Many of the questions asked in any interview can be divided into two types according to the skills being tested. These are the general phone interview and technical interview questions. The questions asked in the general interview are similar regardless of the kind of job.

In this specific type of phone interview, the candidate is to be assessed for their competence, ability to communicate and their level of confidence.

The questions could be of any type as there is no standard way of answering questions. Most of the questions to ask in a phone interview are open ended. You should be very well prepared for all types of answers. Capability based interviews are the most ordinary type of job interviews. If you are looking to appear for a career interview, then make certain that you organize yourself well for the phone interview.

Given below are some top questions to ask in a phone interview. These questions could be of great help to you:

Questions to ask in a phone interview

  1. What made you leave your previous job?
  2. Why should we choose you for this post?
  3. Tell me something interesting about yourself?
  4. In five years from now where do you see yourself?
  5. Tell me about some of the jobs that you had to carry out at your previous job?
  6. What do you know about our organization?
  7. Do you want to ask any questions?
  8. Tell us about a time when your superiors respected your job?
  9. What is your major strength?
  10. What is your main weakness?
  11. How do you handle work anxiety and pressure?
  12. What has been your major success so far?
  13. How do you pass your liberated time?
  14. What are your occupation aspirations?
  15. What is the reason behind joining our organization?
  16. What does joint effort mean to you as an individual?
  17. What style of administration do you prefer in your place of work?
  18. What are your edifying credentials for this post?
  19. What is your knowledge concerning this field?
  20. What do you look for in a trade?
  21. How can your selection prove to be helpful for our company?
  22. What according to you is the trickiest job of a manager?
  23. Depict a state of affairs when you were told to do something that you’ve never done before? How did you manage the situation?
  24. When have you failed the most? Illustrate in concise what exactly happened and how did you managed that situation?
  25. What are your career goals?

These are the top questions to ask in a phone interview that are commonly asked. Below are responses to some of the questions to ask in a phone interview.

Responses to phone interview questions

question to ask in a phone interview

“Can you tell me more about yourself?”
While answering this question, they do not expect you to bring up interview irrelevant issues such as problems or the hardships of your life. You should concentrate on elements of your personality and skills that will illustrate your capability to do the job.

Focus on your education, your leadership skills and your achievements. Explain this in some simple and to the point phrases that the interviewer will wish to hear more about you.

“Tell me more about your previous workplace?”

This is an essential question because they are attempting to establish what you’ve done, what tasks you can deal with and what your real world skills are. It is imperative that you are honest with yourself.

Tell them about your responsibilities in a positive light. Focus on the way you contributed to the company’s success, their development, and general progress to achieving. This shows that you are a team player.

“Why do you want to leave your present job?”

This can be a difficult question and one that you will be asked. It is essential to ensure you do not slag off your current employer. It’ll create a bad reputation on how you speak of others.
Be mature and professional to come up with positive reasons for wanting to advance your profession or seeking new problems and possibilities.

“Why do you think I should give you the task?”

This is a tough question to answer for any individuals who don’t like to boast about themselves. It is essential that you respond to this by completely focusing on what you can offer the company or organization and not on what you will get from them. Think about how your distinctive skills and former experience will help them.

“What is your salary expectations?”

It’s important that you do not sell yourself short, or appear cheap. On the contrary, do not set your price too high, because it can scare off possible employers.

The safest way would be to aim somewhat over the standard wage for someone in your position and level of experience. You can also add that you are prepared to proof yourself and settle for a beginning salary that is somewhat below your expectation.

During the phone interview

1. Keep it brief:

Chances are the phone interview won’t be your last chance to make an impression with the hiring manager. It’s important to make a great impression, but sometimes detailed answers can turn into tangents. If the hiring manager doesn’t know where you’re going with the point you’re trying to make, it could reflect poorly on you.

Use your notes to jot down concise yet descriptive answers to possible questions. They can always ask you for more information when you come in for an in-person interview!

2. Have a Clear Connection, Quiet Surroundings:

Nothing hurts a phone interview quite like technical difficulties. Weak connections, interference and background noises can frustrate hiring managers and fluster even the best IT professionals. Make sure you’re in a quiet area with a reliable phone connection whenever your phone interview starts.

If you’re moving around, surrounded by background noise and your connection is fading your interview may have some communication challenges. Background distractions interrupt with the natural flow of the interview and the hiring manager may get the impression that you were unprepared.

3. Stand Up and Stay Focused:

question to ask in a phone interview
Clear communication is paramount when interviewing over the phone because, along with your resume, it’s all the hiring manager has to go on. Standing up will help elevate your vocal levels and clear the path for an easy, productive interview.

Another communication barrier that arises in phone interviews is a lack of focus. You may be having a great conversation and thirty minutes later realize you’ve mostly been discussing the fourth season of Game of Thrones instead of the value you could bring to the position. Remember to balance small talk, which helps the interviewer assess if you’d fit their company culture, with useful descriptions of your key skills and on-the-job experience.

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