From job aspirant's point of view telephonic interview have many advantages over personal interview. For starting you don't have to worry about your looks and dressing sense. Just think about giving answer with fluency.

If you wish to crack your telephonic interview then first you need to know why telephonic interviews are conducted in first place. The answer is simple - organisation has large number of applications and this is a very cheap and effective way of sorting potential candidates.

Now that you know why telephonic interviews are conducted you might have guessed what kind of question to expect in such interview - yes! mostly human resource(HR) questions, the one that tests your communication skills, not just over telephone but in real life as well. Confused? Don't worry! Let me tell you about one of my first technical interview that was conducted by Thorough Good, a consulting firm.

They (it was a two-member team) called me on my mobile number which the HR team member had taken in advance. They conformed if I was ready for the interview even though we had already decided on the time and date couple of days back. Anyway after conforming they called me again, this time they were using speaker phone. There was some problem with the quality of voice so they asked if I have any other number where they could call. Lucky my home phone was free so they called me on that number. Its nice to have a hands free handy because this interview can go on for hours non-stop. Mine was only 45 minutes.

I greeted them and they starting asking about myself, my family, education and interests. Since I had given some personal interviews before so I was pretty comfortable with such questions. After the basic HR questions they asked me If I was aware of which field their organization was into, it might sound strange but as a fresh graduate its very likely that the applicant is not aware of what exactly is Business Intelligence. But I had done my homework before the interview date and had good knowledge about the organization, its services and activities. So it was early for me. These type of questions are very common because this shows how much you are interested in job an in the organization. When they see some kind of commitment from your side they believe that you are really interested in this job.

After asking company related questions they started asking questions related to the projects I did during my studies. Now wait before firing me with questions like "but you said telephonic interviews are only for communication skills". There was no technical question involved in that part either. They wanted to test my people skill during that period. One interesting question they asked me was about a team project. They asked if I faced any problem, any unrest in the group. And what part did I play in that situation, was I able to give suggestion to solve that problem, was I able to resolve the dispute - and I was only a team member, not even a manager. There motive was simple. They wanted to know what kind of team member am I.

Another interesting question they asked me was related to my summer internship. They asked if I had notice any special skill in any senior person working in that organization and if yes how exact was did I became aware of that skill and benefit was I able to gain from his skills. And finally they asked me why I wanted to join this particular field and if I don't get this job then what would other option do I have in my mind.

The interview was a success and I got invited for their assessment centre. Though I had to cancel it later because of a date clash with my major exams. During the interview they asked me if I was free on a certain day and since my semester schedule was not with me(my only mistake) I said yes. Later I requested them to postpone or even pre-pose the assessment centre but they didn't agree. So I decide not to go.

Anyway here are few tips to keep in mind if you are appearing for telephonic interview:

• Keep your schedule/diary/year planner/ calendar handy. Very Very important (read about if you haven't read it already)
• Keep your resume in front of you (another blunder I did in other telephonic interview, but will talk about it some other time)
• Find a peaceful place to talk.
• Get a hands free and check phone battery.
• Keep option of second phone if possible.
• You can even write common answers on piece of papers and keep them in front of you (I never did that, I guess I was too confident about my HR skills)
• What else.. yeah one last thing..!! enjoy! its just another interview and a great opportunity to improve your people skills
  

Now job is not the most desired option after graduation. With high demand for managers many companies are offering heavy packages(read 6 figure salaries) to fresh passouts from mba schools.

1. If you are also interested in studying for your mba exam then start early. Here are some simple but effective tips to start studying early:
2. Read, read, read.
3. Develop your word power by reading books on various topics starting from religious texts to business magazines and autobiographies.
4. Keep an eye on current affairs. Discuss with your friends and family members. Improve your debating skills.
5. Starting doing simple math calculations like percentage and ratio in your mind.
6. Try calculation everything in your mind next time you go for shopping.
7. Get a book of grammar if you have doubt between "has" and "have".

And finally, keep a track record of your development. It will help you keep motivated.