Whether you’re conducting phone interviews for recruitment or for a research study, there is one frustrating burden that all phone interviews have in common – note-taking! Phone interviews are used for gathering information and it is unlikely that you will remember every single thing, every person you interview says. So, you’ll find yourself, relying heavily on the notes you take during your interviews. Which can be a really tedious job to do.
Trying to focus on asking your questions, listening to each answer, asking follow up questions, all while trying to keep up with note taking; the whole thing can be completely over-whelming while phone interviews are supposed to be time-savers after all. If you have to keep stopping to catch up on your note taking, then you aren’t really saving a lot of time, are you? And let’s not forget, stopping to catch up on your notes, can create some awkward pauses and silences during your interview.
Phone interviews are meant to be more casual then face-to-face interviews, the last thing you want to do, is to make your interviewee and yourself uncomfortable, with unnecessary pauses. There just has to be an easier way to conduct phone interviews and take notes, all at the same time.
Well, you are right, there is a simple way to make phone interviews much easier for you. Plus, as a bonus you will still end up with all the information you need! What is this super easy solution, for conducting phone interviews? You just need to record your phone interviews! By recording you calls, you can focus more on the interview and not have to worry about writing everything down, the moment your interviewee says it.
Recording your phone interviews will also create an instant digital record of your phone interview. Which will save you a lot time later, since you will not have to spend hours reading through all of your notes and typing them up into a document. You see, recorded phone calls will relieve most of the stress, that can come with conducting phone interviews!
Not sure how to record a phone interview? Not to worry. There are some great services, that can assist you, with recording your calls. So, you have no excuses not to record your interviews. These type of recordings are meant to make your life easier and by recording all of your phone interviews, you will never have to worry about forgetting something important, an interviewee said. You can simply, pull up the recording, at anytime, and re-listen to the interview and you will be all set!
Yes, it still be helpful to take a few notes, during any phone interview. You will still want to write down any thoughts or first impressions, you have during your phone interview. But the great thing about recording your interviews, means you can go back and listen to your conversations and discover anything that might have slipped past you during your interview!