What are some advantages to making requests for interviews by telephone rather than by letter?

Answer 1

By requesting an interview on the phone it demands immediate attention from the person who answers it. It allows for two way communication, you can respond immediately to the person's questions and he or she can respond to yours.

Answer 2

There aren't that many pro's when compared to cons.

Obvious advantage - it can happen wherever you are, as long as the connection is OK.

If the interview itself is prolonged - it can turn into a dreaded call, especially if the one interviewing is not well prepared and gives lots of pauses, where it's impossible to understand if they spaced out or the're waiting for you to elaborate on a question. It can be really awkward, so be prepared to break the tense silence by asking back questions.

Either if you're the interviewer of the one being interrogated, you can "cheat", as long as it's not made too obvious, by having a sheet/document with questions or cliches you want to include in your presentation, some fancy words or guidelines to help you prove your point. Also, you can have a copy of the cv lying around in case of reference-checking.

Some say it helps if you're dressed for the occasion, even though you're not actually meeting the person face-to-face, it brings you to a certain employee-state-of-mind.