Whenever you apply for a job; if a hiring manager is impressed with your resume or application, then you can expect an interview to take place. This is how they tell if you are right for the position they want to hire for.

In an onsite job, the interview will be done in a face to face manner. You, as the prospective employee, would dress to impress them and keep your body language in check to make sure you’re presenting yourself in a professional manner. Telecommuting positions have a different process, however.

While some local jobs will require you to come in for a face to face interview; most telecommuting companies choose to perform the interview over the phone. A phone interview doesn’t offer you the chance to present yourself as a professional in the same way as a face to face one does.

But, you can still show yourself as a qualified applicant. Here are some tips that can help you the next time you are set up to have a phone interview:

Have your resume handy- Some of their questions will be based off what they see on your resume. If you have it handy during the interview, then it will help you answer their questions easier, since sometimes one’s nerves can get the best of them.

Go ahead and Dress Up and Smile- Okay, some people might think that this would be pointless since the employer won’t see what you’re wearing over the phone or notice whether you’re smiling or not. Getting dressed up for the interview helps you more than it does them. You will have more confidence and that will show when you talk to the interviewer. Same with smiling. When you smile it helps to relax you and your nerves won’t be quite as bad for you.

Give yourself plenty of time before interview- Have at least 30 min. to yourself, before the phone call, to practice some relaxing techniques and go over some things you may want to ask the interviewer or add during the interview. Have a light snack to ensure a grumbling stomach doesn’t take your attention away from the interview.

Set aside plenty of time for the interview- Most interviews can last around 30 minutes. Some could go longer than that. Set aside at least an hour just in case the interview does go longer than normal. It’s not too professional to cut an interview short because you have to run off for an errand 20 minutes after it started.

Offer brief, but informative answers- Avoid giving short yes/no answers. Offer enough information to answer their questions, but don’t take up too much of their time giving them stories. A sentence or two usually works well.

Even though your job interview will more than likely be done over the phone, there isn’t any reason why you can’t still present yourself in a good way. Most employers who do these kinds of interviews look for things like confidence and ability to answer questions and take directions.

They are aware that any employee, no matter who they are, will have some degree of nervousness. So, there’s no reason to worry about being nervous. Just try and keep yourself relaxed as much as you can and you’ll do just fine.

Nell Taliercio has been working at home full time since 2004. She’s worked as a telecommuter, virtual assistant and affiliate marketer. In 5 years she’s discovered many secrets to finding legitimate work at home jobs and securing them. You can find work at home job information and tips at: http://www.justonlinejobs.com

Last 5 posts by Nell Taliercio

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• Affiliate Marketing: Why is it Important to Market to a Niche? - June 25th, 2010
• Affiliate Marketing: Avoiding The Scams - May 31st, 2010
• Telecommuting Customer Service Agent - February 1st, 2010

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Tags: interviews, Telecommuting