What Questions To Ask In A Phone Screening Interview

Tell Me What You Know About The Role

Employers ask this question to ensure you did your research prior to your phone interview. They want to hear that you know what the general expectations of the role are. This question also helps them know what additional information they need to share with you about the role. Prior to your interview, carefully read through the job posting and do some research about the company.

Example:“I know this role requires me to work nights and weekends, which I’m completely comfortable doing. I have a very flexible schedule. I also know that this role is perfect for someone with several years of management experience. As someone who has managed different offices, I’m confident I have the leadership and communication skills you’re looking for in a candidate.”

How To Answer It

Easyjust say where you found the job and a little bit about what made you actually apply.

For example, I heard about an opening in through a friend of a friend, , and since Im a big fan of your work and have been following you for a while I decided it would be a great role for me to apply for.

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Stay Up To Date With The Latest Employer Insights & Events

They may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but telephone interviews have a lot of advantages. They are fast, easy to arrange and arm you with just the right level of information to begin whittling down your applicants.

Of course phone interviews present challenges too. Mostly arising from the fact that you can’t see the person you are talking to. Here’s a primer on the kind of questions you should ask to get the best out of your phone interviews.

Keep things simple…

It’s important not to get carried away with telephone interviews. Remember they are intended as a screening measure to decide who to invite for a face-face interview. You don’t need your candidate’s entire life story. Simple questions are the best policy.

Candidates can often be nervous, which can make for an uncomfortable conversation where you fail to get the insight you need on your candidate. Put interviewees at ease by introducing yourself, explaining how long the interview will last and telling them how it will be structured.

What type of questions should you ask?

Remember to keep things simple. The lack of visual interaction means that phone interviews are not suited to complex questions that require lengthy answers. Of course, you want your candidates to be thorough with their answers – but don’t attempt to ask anything too brow-furrowing.

1. What made you apply for this position?

2. Screening questions

• Are you willing to travel?

• Do you have a clear driving license?

• Do you have PRINCE2 certification?

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Direct Them To Your Personal Branding Website

Say whaaat? Personal branding website?

Oh what, you didnt know one of the best new strategies that all the best job seekers are employing?

Its true, having your own personal branding website can be one of the most powerful tools you use as part of your job search.

Why? Well there are dozens of reasons, but most importantly, a personal website will allow you to impress hiring managers, differentiate yourself from your competitors, increase your visibility online and create a hub for your personal brand online.

Not to mention it lets you show off so much more of your personality than your resume or cover letter can. And this is absolutely HUGE for someone having a phone interview, when the name of the game is standing out and being memorable.

What do you think is more memorable? Someone who submits their resume and cover letter and then answers a few questions over the phone or someone who does all of the above and then directs the hiring manager over to their website, allowing them to receive the many benefits I listed above?

Its a no brainer and heres a little secret.

Its not that hard.

Especially since I made a blog post for you that shows you exactly how to do it, How To Set Up Your Personal Website In Under 15 Minutes. This blog post will hold your hand through the process and make it brain-dead easy for you, even if you are terrible at using computers.

Research The Company And Position

Learning about the employer and the occupation youre hoping to be hired for can give you the information you need to perform well at this event. Use the job description company publications such as the website, press releases, and social media accounts and employee reviews to get the information you need.

Learn more: How to Write an Interview Confirmation Email

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How To Conduct A Phone Interview: 5 Tips

As more businesses shift to a remote workforce and generally look for efficient ways to recruit top talent, in-person interviews have become less commonplace. If this is new for your organization, youll want to understand how to conduct a phone interview that gives you clear insight into whether a given candidate is the right fit.

It can be challenging as a hiring manager or recruiter to get the same results over the phone, which conceal important cues such as body language and interaction with others in the office. However, if done right, phone interviews can still reveal much more about a candidate than you already gleaned from their resume or social media profile.

