Sunday, March 17, 2024

What Questions To Ask In A Phone Interview

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Smart Questions To Make You Stand Out During The Interview

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Interviews can be stressful, but if youve done your research, prepared your answers, the next thing is to create a list of questions you will ask during the interview. Remember, the interview really should be a mutual exchange of information, not an interrogation.

When you ask questions is demonstrates your interest in the company and the position. It also shows you have given careful thought to what the job will entail and whether the company will be a good match. Sending these impressions to the employer can work in your favor. Remember, most employers arent hiring butts in seats. They want the people they hire to perform, and hopefully better than expected.

There are four different categories of questions listed depending on where you are in the interview process and what information you want to gather during your discussion.

Top 20 Phone Interview Questions And Best Answers

Are you prepared for a phone interview? What will the interviewer ask you? Before you interview in person with a hiring manager, you may be asked to take part in a brief phone screen interview.

If you’re interviewing for a freelance or remote position or for any job with a virtual hiring process, you may have a longer and more in-depth interview. In these cases, a telephone interview may be the only actual interview you’ll have.

Phone interviews are conducted just like in-person interviews. They are used by hiring managers and recruiters as a tool for screening candidates for employment.

Tips To Answer Questions During Phone Interviews

Here are a few additional strategies that will help you to rock your phone interview.

Observe phone interview etiquette Dos and Donts. When it comes to getting hired, phone interview etiquette is just as important as in-person job interview etiquette. That’s because, regardless of the means of communication, a successful interview will get you to the next stage of the hiring process.

Do a mock interview. Ask friends or family members to help you conduct a mock interview and record it so that you can hear what you sound like over the phone.

Prepare your environment. Prepare a quiet, comfortable space for the interview itself, so that youll feel ready for the call.

Prepare for tough interview questions. Preparing for these tough interview questions will save you from being surprised, should the interviewer decide to skip the easy stuff. And even if she keeps it simple for the phone screen, youll be happy you prepared for the harder questions that may arise in a face-to-face job interview later on.

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Give Us An Example Of Your Previous Experience

Candidates need to demonstrate they have the direct skills and experience for the role, says Neil Dickson, general manager at Xpand. If facilitating meetings is a requirement, ask them, when was the last time they facilitated a good meeting.

Get them to really talk about their role, says Arden. If theyre really passionate, you may wonder why they want to move, and if there may be a counter offer from their current employer.

Brilliant Questions To Ask To Ask During A Phone Interview

8 Best Phone Interview Questions to Ask the Interviewer ...

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Why is it so important to ask the right questions during a phone interview or during a face to face job interview?

Because, as an applicant, the questions you ask may portray a positive light on your motivations for applying for the position, may even give the interviewer a good impression on your knowledge and skills the questions you ask can increase your odds to get the job down the road.

Secondly, the job interview is a discussion and a discussion relies on two persons that ask question and answer questions. Needless to say that, the job under question is a give and take issue. As the organization evaluates your competencies to the said job, so you should evaluate the job compatibilities to your requirements.

Therefore, the answers to your questions can provide good information on the job and its benefits.

When it comes to select the questions to ask in a phone interview, these mainly depend on the interview flow and your previous knowledge about the job description.

In any case, you better not ask questions on issues that you are not really interested in, as the level of interest is easily identified over the phone. .

Read further.

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Why Are You Job Searching Right Now

If youre unemployed, be direct and say so. BUT have a good reason for why you want this particular job too. This is super important. Employers want to feel like you want their job, not just any job. I cant stress this enough.

If youre currently employed but job searching to find something better, keep it positive. Focus on what you want to gain in a move. Id love to find an opportunity that will give me a bigger chance to lead and manage projects, etc.

Dont badmouth your current job or employer, and dont talk about the bad things youre looking to escape or get away from. Just keep it positive and focus on what youd love to gain by changing jobs.

Sample answer if youre unemployed:

I was laid off four months ago so Im in an active job search. Im hoping to find a position that will let me continue to build my skills as a customer service supervisor. Im particularly looking to stay in the software industry, which is one reason this job excited me.

Sample if youre currently employed while job searching:

Ive learned a lot in my current job and enjoyed it, however, Ive been in this position for four years and feel that to take my skills to the next level, I should expose myself to a new work environment to continue challenging myself. I saw your job description mentions ___, which is one of the key things I hope to continue doing in my next role, so this seemed like a great job to apply for and have an interview to discuss.

Describe Your Work Style

Different positions require different work styles. If a candidate mentions that they prefer to work independently but the role requires a lot of collaboration, they may not be the best candidate for the job. While sounding adaptable and positive could make you sound more flexible for different work conditions, make sure you treat the question honestly.

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What Is It About The Role That Attracted Your Attention

Candidates may have applied for multiple roles, says Dan Arden, recruitment consultant at Davidson. Are they really interested, or just throwing CVs out there? Do they understand what theyve applied for? If not, theyre not a very engaged candidate.

Daniel is generally looking for 80/20 capability vs. stretch. We need a level of ambition, but too little capability is too much risk for the client.

How Is Your Job Search Going So Far

Phone Interview Questions and Answers Examples – How to Prepare for Phone Interviews

Employers ask this in a phone interview to get a sense of how things are going for you overall, how much other companies are interested, and even how soon you might have job offers .

The one thing you dont want to do with your answer is sound like youre completely struggling to find a job.

If you arent getting many interviews or if you just started taking phone interviews, you can always say: Im just beginning to take interviews, but its going well so far.

