20 Common Phone Interview Questions & Sample Answers

Phone interviews are short (usually 15 to 30 minutes) interviews employers do to screen candidates and get a general sense of whether they’ll be a good fit for a role.

However, the interview questions asked during a phone screening aren’t any easier than during a full-length interview.

ViewsLikes

Our Expert:

Nathan Soto

The best way to prepare for a phone interview is by familiarizing yourself with common phone interview questions and thinking about your answers ahead of time. Here’s a list of 20 questions you’re likely to get asked, along with sample answers:

1. Tell me about yourself

“Tell me about yourself” is usually the first question asked during a phone interview. Interviewers ask this question to break the ice and get to know more about your background.

A great way to start your response is by providing a brief overview of your professional experience. Specifically, you should discuss your professional goals and emphasize experiences that relate to the job you’re interviewing for.

Many candidates make the mistake of telling their life story, which isn’t what interviewers are looking for.

2. Why do you want to work here?

Interviewers often ask “why do you want to work here?” in phone interviews because they want to confirm that you’re excited about the position and aren’t just interested in a paycheck.

When answering this question, start by explaining what caught your attention about the job listing and why you’re interested in the company. Be sure to focus on how your skills and experience make you the perfect fit for the job.

In the following sample answer, the candidate not only mentions one of her greatest accomplishments, but also what attracted her to the position and how she can contribute to the company:

3. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

When responding to this common phone interview question, you’ll want to talk more about your strengths than your weaknesses.

Pick some of your strengths that overlap with the requirements in the job ad. Then provide real examples of how you’ve put these strengths to work.

When talking about your weaknesses, however, focus on general skills that don’t directly impact your ability to do your job. For example, poor communication skills are an okay weakness to have if you’re applying for a software developer position and will mostly be working independently.

4. What is your greatest achievement?

Many candidates feel answering this question can make them sound arrogant, but hiring managers want to see what kind of results you can deliver.

A great way to respond to “What is your greatest achievement?” is by describing an accomplishment that showcases one of your most job-relevant skills.

For example, you can talk about a challenge you faced and how you overcame it. Or you can discuss the outcome of your achievement and what impact it had on your career or the company you worked for, like the candidate in this sample answer:

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Interviewers commonly ask “where do you see yourself in 5 years?” during phone interviews to get an idea of your career goals.

When answering this phone interview question, focus on goals that are relevant to the role and align with the company. Remember to stay realistic. Having big goals is great, but the interviewer wants to know that you have a clear idea of your career path and what it will take to achieve your goals.

6. Why did you leave your last job?

Answering “why did you leave your last job?” successfully requires diplomacy and tact. Even if you left because of a bad boss or issues with colleagues, you don’t want to say that, because it might lead the interviewer to think that you’re difficult to work with.

Instead, focus on the most positive aspects of your previous job and on what excites you about the new position.

If you left your previous job because of personal reasons or health issues, you can also explain that information, like this nursing candidate does:

7. Tell me about a time you failed

“Tell me about a time you failed” is an interview question that trips up a lot of job seekers, even when you’re just talking over the phone.

This question is understandably difficult to answer because you don’t want to respond in a way that’ll hurt your chances of landing the job.

The key to answering this prompt is to be honest, but choose a situation that doesn’t directly impact your ability to perform the job you’re applying for. Then, explain what you’ve done to improve yourself so that a similar situation doesn’t happen again.

Hiring managers want to see that you’re self-aware and continuously willing to better yourself, which this candidate does in their sample answer:

8. How would you describe your work style?

When answering interview questions about your work style, take the opportunity to explain how you approach tasks and provide examples.

Remember that an interview is a two-way street: it’s essential that the company’s management style is a good fit for you. That’s why it’s best to be honest about what kind of work environment enables you to thrive instead of trying to answer based on what you think the interviewer wants to hear.

In this example, the candidate illustrates what their ideal workplace looks like, while also emphasizing that they’re adaptable.

9. How do you handle stress and pressure?

You’ll usually hear this question if you’re doing a phone interview with a startup, a restaurant, or some other fast-paced work environment. Hiring managers ask this phone interview question to determine if you’re easily overwhelmed or if you keep a cool head in stressful situations.

If you know you don’t handle pressure well, explain in your answer what you’re doing to improve your ability to work under stress.

10. What do you know about our company?

Before starting an interview, it’s important that you do your research on the company.

This helps you understand the company’s values and culture and how you might fit in. It also allows you to identify potential issues the company is facing that you could solve, or highlight specific skills you have that would make a great addition to the team.

The candidate in the following sample answer shows they’re not only on top of the company’s current events but also familiar with common business practices:

Here’s a TikTok with a few more reasons why you should research the company:

@resumegenius One of our main interview tips is to research the company thoroughly before the interview ? This doesn’t just mean scrolling through the company’s website ❌ To be well-prepared for the job interview, it’s important to know about the company’s products, services, goals, culture and employees. This will help you tailor your answers appropriately, find more questions to ask, and determine if the company is a good fit for you ? #interviewtips #jobsearchtips #careeradvice ♬ original sound – Resume Genius | Career Advice

11. Tell me what you know about the role

This typical phone interview question is pretty straightforward. Hiring managers just want to confirm that you’ve read the job description carefully and understand the role’s requirements.

