16 tips on how to ace your next phone interview

"If you cannot get through the phone interview, you will not get the job," Paul Bailo told Business Insider.Anchiy/Getty Images

• Phone interviews can be nerve-racking, but they are often the first step in many job hiring processes.
• From what questions to ask at the end of your interview to how to prepare, these tips will help you ace your next phone interview.
• To ace your next phone interview, dress professionally, practice your "elevator pitch," and find a quiet space free of any distractions.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Phone interviews can be nerve-racking, but you have to get through them if you want to get to the next level.

Since the interviewer can't actually see you, they are judging you solely on your voice, answers, and any other sounds that come through during the conversation.

"If you cannot get through the phone interview, you will not get the job," Paul Bailo, founder and CEO of Phone Interview Pro and author of "The Essential Phone Interview Handbook," told Business Insider. "If you cannot get through the first date, you will not get married."

According to Bailo, the stakes are higher today than ever before. More job candidates make initial contact with prospective employers via the telephone and the first "15 seconds either make or break the interview."

Here are 16 tips on how to nail your next phone interview, according to Paul Bailo and his book, "The Essential Phone Interview Handbook."