Top 15 Phone Interview Questions and Best Answers (Examples) - Career Sidekick

Top 15 Phone Interview Questions and Best Answers (Examples) - Career Sidekick Top 15 Phone Interview Questions and Best Answers (Examples) Interview Preparation / https://www.edenscott.com/blog If you have a phone interview coming up, there are some questions you are very likely to be asked and practicing them can immediately help you feel confident and be ready to wow the interviewer so you can move on to the next stage!Im going to walk you through the most common phone interview questions and best answers, so you can get hired faster.Lets get startedPhone Interview Questions and Answers1. Tell me about yourselfThe key here is to be concise. The best answers to this interview question will be 90 seconds or less.You want to answer in chronological order start with how you got into your current line of work or career path. Then talk about key accomplishments youve had along the way, key career moves youve made and why. Also include any promotions youve received.Try to mention at least one thing that will make you memorable and stand out (for example, In my last job, my team worked with Tesla to help design their latest battery monitoring tech nology).And then finish your story with your current situation. Describe what youre looking for now in your job search, and why.See below for a full sample response, or read our full article on how to answer tell me about yourself.Example response:I graduated five years ago with a degree in Chemistry. I took a job with Pfizer and was promoted after three years to lead projects in their cancer research division. Ive been in this Project Manager role for two years now and even won an award for outstanding leadership this past year. Everythings going great, but Id like to take my career to the next level by finding opportunities to lead larger teams. I saw on your job description that you mention this is an opportunity to lead teams of 8-10 people, so I was eager to learn more.2. 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 th eir 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.3. How did you hear about this position?The best responses to this question will be straight-forward and clear. For example, these are all good answers for how you heard about the job:You found them researching onlineYou were familiar with them before you started job searchingYou found them in a press release or news articleA colleague told you about themA recruiter contacted you about themEtc.Weve also put a few word-for-word answer examples below, or you can read our complete guide to answering how did you find out about this position?Example answer:A colleague recommended your organization to me. I went on your website to learn more and saw this position listed. It seemed like a great fit and a move that could help adva nce my career, so I was eager to learn more and have an interview.Or:A recruiter contacted me last week and the position sounded like a great fit for my skills and experience, so I became interested.4. What do you know about our company?With this question, you want to show off your knowledge and demonstrate that you did research before applying for the job.Employers dont want to hire someone whos just applying to every job, and not taking the time to learn anything about the company. They want someone who applied for a reason and wants to work at THEIR company.For help with company research, we have a full article on how to research a company before your interview.And for help with your interview answer after youve researched the employer, you can see the example response below or read our full article on how to answer, what do you know about our company?Example answer:I know youre one of the top alarm system manufacturers in the US. I did some reading on your website and discovered that you create alarms for businesses and office buildings, not just individual homes. I also did some reading on your corporate culture and it sounds like you do a lot to support the development of your employees, and get involved in community service too. Thats something I care a lot about and something that attracts me to an employer.5. Why do you want this job?With this question, the employer wants to see that you have a real reason for wanting their particular job (rather than just needing any job you can get). This is important to them and you will not get hired if you cant show them why you want this specific job.So your answer to this phone interview question should contain two key pieces:What youre looking for in your job search overallSomething you noticed about their job that excites you or is a match for what you wantNow lets look at a full example for answering why did you apply for this particular position?Sample answer:One of the key things Im targeting in my job sea rch right now is an opportunity to work more directly with customers and clients. I really enjoy that aspect of my work, but my last job took me a bit away from that. I saw on your job description that 50% of this job is interacting with clients, either on the phone or in-person, and that excited me.6. What other jobs have you been interviewing for?Heres why employers ask this: They want to make sure their job fits the general theme of what youre looking for.Your answer is only going to worry them or raise a red flag if all the other jobs youre applying for are WAY different than this job.So to give a great answer here, show the employer that their job fits the overall theme of other jobs youre looking at.And if they do ask for company names, you can refuse by saying, Id like to keep the names of the other companies confidential. Id do the same for your company if another interviewer asked me.See examples below or read our guide to answers for what other companies are you interviewi ng with?Sample answer:Ive been applying and interviewing at small and mid-sized banks and financial firms like yours. I spent the first 4 years of my career with Bank of America, so Im hoping to experience a smaller work environment now to round-out my skill set. Id like to keep the names of the other companies confidential, though. Id do the same for your company if another employer were to ask me.7. How is your job search going so far?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 (if they like you, they dont want to move too slowly and lose the chance to offer you the job).