That said, if you are asked about salary, PLEASE have an answer. Being coy hurts you and is not a strength. ESPECIALLY if I say, “I really need to know if you are in our salary range,” the next sentence out of your mouth better have a number. This isn’t a game, and I don’t want to spend a lot of time with you only to find you insist on a salary the company will never let me give you.

Give a reasonable range — 20% is too much. You aren’t negotiating since I haven’t made you an offer. I just want to find out if there is any overlap between your range and mine. Why would I expect you to commit to a salary without more details of the job? Would you negotiate on a car before finding out what it comes with? Things like vacation, benefits, location, travel requirements, or advancement opportunities can drive salary either way.

There is no excuse: so much information is out there you should be able to find the median for your field in your city and how certain things affect it (certification, experience, etc.). This research will help you give a confident answer — which makes you sound serious and prepared. By all means add, “but of course I’m flexible depending upon the particulars of the job.”

The goal of the phone interview is to get a face-to-face. You do that by answering the questions I ask, as directly as possible and being energetic and positive.

Be smart – Ask for (about 20%) more than what you hope to make, that way if asked you can show you are willing to negotiate.

You can also try asking what value the company places on the position before throwing out a dollar amount. If they seem set on getting a number from you, give them something because if you don’t the interview process is basically over.

Don’t bother with a range. Saying I’m looking for opportunities in the 35-48 range is useless because you’ve basically just said you’ll take 35.

1. Prepare for a phone interview the same way that you would for an in-person. Study the company, read the management bio’s on the web site, understand what the company does, etc.

2. ALWAYS wear a headset! You don’t want that phone sliding off your shoulder. You also want both hands to be free for writing or looking through any notes you might have in front of you.

This post was mentioned on Twitter by recessionwire: How to Turn a Phone Interview into a Face-to-Face: When time and budgets are tight many employers start their interv… http://bit.ly/2mo2Wb...

Re: “Send a thank you e-mail afterwards that reiterates your interest in the position and emphasizes that look forward to coming onsite to meet the rest of the team.” I would add: include in the e-mail not only your interest in the position but briefly, in bullet points, recap why you are the best person for the job and why they need you.