If you have had a few interviews but they didnt go well, you can say that you havent found the right fit yet. So for example, you might say, Ive had a couple of phone interviews so far but havent found a great fit yet.

Sample answer:

Things are going well so far. Im just beginning to take phone interviews, and Im still very early in my job search. I expect to have some face-to-face interviews soon.

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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.

Do They Even Remember Applying For The Role

I have literally phone screened thousands of candidates over the last 20+ years! The first question I always ask during a phone screen is whether or not they can actually recall applying for my role. You can tell a lot from how they respond to this question. After all theres a huge difference between a potential candidate being able to talk about your specific job ad or someone saying gosh last week I applied for about 20 jobs and I guess yours was probably one of them!

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What Is The Purpose Of A Screening Interview

Typically, an employer will hold phone screening interviews in the first round of hiring. They are designed to determine if an applicant is qualified for the position and would be a good fit for their company.

As one of the leading engineering staffing agencies, we help employers recruit engineering, design, and IT Talent. Contact us about our Engineering recruiting services or IT staffing services

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Top Phone Interview Questions to Ask Your Interviewer ...

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Questions To Ask A Recruiter During A Phone Interview – Hireology

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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.

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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Questions About The New Job And The Company

One of the best ways to rise above your competition in a phone interview is to show that youve taken the time to research the employers company, history, culture, and mission statement. Explain how your experience could help the company if you were to be hired, and share what you’ve learned about the organization.

What Can You Tell Me That Isnt On Your Resume That Is Important For Me To Know About You

Top Phone Interview Tips: 5 Common Questions & Best Strategies | Indeed Career Tips

This question shows the candidate that you care about who she is as a person, beyond what a piece of paper says about her. It also encourages the candidate to avoid using her resume as a crutch, and forces her to reflect more deeply on what she views as her biggest strengths.

With this question, youve asked the candidate to provide just one thing, so its pretty likely that whatever the candidate tells you, it will be very important to her. Look for a candidate who has the confidence to reply with something she is truly passionate about — you might want to use this question as an icebreaker at the beginning of a phone interview, but you can also use it halfway through the interview if you feel the candidates answers are stiff and you want to uncover some deeper layers to her personality.

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What Kind Of Job Environment Do You Feel Most Productive In

The recruiters perspective: This question is really about trying to determine culture fit and whether or not youre going to thrive in the companys work environment. Not every environment or culture is going to work for everyone, and thats OK. Being honest about what environment works best for you is going to be best for everyone in the long run.

Interviewees have a tendency to tell the interviewer what they want to hear, but being honest and direct about what you need for your own happiness and productivity is going to keep you at the job a lot longer.

The answer: Interviewees have a tendency to tell the interviewer what they want to hear, but being honest and direct about what you need for your own happiness and productivity is going to keep you at the job a lot longer. If youre new to the workforce, ask yourself where you go when you need to study. What types of groups do you like working with on projects? If you play sports, what role do you usually play on the team? Every answer will be different, but its important to think about the environments where youve been the most productive and that brings out the best in you.

What Is The Most Important Skill You Have Learned Recently

You want the candidate to say something like: In my past job, I learned a lot about JavaScript, but theres still room for me to grow in this area.

Another good answer could go something like this. Thats why at this time Im looking for an employer who will give me ample opportunity and space to learn even moreperhaps youre just the person!

Being skilled at something is great, but its more important to know how the candidates skills are applicable and sufficient for the job.

Ask follow-up questions if youre unsure of the applicants capabilities.

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What About This Position Attracted You To Apply

The more a candidate tells you the better. Do the like the industry or perhaps technologies or equipment your company uses.

If they say well its close to my house and thats the main reason then you may want to keep talking to other candidates. You are going to be investing in this person and you want them to be excited about the opportunity.

Questions To Ask A Recruiter During A Phone Interview

67 Best Phone Interview Questions

The interview process can feel overwhelming at times. Submitting applications, formatting resumes, researching companies, and preparing for interviews can cause you stress, but it doesnt have to be that way as long as you set aside the proper amount of time to prepare.

Preparing for interviews is a really important step in making sure you come off as a great candidate. Phone interviews in particular may seem straightforward, but its important to give some prep time to these, as this is your chance to make a great first impression. You want to come off as knowledgeable and qualified, but also want to show your personality a bit so that the recruiter can get to know you a bit better.

Weve put together this guide to help you prepare for your next phone interview, including common phone interview questions, so you can be prepared. This phone interview cheat sheet will help you understand interview best practices, including tips and tricks to keep in mind during the interview, follow up questions to ask, and specific questions to ask hr manager during interview.

Use this blog as a resource during your next phone interview with recruiter to help you ace the interview.

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Advantages Of A Phone Screen Interview

Less Anxiety: In any face-to-face interview, the quiet atmosphere of the office cabin may turn you into a bundle of nerves. However, in phone interviews, cracking the code and moving on to the next level is rather simpler.

Do note that the next step is almost always a face-to-face interview. But youâll have more confidence having cleared the first round with flying colors. With the flexibility of attending an interview on call, you have the comfort of avoiding anxiousness and answering questions with unsurpassed conviction.

Beyond geographical boundaries: Imagine youâre applying for a job outside the state, and you are called for an interview. What will you do? Travel thousands of miles to attend an interview?

You can if you want to, but most companies nowadays offer the option of attending a phone interview first. With this, you can take a step further to living your dream.

On the downside, 30 minutes isnât enough time to create a lasting impression. You need to up your skills and conversational abilities. Focus is what you need if you wish to truly get into the mind of your interviewer and deliver answers with ease.

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