Because of today’s technology, many employers and search firms are conducting telephone or tele-video interviews with job candidates first before determining whether to proceed to the next step with an in-person interview.

Not only is this affordable approach easy, fast and effective, it also saves time and recruiting expenses, particularly when potential job candidates live out of state.

The importance of excelling in this format, however, cannot be overstated, because if you fail to impress the recruiter at this stage of the interview process you most likely can forget getting to Step 2, let alone landing the job.

Fortunately, there are several things you can do to improve your chances of “acing” the remote interview:

• If you’re doing a telephone interview, be prepared and have your notes handy. Spread out preparation materials such as anticipated questions and responses either on a large desk or bed so they can be easily referenced.  But be subtle – don’t let the recruiter hear you shuffling the papers!
• Dress professionally as if you are interviewing in person.  While this should be self-explanatory for tele-videos, I recommend applicants do this for telephone interviews, as well, because professional interviewing attire will put you in the proper mindset, keep you focused and on track and improve your confidence.
• Select a quiet place for the remote interview and make sure it stays that way.  Put “do not disturb” signs on the doors, disable other phones and make sure the kids and barking dog are nowhere within earshot to be a distraction.
• If you are using a cellular phone or wireless headset, make sure they are fully charged and in an area with strong signal strength. Nothing is more frustrating or embarrassing than a dropped signal at a key point in an interview.

With remote interviews continuing to grow in popularity, your path to a new job will increasingly require the ability to ace interviews well beyond the setting of a recruiter’s office.

Matt Durfee is author of “Job Search Secrets from the Reluctant Expert” and CEO of Orlando-based Navigator Institute (www.navinstitute.com), an online job search skills program. Contact him at mdurfee@navexec.com.