Phone interviews are a common first step once a potential employer has reviewed your resume and identified you as a candidate of interest. Generally, the main goal in a phone interview is to advance to a face-to-face interview. A challenging aspect of interviewing over the phone is the inability to gauge nonverbal communication; however, a phone interview can leave a strong, lasting impression on your interviewer if you're well prepared.

When interviewing over the phone, choose a location where you and the interviewer will not be distracted by background noise and where you can relax and feel comfortable to sound confident.

Communication during the phone interview is key to your success. The interviewer wants to know that you can effectively communicate and summarize your ideas as well as talk openly about areas in which you'd like to grow professionally. If you're stumped by a question, don't rush your answer. Take some time to think about your response. And don't be afraid to let your personality shine through.
Your job search resources should be accessible during your interview. Having your resume and the position description at your fingertips will ensure that you can easily reference relevant information. It's also important to do your homework before your phone interview by researching the hiring company and the roles and functions of the job you are applying for.

Be sure to address how the position aligns with your career accomplishments, education, goals and professional potential, but save detailed examples for your in-person interview. It' is also helpful to prepare a list of questions about the company and IT employment opportunity in advance.