What Were Your Responsibilities
What They Want to Know: Know what’s on your resume, so you can discuss what you did at the other jobs you’ve held. When you’re describing your responsibilities, try to mention those that match the new job’s requirements.
Showing that you have done similar work will be an asset during the interview. Focus on the responsibilities that most closely align with the job for which you’re interviewing when you respond to the recruiter.
As a special ed teacher, Ive worked with grades K-6 at a large inner-city school, partnering with parents and other teachers to design IEPs and support the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms.
More Answers: Job Interview Questions About Your Responsibilities
What Are Your Goals For The Future
The best way to handle this question is to express how this role aligns with your ultimate goals. If the company has a core value that matches yours, you can include it in your answer.
Example:One of the reasons I’m interested in working for a fast-growing startup company is that I’ll have the ability to wear many hats and collaborate with a variety of departments. My ultimate goal is to lead a marketing department.
If You Were An Animal Which One Would You Want To Be
Don’t be alarmed if you’re asked weird interview questions. Interviewers use this type of psychological question to see if you can think quickly. If you answer “a bunny,” you will make a soft, passive impression. If you answer “a lion,” you will be seen as aggressive. What type of personality would it take to get the job done? What impression do you want to make?
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What Did You Like Most About Your Last Position
Tie your answer to the company’s needs. Focus on highlights of your track record at your last job and be as specific as possible.
Example:What I liked most about my last position was the opportunity to collaborate with other teams. We once worked with a client who was relying on us to solve a critical issue. After I recommended a plan for our team to resolve the issue, we took time considering the pros and cons of the solution. When we implemented it, it worked better than everyone expected. The client was very pleased.
The 7 Most Common Phone Interview Questions And Answers
There are two primary types of telephone interviews: impromptu and arranged. An impromptu phone interview is when a company representative calls you either based on a resume submitted or a resume or profile posted. An arranged interview is when you have a set date and time for the phone interview and tends to be more structured. In either case, there is a standard set of interview questions for which you need to be prepared in advance.
The phone interview is typically a screening interview to decide whether itâs worthwhile for the employer to go on to the next steps in the interviewing process. So while the questions may seem high level, they are primarily designed to screen out candidates. Be prepared in advance so that you are not caught off guard. You have only one opportunity to make a great first impression.
Here are the seven most common phone interview questions and answers:
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What Is The Achievement Youre Most Proud Of
Learn more about the candidate by asking them to single out some of their past accomplishments. People who take pride in their work will likely have a number of achievements that stick out in their memory. Even better, a high-quality candidate may discuss an accomplishment that aligns with the kind of work theyd be doing at your company.
Tip: Pay attention to the candidates tone and energy when answering this question. Do they sound genuinely excited to talk about their past achievements? Or do they sound like theyre just rephrasing items on their resume to sound more compelling?
What Are You Passionate About
Understanding what you are passionate about or what motivates you might help employers decide whether you might be a good fit for the position. If you are passionate about helping people, for example, and are interviewing for a largely independent role with little interaction with others, the position might not be a good fit for you. To answer this question, think of broad ways you are motivated both in and out of work. Consider how your passions might align with the role.
Example answer:Im driven every day by the ability to create beautiful, innovative experiences for users all over the world. There is so much helpful, valuable digital information on the web. Designing it in a way that is easy for people to consume makes me feel like Im truly making a difference for people to access whatever it is that helps them live to their true potentialeven if only in a small way.
Read more: Interview Question: What Are You Passionate About?
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What Questions Do You Have For Me
Always have questions to ask the interviewer. It can make the difference between getting hired and not getting a callback after the phone interview. .
You can ask about the job duties, goals, the team, the company overall, the training youll receive, how your performance will be measured, and questions about the actual interview process
If youre having an interview with a recruiter, here are some good questions to ask them.
Best Phone Interview Questions To Ask Candidates
Your job is to find the best candidates for your business, but can you be sure that they are really the right person?
Its not uncommon to interview someone who may seem like a great fit on paper. Only to discover later that they just arent a good cultural fit.
