How To Prepare for Phone Interview Questions

Knowing what to expect in a phone interview can help you organize your thoughts in advance of the call. Practicing these broad questions may help you sound more professional and well-spoken when speaking with the interviewer or hiring manager:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why are you looking for a new job right now?
• Why are you interested in this position?
• How is your search for a new job going?
• What type of jobs have you applied for since you’ve been searching?
• How did you learn about this job?
• Why do you want to work here?
• What is your ideal work environment?
• What factors about a job motivate you?
• What salary are you seeking?
• What would you like to ask me about the job or our company?

Many typical phone interview questions involve your work experience and your educational and professional backgrounds. Interviewers are looking for what skills and abilities you might bring to the job:

• In your current or most recent job, what were your daily responsibilities?
• Why do you feel you would be a good fit for this job?
• Tell me about a challenge you faced in your current or previous position. How did you handle it?
• Why are you leaving—or why did you leave—your most recent post?
• How has your work experience prepared you for this job?
• What will be your legacy when you leave your current or most recent employment?
• What would your coworkers in your current or most recent position tell us about what it’s like to work with you?
• How has your education prepared you for this position?
• What is the most valuable thing you have learned in your current or most recent job that would help you to be successful in this position?
• What is your greatest professional weakness?

Once the interviewer understands your background and why you are interested in the open position, the telephone interview questions may become more in-depth to understand better why you may be the best candidate for the role. This question is your opportunity to show the interviewer that you have researched the position and the company thoroughly and understand what you bring to the team. Focus on how your skills and abilities match what the business is seeking. Keep the tone of the conversation positive, share with the interviewer what you learn from challenging situations:

• What do you consider to be your greatest strength?
• Tell me about some areas of your professional abilities upon which you want to improve.
• How do you react to a stressful day?
• What motivates you to perform well in your job?
• What salary are you seeking?
• Where would you like to see yourself professionally in five years?
• What do you consider a successful day at work?
• Please tell me what you can bring to this company.
• What parts of this job do you think will challenge you the most?
• If you succeed in getting this job, what would you like to accomplish in your first 90 days?
• How would your coworkers describe you?

Phone interview questions and answers serve as one of the first screening tools employers use to reduce the number of applicants for a position. Managers rarely make final hiring decisions based on a phone interview alone, but you should make the best possible first impression if you want to advance in the hiring process.

Remember that in a phone interview, you must rely on your tone of voice and your carefully chosen words to make a good impression. You don’t have the benefit of body language over the phone. However, you do have the ability to keep your notes in front of you to stay on track. Here are a few top phone interview questions for you to rehearse as you prepare for the call:

Tell me about who you are

Interviewers ask this question to get an idea of who you are and what brought you to apply for this job. It has the added benefit of putting the applicant at ease by giving them something easy to discuss. Use this opportunity to provide the interviewer with a picture of yourself as a well balanced professional. Craft your answer around work-related experiences and traits that connect with the job posting and description.

Example answer: As an experienced administrator, I have the skills required of this agency’s vice president. My background includes extensive knowledge of budget management, human resources, and marketing. Currently, I manage a mental health counseling center with 15 therapists and more than 5,000 clients each year. My degree in business administration is an asset to me in this role. I also draw on what I learned in my previous positions, where I worked as an administrative assistant and as a practice manager. I’m excited about the possibility of taking this next step in my career with your agency.

Tell me about the best supervisor you have had in your career. What did you like about that person’s management style?

Hiring managers may ask you this question to understand how well you might fit in with this position’s supervisors. Use this opportunity to honestly and openly describe the type of manager you prefer to work with every day.

Example answer: Over the years, I have worked with many different supervisors and managers. While I pride myself on being versatile enough to work with many personalities, I am most successful when a manager tells me what the result of the work needs to be and then allows me to determine the best way to reach that goal. I prefer a manager who is available to answer questions when I have them, but who doesn’t attempt to control every aspect of the job.

Tell me about something that inspires passion in you

Interviewers ask this question to see if something about the job you are applying for will inspire you to work hard to get good results for the company. They are looking for a match between your passions and the tasks involved in this job. Your answer to this question can show the interviewer how your background and personality might fit this job. Be truthful, but choose something work-appropriate that inspires you.

Example answer: My passion is improving the lives of children with mental health challenges. I want to make sure that every child who needs services has access to them, regardless of insurance status or the family’s ability to pay. I feel that, in this role as a development director with your agency, I can share my passion with prospective funders, donors, and sponsors in such a way that they will want to support this work. While I may not be able to counsel every child in need personally, I can leverage my contacts and abilities to broaden the availability of effective therapy.

Preparation for a phone interview is as crucial as getting ready for an interview in-person. Here are three tips to help you get started:

Practice

Rehearse some sample phone interview questions with someone who can give you honest feedback about your answers. If you have someone to practice with who is familiar with the industry, the company, or the position, that’s even better preparation. Practicing in advance with another person gives you a chance to organize your thoughts and plan the words you wish to use.

Prepare

Get your space ready well in advance of the phone interview. Clear the room of anything and anyone that might make noise or otherwise interrupt or disturb the interview. Move pets and children into another room if possible, and silence any other electronic devices.

Your preparation may also include making notes on what you would like to include in each anticipated question. This step can help you make sure you don’t leave out any critical information you want to share with the interviewer. If you need to refer to your notes, do so quietly and try not to rattle paper close to the phone. Notecards are an excellent way to stay organized.

Learn more: The Ultimate Job Interview Preparation Guide

Plan

As you plan your phone interview answers, focus on the ways your work experience and educational background make you a good fit with the duties of the job and the company’s culture.

 

Phone interview questions can be intimidating, but you can use them successfully to show the potential employer why you are the best candidate for the job. Discover real interview questions asked for thousands of job titles.