
5 Common Phone Interview Questions
The accessibility of remote video conferencing interviews may have cut into the popularity and prevalence of the screening interview, but many top organizations are still asking a preliminary round of questions over the phone. For job seekers, anticipating phone interview questions can get stressful. This is particularly true for younger job seekers who have grown up using their phones to text and stream videos rather than receive calls.
The good news? Once you know what to expect, phone interview questions are incredibly easy to answer. We’ve put together a quick list to help you prepare – check it out below.
5 common phone interview questions in 2022
- Tell me about yourself
This introductory question probing into your background is also designed to just get you talking. Provide a brief explanation of your educational and professional journey. Reiterating the points on your resume is fine as long as you don’t recite the content verbatim.
- Why do you want to work here?
One of the more common phone interview questions, ‘why do you want to work here’ gives you an opportunity to flatter your employer, show that you’ve done your homework, and promote yourself as the right fit for the job. “I want to work here because the UI/UX of your software applications will allow me to show off my creativity.”
- Why did you leave your last job (or why are you leaving your current job)?
You’ll want to stick closely to the truth here, with one major caveat: do not bad mouth your current or former employers. Instead of complaining about a lack of raises or opportunities for advancement, say you are looking for exciting new challenges and ready to take the next step.
- What do you know about this role and/or our company?
This is another one of those homework questions. You don’t need to be able to recite the company’s entire timeline from memory, but you should spend at least an hour reading up on their history. You also want to familiarize yourself with the scope of work outlined in the job posting.
- Describe some of your strengths and weaknesses
This is one of those phone interview questions that is going to be different based on the specifics of your situation. In general, your weakness should be something that either a) can be easily corrected or b) can actually be perceived as a positive in some respects. If opting for the latter, try to avoid being too obvious.
Hopefully, this list of phone interview questions will help you prepare. Best of luck with the call and the rest of your interview process!