As technical recruiters, we conduct phone interviews and phone screens almost every day.
To help you avoid this problem with each hire and make sure it works out. We list some phone interview questions that will give you valuable information about each candidate.
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What Attracted You To Apply For This Position
You want to figure out how much research shes done, and whether her perspective of the role is accurate . This question is also an easy way to see how genuinely interested a candidate is in your company. Look for a candidate who expresses her interest in the tasks required for the specific role, rather than more secondary benefits that come from working at your company — like the awesome snack room, or team outings
How Do You Handle Conflict At Work
Employers ask this question to gauge how you interact with various stakeholders or colleagues of differing opinions. Often, being the right person for the job involves more than just hard skills, hiring managers also value candidates who can collaborate with others and approach conflict in a productive way.
A good answer will discuss a time you encountered a conflict with a colleague, client or manager and maintained the patience to resolve it. Its important to relay what you learnedhow you grew personally and professionallyas a result of the experience. Use the STAR method to construct your response.
Example answer:I was working as a project manager on an IT project, and one technician was constantly late finishing tasks. When I approached him about it, he reacted defensively. I kept calm and acknowledged that the deadlines were challenging and asked how I could assist him in improving his performance.
He calmed down and told me that he was involved in another project where he had to do tasks that were not in his job description. After a meeting with the other project manager, we came to a resolution that alleviated the technicians workload. For the remainder of the project, the technician delivered great work.
I learned that you dont always know what others are experiencing and by keeping that in mind, I can better navigate conflict and be a more helpful and supportive colleague.
Read more: Interview Question: “How Do You Handle Conflict in the Workplace?”
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Why Did You Leave Your Last Job Why Are You Looking For Work
The recruiters perspective: Every recruiter wants to feel that youre running toward an opportunity you believe is a good fit, as opposed to running away from a bad experience. So, theyre trying to get a better sense of what happened at your previous employer. Was it a performance issue? Were you fired? Theyre looking for those red flags. Just know, if you were laid off, no one is holding that against you. They want to understand what didnt work out and, more importantly, what that means for what youre looking for now.
You dont want to bad mouth whomever you worked for, no matter how horrendous the situation was.
The answer: You dont want to bad mouth whomever you worked for, no matter how horrendous the situation was. The most important thing is to acknowledge whatever your past experience was, and then pivot to what you learned from that experience, what youre looking for in a job and the opportunity this job provides.
Which Of Your Traits Will Help You Excel In This Role Most
Hiring managers want to find out why you think youll succeed in the job. It gives them insights into your perspective as well as what you value in yourself.
Pick a soft skill to highlight based on whats most relevant to the position. If you arent sure which to pick, begin by focusing on one thats required almost universally: communication. Then, see if you can slide another one or two in to round off your response.
EXAMPLE ANSWER:
In my past roles, Ive found that my communication capabilities have been crucial to my success. The ability to convey complex information to others who arent familiar with my area of expertise has allowed me to work seamlessly with diverse teams. Ultimately, it allowed us to achieve higher project success rates, as details were able to flow freely, ensuring everyone was on the same page and focused on matching priorities.
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Phone Screen General Rules Of Thumb
Keep in mind the purpose of a phone screen is to ensure you’re a good fit for the company and vice versa. For that reason, you’ll want to be honest with your answers. Additionally, show enthusiasm about the potential opportunity. Recruiters and hiring managers want to hear your excitement that’ll get them excited about you. Conclude your conversation with gratitude. Let your contact know you appreciate the time they took to talk and provide more information about the position.
If you don’t pass the phone screen, don’t feel bad. The recruiter or hiring manager saw something promising in your resume and cover letter. It could simply be that you’re not the best fit for the company or the position, and there’s no need to waste your time interviewing again.
Plus, there are plenty more jobs out there waiting for your application.
Not acing the interview the way you want to? It might be time to get a professional opinion. Our TopInterview coaches can help!
Phone Interview Questions About The New Job And The Company
- What interests you about this job?
- Why do you want this job?
- What applicable attributes / experience do you have?
- Are you overqualified for this job?
