The interview serves as the first step in the recruitment and selection process of hiring. While a personal interview requires the face-to-face interaction between the applicant and the recruiter, the form of the interview has diversified over time and sometimes they take place on Skype or on some other online video communication platform. A telephone interview is common, though.
Usually, there’s a set of phone interview questions that last for around 5 to 10 minutes.
Most companies that do Phone Interviews have various agendas. The job opportunity may require conducting phone calls. Hence, the company intends to determine how the applicant’s voice sound through a phone call. In other words, they may be trying to establish whether the applicant has the much-needed clarity of voice. They may be looking to see if the candidate is capable of carrying out spontaneous conversations, or whether they can remain calm under pressure, even during a phone call. Other companies might simply want to test the applicant’s readiness even in the most unexpected situations. Hence, making the phone interview questions.
There are different ways to succeed in a Phone Interview. The most important requirement is to ensure that you are ready and available to answer your phone and it is always on at least 20% charge. The second consideration is the voice clarity in answering the different phone interview questions. While the applicant has extensive experience, first impressions make an impact. First impressions will be based on the clarity of the applicant’s voice.
As well as voice clarity, tone, pronunciation and spontaneity are important. The applicant’s responses should be fluent, engaging, short and meaningful in all phone interview questions. Remember, phone conversations are not designed to last for hours. It is, therefore, important that the applicant manages to express his or her thoughts in the shortest time with the most comprehensive content.
Typical Top 10 Phone Interview Questions
1. Be ready for the classic question of all phone interview questions, tell me something about yourself, in less than a minute.
If you have heard this in an interview before, that’s because it probably gets used in the Top 10 Interview Questions around the world. The applicant has to provide the recruiter with his or her strengths, knowledge and skills. Most recruiters expect the respondent to be able to highlight the story of his or her professional portfolio. Giving away a little personal information may help, but much of the interviewer’s expectation will be focused on the professional history of the applicant.
2. Why do you want this job?
The main purpose of this phone interview questions is to help the employer to determine the extent of the applicant’s knowledge of the job. To figure out also if they have come prepared and researched it. That shows professionalism. The question is disguised to make the respondent say what makes him or her qualified for the job.
3. What is your ideal or perfect job?
This phone interview questions usually has a hidden agenda. The recruiter might be able to determine from the interviewee’s answer whether they are the best fit for the job, given its nature and environment they will be working in.
4. Why are you looking for another job? Is your employer aware that you are looking?
You need to remember that this question features heavily in most Top 10 Phone Interview Questions list. Most interviewers would have asked it a lot, so prepare to be unique in your response. It pays to be honest in this phone interview question. While you may have negative sentiments against your current employer, a little filtering is also required. Don’t bad mouth your existing employer or superior. This gives a negative impression to the prospective employer. It might make them think that you might do the same against to them. What applicants needs to remember is to refrain from creating a negative image from the past or existing employer.
5. What are your salary expectations?
Again, this is another test of honesty. So as to establish the level of expectations, applicants are expected to render their utmost salary expected. Sometimes the applicant can also mention or inquire the benefits. This may sound awkward, but this can be raised even through phone interview questions.
6. What are your strengths?
Answering this question is quite tricky. The key to answering this question is keeping your response balanced. Strength in a professional portfolio and personal traits are expected for this kind of phone interview questions. The applicant should mention what knowledge and skills he or she has learned and developed over time. With the professional portfolio, the applicant is expected to highlight his or her complementing attitude or personal traits.
7. How do you handle stress or pressure?
In terms of Top 10 Phone Interview Questions this particular question often comes up for jobs to do with Customer Service. The truth is, everyone experiences this whether you like it or not. Sometimes, recruiters are not after how you deal with stress and pressure. They simply want to find out your work ethics and principles. What do you value? What do you prioritize? Should the applicant intend to break the ice with some humor.
8. What are your weaknesses?
If there are strengths, there are surely weaknesses. Aside from enumerating weaknesses, be sure to provide a brief reason why you have been struggling to address, such weaknesses, what you have been doing to address them, and make sure you sound credible. One other way to answer any variant of such Top 10 Phone Interview Questions, is to find a strength which can be viewed as a weakness, in the most unlikely way. That will get them thinking about your intelligence.
9. Why should we not hire you?
This is another classic phone interview question. A negative question surely yields a negative answer, but applicants faced with this question can turn the tables. Applicants can trick the interviewer with some reverse psychology. Instead of identifying a negative trait, the applicant can highlight his or her strengths. After establishing the strengths, the applicant can end on a high note with this line. If you don’t prefer such attributes, then you should not hire me.
10. Why should we hire you?
The answers to this questions may be similar to the advice given in the previous discussion. One can also use one’s strengths to answer such an interview question. What the respondent needs to remember, is the parting words. This is the selling stage, and will make or break the outcome of the series of phone interview questions. This will wrap up everything.
Phone interview questions may vary. Sometimes, the recruiter may pick up questions from previous answers left by the applicant. For instance, if the applicant mentions that he or she is adept at a particular skill, the recruiter might ask the applicant to elaborate further. The applicant might be asked to discuss what activities or project has he or she undertaken as a result of having that particular skill.
What all applicants need to remember, is that a phone interview is like a face-to-face interview. Both types of interviews serve the same purpose. The phone interview questions resemble the questions asked in personal interviews.
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