5 Questions You Could Be Asked at a Phone Interview
Congratulations! You’ve been asked for a phone interview. But, how should you prepare? A phone interview is essentially the same as a face to face interview and you should treat it with the same importance. However, in a lot of instances a phone interview is brief in length and used as more of a screening process than an in-depth interview. Here are some very common phone interview questions you might be asked.
1. ‘Tell me why you applied for this role?’
This is a typical question asked of candidates in phone interviews. The employer is looking for not only your enthusiasm but also your knowledge of the role and the company. This is your opportunity to really show how much you know about the role and what really excites you about the position.
2. ‘What are your salary expectations?’
Often during a phone interview you may be asked about your salary expectations. There is no point in continuing with the application process if your expectations don’t add up with the offering, and the company knows this. Therefore it saves the employer, and you, time and energy to ask this question in a phone understand so as to gain a better understanding of your situation.
3. ‘What is your notice period?’
This question is very common in a phone interview. Again, it gives the employer a clearer picture of your current situation and how quickly you could be available to join their company.
4. ‘Tell me a bit about your relevant experience?’
Phone interviews are usually relatively brief in comparison to face to face interviews. If you are asked this question during a phone interview it is unlikely that the employer wants you to run through your entire employment history. Instead, focus on some key experiences and skills you have that are directly relevant for the role.
It’s best to have these sorts of answers prepared before the interview. Before your interview, write a list of your skills and experience relevant to the role you’re applying for and adapt your answers to include these prepared anecdotes.
5. ‘Why are you leaving your current role?’
How you answer this question can be very important. Talking negatively about your current employer/company (no matter how bad it might be) is only going to reflect badly on you. Instead try something along the lines of ‘although there are lots of great things about my current role, I am looking for something more challenging and with better development programs.’ This shows that you’re not afraid of hard work and also that you’re keen to learn new things.