The following five tips for helping employers learn how to conduct a phone interview that will net positive results are covered in greater detail below:

Preparing For A Phone Interview

Usually, during phone interviews, employers are seeking general, high-level information about you and your background to see if they should advance you to the next step in the hiring process. You should be prepared to talk about why youre looking for a job, why youre interested in this specific job and company, and your background.

Each employer has a different set of questions for phone interviews, but there are several commonly asked questions. Below are several phone interview example questions and answers you can use as inspiration when preparing for your interview.

• Why are you applying for this position?
• Why do you want this job?
• Tell me what you know about the role
• Why do you want to work here?
• Why are you looking for jobs?
• What are you passionate about?
• What are your salary expectations?
• Are you interviewing with other companies?

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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.

What Do You Consider To Be Your Biggest Weakness

This is a question that requires honesty, creativity, and care. This question allows you to demonstrate that you appreciate constructive criticism and work towards improvement. However, you must still present yourself as the best choice for the role.

So, admit your weakness, usually a weakness that counts as a minor issue. Then, demonstrate how you’ve worked on the weakness and improved yourself. This is also an opportunity to demonstrate your problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Example:âMy biggest weakness has to be my perfectionist nature, which leads me to spend considerable hours on task trying to improve its quality. In the long run, while I maintained a high-quality delivery, I achieved less. However, it’s something I’m constantly working on.

I now set a strict timeline for reviews in line with the quantity I need to deliver within a period. This has helped me increase my productivity, in terms of the number of tasks I take, while still helping me maintain high-quality delivery on all my tasks.â

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Tell Me About A Time You Were Able To Communicate Effectively And Make Your Work Relationships Stronger

The recruiters perspective: They want to find out what the persons communication style is. Some people will hem and haw around what they want you to do or as questions. Other people are very direct. In a startup, the persons communication style can be very important.

Id want somebody to show they have awareness about how they communicate, and that theyre open to learning a new way of communicating with each person that comes into their world.

The answer: Im thinking about when I was working with a partner at an IT consulting company. I remember her taking me into the hallway and talking to me in the middle of putting together a huge request for proposals, and her telling me, Lynn, you scared the hell out of me. Because when I get going, I get very short. So I took a breath, and I listened to her and thanked her for being honest with me. Our relationship shifted from that moment on.

So, Id want somebody to show they have awareness about how they communicate, and that theyre open to learning a new way of communicating with each person that comes into their world.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

New Job Requirements & Responsibilities

Questions about the available position allow employers to gauge your qualifications for, interest in, and plans for your potential new role.

Common questions in this category include:

• Are you still interested in this position?
• Why do you want this job?
• What relevant experience for this position do you have?
• What attracts you about this position and our organization?
• The requirements for this position include x, y, and z. Briefly describe how you meet each of these requirements.
• What is your biggest professional accomplishment, and how do you think it pertains to this position?

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Whats The Biggest Challenge Youve Faced In Your Current Role Tell Me About It

Its not a bad sign if your candidate has faced problems in her prior position: it means shes human. But its critical to know her problem-solving methods. Lets say she mentions she once worked with a client who was difficult. Look for her to talk about how she was able to reach a mutually-benefitial compromise and learned to work with the client by adapting her own strategy. Its important that she can demonstrate empathy for other people, rather than putting the blame on the other party. Plus, youll want her to tell you about her own ability to solve problems creatively and efficiently, rather than dwelling on the frustrations of the experience.

How To Avoid Giving An Employer Red Flags

Even if you have a good idea of how you want to answer some of these potential questions, its easy to worry about unintentionally giving an employer some red flags. After all, pre-screening interview questions are short and sweet and dont leave much room for error.

Knowing that, here are some things you should avoid doing when answering these questions:

Our resume builder tool will walk you through the process of creating a stand-out Architect resume.

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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.

Top Phone Interview Questions To Ask Your Interviewer

After you apply for a job and if the recruiter and/or hiring manager believes that you are right for the position, they may respond with a request for a phone interview. Employers use phone interviews to help them decide which applicants they should invite for an in-person interview.