Avoid repeating the job description but expand on how your skills and strengths are well-suited for the role. Impress the interviewer by mentioning current projects or initiatives related to the role.

This candidate for a school counselor position not only demonstrates their understanding of the position but circles back to how they could make a positive contribution to the school:

12. What are your salary expectations?

@resumegenius When you're asked “What are your salary expectations?” in an interview, keep these tips in mind: ✔️Avoid giving a single number — offer a well-researched range instead ✔️Make the low end of that range the minimum you’re truly willing to accept ✔️Justify your range based on your experience, skills, and current market data ? Comment “GUIDE” and we’ll send you our complete salary negotiation guide. #salarynegotiation #interviewquestion #interviewtips #jobinterview ♬ original sound – Resume Genius | Career Tips

Many candidates tend to freeze when asked this phone screen question, and understandably so. Interviewers are trying to get a sense of how much you expect to be paid and whether or not you’re willing to negotiate.

You don’t want to seem too demanding, so do your due diligence beforehand by researching the average salary range for the position you’re applying for.

Remember to never give out a number so early on in the interview process. However, you’ll still need to answer this question, and providing a salary range is acceptable. Here’s a great sample answer to help you navigate this tricky situation:

13. Are you interviewing with other companies?

The best way to answer this interview question is by being honest.

If you’ve been interviewing with other companies, simply tell the interviewer that. Honesty can actually benefit you, because it shows that you’re in high demand on the job market.

However, you should also emphasize that the job you’re currently on a phone interview for is particularly interesting to you and explain why you think you’d be a great fit.

14. Tell me more about…

When interviewers ask you to elaborate on a certain topic during a phone interview, it’s best to take a moment to think about the best answer and approach.

If an interviewer feels that you didn’t fully answer a question, or they’re curious to know more about a particular situation, they might ask you to go in-depth on the following topics:

• Your experience working with X software
• Your responsibilities in your last role
• How you plan to improve productivity levels in the lower-performing departments as a manager
• Your communication and management style
• A time you had a conflict at work
• What kind of projects you’ve delivered in your last role
• How you’ve worked on your weaknesses

Whether they’re interested to hear more about your professional wins or they’re asking for clarification about any gaps in your resume, it’s best to stay positive, like this candidate does in the following example:

15. What are you looking for in a new position?

When interviewers ask you about what you’re looking for in a new position, they want confirmation that your interests align with the position.

Discuss the various aspects of your career goals and ambitions such as the type of company culture and values that are important to you.

It’s important to circle back to what you know about the role and to mention that this position falls in line with your current goals and career plan.

16. What motivates you?

The last thing a hiring manager wants to hear when they ask you “what motivates you?” is the financial incentive.

In your answer, you should highlight the things you’re passionate about that make you a good fit for the role.

Do you have a genuine desire to help people by coming up with solutions to their problems? Or maybe you’re more down-to-earth and want to see the positive impact your work has on those around you.

Here’s a great sample answer from a web developer interview candidate to inspire you to come up with your own:

17. Can you describe your experience with…

An interviewer might ask you about your experience with specific tools or processes associated with the job. They do this to find out if you’ll be able to hit the ground running or will require training.

When answering this question, provide specific examples to illustrate your skill level, like in this example:

18. When would you be available to start?

This question is just as straightforward as it seems. However, just make sure your answer is actually true.

What you don’t want to do is say that you’re immediately available and then once you receive the job offer inform the employer that you’ll be out of the country for a month.

If you can start immediately, let the interviewer know. Or, if you need to give your current company a few weeks’ notice, tell them that, like in this example:

19. Describe your current job duties

When answering this question, you should provide a clear, concise overview of your responsibilities. Focus on aspects of your role that align with the position you’re interviewing for, and make sure to emphasize relevant hard and soft skills.

This is also a good opportunity to highlight accomplishments that didn’t make it onto your resume. For example:

20. Do you have any questions for us?

It’s important to think of some questions to ask the interviewer before your phone interview comes to a close.

Unless you already asked questions as the interview progressed, the only wrong response to this question is “nope, no questions” because this indicates to interviewers that you’re not curious about the job.

So go ahead and ask for clarification on anything that wasn’t clear to you, or that you’re curious about. Here are some good questions to ask the hiring manager during a phone screen:

How to prepare for a phone screen interview

If you’re preparing for a phone interview, here are a few tips to help you make the most of the opportunity:

1. Research the company

Before your interview, take some time to research the company on a deeper level. Learn as much as you can about their history, products, services, and culture. This will help you come up with questions to ask during the interview.

2. Prepare your materials

In addition to preparing answers for common interview questions, be sure to have all of your materials ready ahead of time. This includes supporting materials like a pen and paper to take notes, as well as a copy of your resume and cover letter.

3. Practice answering questions aloud

Practice answering questions aloud and time yourself to stay under two minutes. A phone screen interview is significantly shorter than a traditional interview, and you don’t want to use up too much of the hiring manager’s time.

Practicing will help you feel more comfortable when speaking with the interviewer and ensure that your answers sound clear and concise.

4. Follow up with a thank you email

Just like you would when attending an in-person interview, you should send the interviewer a thank you email within 24 hours. Express your appreciation for them taking the time to interview you and answer your questions.

You can also mention an aspect of the interview that stood out to you, like a specific insight they shared that you found particularly interesting. This shows that you were paying attention and signifies genuine interest in the role.