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 y ou 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.8. Tell me about your most recent job. What were you responsible for each day?With this interview question, be ready to respond with specific accomplishments and details of what you did.What did you learn? Which specific tools and technologies did you work with? What results did you help your company or group achieve?Try to prepare specific details to talk about before your interview. You ideally want to be able to share results you achieved and how you helped your company make money, save money, save time, etc.Also, you want your examples to be relevant to THEIR needs. Soprepare by studying the job description,and then mention things that will be relevant for this particular job!Example phone interview answer:One of the biggest areas I was responsible for in my last job was to ensure our website had as close to 100% up-time as possible. I achieved the best result in our companys 29-year history last year by making some key changes and optimizations immediately after being hired. I saw on your job description that you seem to be looking for someone who can do similar work for you. Your company is in a similar stage to my last employer when they hired me in terms of size and growth. So its something I could help with immediately in this role.9. What are your salary expectations?Do NOT give a number here. If you say a number thats too high, youll scare them off. If you go too low, youll hurt your negotiating power later. Its a no-win situation for you.Theyre not even sure they want to hire you or continue interviewing you yet, so you have no leverage. Theyre just gathering info that will help them.The best strategy for this interview question is to tell them you dont have a number in mind yet. That way, they cant push you or pressure you with multiple questions.Heres how to answer this question in a phone interview:I dont have a specific number in mind. Right now Im focused on finding the position thats the best fit for my skills and my career. Once Ive done that, Im willing to consider any offer you feel is fair.If they push back, just repeat, I really dont have a number in mind yet.If you want more help, heres a full article on how to answer salary expectations questions.10. When are you available to start?If they ask this late in a face-to-face interview, its a sign your interview went well. However, if youre hearing it in a phone interview, theyre usually just trying to get a sense of your availability and current job hunt situation.So If youre currently employed, tell them youd need to give a two week noticeto your current employer (or whatever i s standard in your company).Example:Id need to give my current employer a two-week notice, and then I was hoping to take one week off before starting. So I could be available to start three weeks after a job offer is accepted.If youre unemployed, you can still tell them youd like one or two weeks before starting, but its up to you. See the example script below for how you can do this:I could begin one week after accepting a job offer. I do have a vacation scheduled in late May, so I would just need to take a week off during that time, but I could start before then.Also, if youre applying for jobs in a different city or state, you might be asked how soon you can relocate, whether youll require relocation assistance and more. So be ready for that type of question too!11. 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. (Because it shows interest in the position, and it shows that youre being selective and careful in your job search and that youre not desperate).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 (like when can I expect to hear feedback?)If youre having an interview with a recruiter, here are some good questions to ask them.12. What type of work environment do you prefer?Employers want to make sure that your personality is a fit for their work environment. This is different than determining if your skills are a fit for their job.So after some of the competency-based questions in the interview, theyll likely ask about how you prefer to work, types of companies/environments youve enjoyed in the past, etc.To answer, you can either describe an environment that you feel is similar to theirs, or demonstrate that you can work well in a variety of environments.For more help with this, read our guide to answering what type of work environment do you prefer?13. Why will you succeed in this position?Some interviewers will come out and directly ask why you think youll be a success in their job. Dont be timid when answering this is your chance to show confidence and explain exactly how you can help them, and how your experience will be helpful to you in their job.Heres more info on answering Why do you think you would do well in this job?14. What motivates you?Motivation is a concern every employer has, no matter how talented/qualified you are. If youre not coming to work motivated, your work will suffer. So theyre likely to ask one or two phone interview questions to find out what drives you, what interests you, etc.And one of the most common of these questions is, what motivates you to come to work each day?You should be able to name something other than money if you want to impress the interviewer with this question. Do some thinking ahead of time and come up with the reason you plan on giving.15. How would you describe yourself?Finally, the interviewer may ask an open-ended question like how would you describe yourself? as theyre getting to know you.Keep your answer professional here and only talk about your personality and attributes as an employee. And try to give an example if you can.Sample answer:Id describe myself as detail-oriented and team-oriented. For example, in my current job, Im responsible for managing multiple projects and I often coordinate with 10-15 people across different departments each day. Im also responsible for reporting project milestones to our clients, so I have to stay extremely organized and on top of things.Steps After Your Phone InterviewAlong 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 ab out the next steps. That way, you can follow-up by email to ask for feedback if that time has passed (and youll have less anxiety while waiting after the phone interview).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 don’t want to leave anything to chance, I’ve created a new guide where you can copy my exact step-by-step method for getting job offers. You can get more details here.