Before a phone interview, you should prepare both your answers common interview questions and your own questions to ask. These questions will demonstrate your enthusiasm for the company and help you learn if the role is a good fit.

Below, youll find tips for choosing the right phone interview questions, plus seven powerful questions you can ask at the end of your interview to leave a lasting impression.

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Most Common Telephone Interview Questions And Answers

âI am a motivated professional who can be relied upon to set goals higher than the companyâs expectations. I possess the requisite knowledge and expertise in my field of work and strive for excellence in any job role assigned to me. Along with possessing great work ethics, punctuality, communication skills, and the zeal to perform, I also ensure to maintain a proper work-life balance. My goal is to ensure the development of my organization while being a positive role model for my team.â

âI am looking forward to developing my skills in a related yet different job role than my previous experience. Being in an IT firm has taught me abundance about management and organization, and I wish to further develop my skillset by challenging myself with a different job position. I believe I have the qualifications to serve justice to such a prestigious position at your firm.â

âI have been searching for job positions suitable for my abilities. Thankfully, I stumbled upon this job opening at your firm on a portal. It is definitely up my alley and close to what Iâm looking for, if not exactly.â

Top 12 Tips For Phone Screening & Interviews

• Post authorBy Laura DeCarlo

The goal of a phone interview is an invitation to come to the employers location for an in-person interview.

Phone interviews are typically called phone screens by the employer because they are screening candidates.

These interviews are short, usually less than 30 minutes and may be as short as 10 minutes.

Three to six of those candidates who make it through the phone screen will be invited to participate in the next round of interviews.

Usually the phone screen interview is relatively short, typically lasting between ten and thirty minutes, focused on confirming your match with the job opportunity.

Candidates who dont pass this screen are eliminated from consideration.

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Would You Rather Finish Something Late And Perfectly Or On

A “would-you-rather” question is an opportunity for your candidate to showcase her priorities and decision-making methods. Youll want to look for a candidate who is good at thinking on her feet, and able to respond confidently to this question — her answer isnt as important as how she delivers it, since the question doesnt really have an obvious right or wrong answer. Look for a candidate who can answer firmly, with good reasoning to back it up and a self-assuredness that indicates someone who can make decisions efficiently without lingering in self-doubt.

Whats Some Feedback That Youve Received That Was Difficult To Hear But Ultimately Has Proven Really Valuable

It wont be easy for the candidate to relay some tough criticism to you, but its critical that she is mature and self-aware enough to show she can receive difficult feedback and use it constructively.

Look for a candidate who can be honest and non-judgmental about feedback she has received. You want a candidate to focus on how the criticism helped her improve — ideally, she will even say shes grateful that the criticism taught her skills that eventually helped her grow. Its not a good sign if applicants become defensive when asked this question, or blame the feedback-giver and refuse to take accountability. This could indicate a lack of maturity when it comes to receiving and using feedback to improve, and could be a problem for you down the road.

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Schedule The Interview Carefully Confirming The Interviewers Information

Choose a time that works best for you.

• Experienced interviewers know that, if you are employed, you will need to schedule the call for a time when you are not at work. So, they are accustomed to taking calls before 9, after 5, or at lunch time whenever you are not at work, if employed.
• Schedule the call for a time when you are sure you can be on time and undistracted.
• If they say the call will last 10 minutes, set aside 20 minutes. If they say 15 minutes, set aside 30, etc.
• Choose a time when you will be awake and sober not before youve had your morning coffee or after a celebration .

When you schedule the call, choose a time when you can be in a quiet place where you wont be interrupted by a co-worker or family member, barking dog, or other loud noises. You must be able to easily hear the interviewer, and you want them to hear you easily, too.

When the date and time have been established, collect information about the interviewer. The person you speak with may change depending on the date and time of the call, so when the call has been scheduled, ask for the name and job title of the person who will be interviewing you.

• If you are supposed to call them, confirm their phone number.
• If they are to call you, be sure that the number they have is correct.