.  Too many times you’ll find that if you’re not completely engaged in what you’re saying and am not truly “in the moment” that you will start umming and ahhing as your brain searches for the next coherent thought.  When you focus on the message you’re trying to convey, your speech patterns will clean up immediately.