- What can you do for this company?
- What do you know about this company?
- Why do you want to work here?
- What challenges are you looking for in a position?
- What can you contribute to this company?
- Are you willing to travel?
- Is there anything I havent told you about the job or company that you would like to know?
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Good Questions To Ask At The End Of A Phone Interview
At the end of an interview, youll get a chance to learn more about the role by asking the hiring manager some questions. Dont let the opportunity pass you by!
If you dont know what to ask, here are five good questions for the end of a phone interview:
Tell Me About A Challenge Youve Encountered And How You Solved It
The recruiters perspective: They just want to see whether this person has experience solving similar challenges to what well be doing here in our company. If you havent solved the exact challenge before, whats your thought process?
The answer: Youll want to use the STAR method situation, task, action, result and ideally youd want to pick an example thats going to be relevant to the position youre applying for. To give a well-rounded answer, its important to provide some context.
Lets say you were working on a project, when was it and how big was that project? What was going on at the company at the time? Its about setting the scene and showing the complexity of what you did. Then talk about the specific role you played in the project and the result. The more you quantify the result, like how much money the project made or that it was completed on time, the better.
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Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Company
Do you always quit your job just because you don’t get along with your superiors?
The employer is looking for someone who enjoys their job and wants to grow. Its no secret that a committed employee will perform much better than one for whom money is the only motivation.
When answering, say that you need a promotion and your previous company, despite a great atmosphere, cannot offer you one at the moment. You can also say that youd like to have more responsibilities in a particular area. Never complain about your former employers. Focus only on the positives!
I am not necessarily looking for a new position, but when a company like yours puts on the market a job that perfectly matches my skills and experience, its not possible to ignore it. And after 4 years in the company I currently work for, I have acquired the skills necessary to take a step forward in my career.
What Are Your Goals
When you’re asked, “What are your goals?” sometimes it’s best to talk about short-term and intermediate goals rather than locking yourself into the distant future. For example, “My immediate goal is to get a job in a growth-oriented company. My long-term goal will depend on where the company goes. I hope to eventually grow into a position of responsibility.”
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S After Your Phone Interview
Along with practicing the phone interview questions above, you should also have a plan for how to impress the employer after the interview. Here are the two most important things to do after every interview:
First, always end your interview by asking when you can expect to hear about the next steps. That way, you can follow-up by email to ask for feedback if that time has passed .
And secondly, send a thank-you letter or email within 24 hours of the interview to reaffirm your interest in the position and show the employer you appreciate their time on the phone.
This will help you make a strong impression and keep yourself on top of the hiring managers mind as theyre making their decision!
UPDATE:
If you have phone interviews coming up and dont want to leave anything to chance, Ive created a new guide where you can copy my exact step-by-step method for getting job offers. You can get more details here.
What Is Your Teaching Philosophy
This isnt a question solely for those applying to teaching positions. Employers may ask this of anyone who might be leading or teaching others. Your response will allow employers to gauge your personal skills and if you would be a good culture add. A good answer will concisely identify what you think teaching should achieve and include concrete examples to illustrate your ideas.
Example answer:When it comes to managing people, my teaching philosophy is to start by asking questions that hopefully get the person to come to a new conclusion on their own. This way, they feel ownership over the learning rather than feeling micromanaged. For example, in my last role, I was editing an article written by a copywriter I managed. The story didnt have a clear focus or hook.
In a one-on-one meeting, I asked her what she thought was the main point of the article if she had to sum it up in a sentence. From there, I asked if she thought the focus was clear in the article. She didnt think it was clear and instead thought she should rework her introduction and conclusion. As a result, the article improved and my direct report learned a valuable writing lesson that she carried into her future work.
Read more: Interview Question: What is Your Teaching Philosophy?
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How Would You Describe Your Work Style
What if your interviewee says she works best in collaborative, social settings, yet the role she’s applying for requires a lot of independent work? Although this might not be a deal breaker, its good to know early on whether this person will be the best fit for the work style necessary to excel in this position. Hopefully, the interviewee will describe a work style that fits your requirements.
