Phone Interview Questions to Ask Job Candidates in First Round (2024)

Phone Interview Questions to Ask Job Candidates in First Round (1)

Asking the right phone screen interview questions are an important aspect of the hiring process.

As a hiring manager, you know what a good resume and cover letter look like. You also know that despite their promises, they might fail to deliver the candidate you need. The phone screen interview questions you ask during this first round of vetting will be a critical piece of winnowing the field and making a successful hire.

Time always matters, so you should be both efficient and strategic during this initial call. Questions for a screening interview will touch on whether a candidate’s hard skills, experience, education and certifications are right for the open position. But as you check off the boxes, pay attention to soft skills and how the candidate presents during the call. At the end of a phone screen interview, you want to be confident a candidate can do the job and also mesh well with your organizational culture.

Open-ended or technical questions aren’t necessary at this stage of the hiring process. A phone screen interview is typically a 15- to 30-minute phone call. Your objective here is to narrow your list of top candidates to the handful you want to consider for formal interviews. That’s when you can go deep.

Read on for some phone interview tips on what to look for — including red flags — along with phone screen interview questions to ask during this first call, and what comes next.

Phone Interview Questions to Ask Job Candidates in First Round (2)

As you would for any business conversation, you want to practice good etiquette when scheduling and conducting a phone screen interview. Respect the interviewee’s time by keeping to the schedule. Respect their availability for the phone call, too. Candidates who are working, even if it’s from home, may not be able to talk until after business hours.

Approach every conversation with a blank slate, and treat each candidate fairly and equally. Remain fully engaged during every call. All that can be easier said than done: When you conduct one phone screen interview after another, it’s easy to race through the questions you ask each person. If that sounds like you, refrain from stacking up the calls back-to-back. And set aside a time and a location where you can conduct the screening interview free of noise or other distractions.

Remember, you’re engaging with an external audience. A professional, thoughtful screening interview will enhance your business reputation; a hurried process and a gruff manner won’t reflect well on you or your firm. Keep in mind that your top candidates are evaluating you as closely as you are them. Some might decline an invitation to a formal interview if they’re at all uncomfortable during this initial contact.

Finally, once you settle on your shortlist,review the resumesonce more before scheduling the calls. Then create a list of phone interview questions to ask so you can be consistent with what you ask each interviewee. You want to make a fair comparison of the talent when deciding which candidates you’d like to advance to the next stage.

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Tailor the phone screen interview questions below to suit your industry and the role you’re hiring for. But consider, too, the candidate’s professional history, or lack thereof. Recent college graduates can’t refer to their career successes, for example, but screening questions can be framed to allow candidates to draw on their experience in course seminars and team projects, as well as their volunteer work and self-taught skills. Leadership, drive, industriousness, talent and other valued qualities can be demonstrated in many ways.

Give the same consideration for candidates with a gap in their work history, such as a parent reentering the workforce after raising a couple of kids, or an out-of-work professional two months after a layoff. Follow this list of five phone interview tips:

Phone interview questions to ask job candidates in first round

The phone screen interview basics
Salary expectations
Desire for the job
Knowledge of the company
Resume details

Keep it simple and start with questions that will set the job candidate at ease. A screening interview can be stressful for many people. Start it off easy for them, and you’ll get a truer picture of what they can bring to the table.

Can you tell me about your background?

Why are you looking for a new job?

Where are you in your job search?

When could you start working?

Phone interview tip:Even simple questions can help determine whether to move forward with a candidate. For example, are they available when you want to hire? Candidates who say they can’t start the job for a month aren’t going to work out when you need to someone in the positionright now.

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Money can be an awkward topic to bring up — if not for you, then certainly for many candidates. But you want to know whether the candidate’s salary expectations are in the ballpark of what you can offer.

How much would you like to earn in this position?

Are there specific benefits that are important to you?

Would it be a deal breaker for you if we don’t offer _____ (benefit) or the salary figure you quoted?

Phone interview tip:Many candidates are reluctant to give anything more than a salary range this early on. If you can’t get a clear idea of whether there’s a financial fit, you can revisit the topic of salary later. But don’t waste the candidate’s time, or yours, if you suspect there’s a gaping difference between their salary expectations and the budget you’re working with. Let them know the range you’re considering and ask whether they’re still interested in the position.

Discover projected starting salary ranges for hundreds of positions and advice on how to compete in the current hiring market by accessing the freeRobert Half Salary Guidenow.

Phone Interview Questions to Ask Job Candidates in First Round (6)

Before discussing skills and training, your phone screen interview questions should gauge a candidate’s interest in the position. Questions about the role they have now — and why they want to leave it — can also tell you about their suitability for the one you’re hiring for.

Why do you want to leave your current job?

What attracted you to apply for this position?

Describe your current job responsibilities.

What motivates you in a job?

Phone interview tip:Listen for workplace cultural preferences as well as interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, leadership qualities, initiative and other soft skills. A candidate who’s looking for a greater challenge, for instance, might give you reason to consider them for a job that’s more demanding than their current role.

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You can’t expect candidates to have read your annual report or know the history of your company, but anyone who’s serious about the position you’re hiring for will have prepared for the interview by doing some research.

What attracted you to our organization?

What do you know about our products or services?

Do you use our products or services?

Phone interview tip: Candidates who support your company’s mission, and who are interested in its product, can be gold. Just as you want employees who are interested in the job, not just the paycheck, you also want professionals who have a positive view of the company itself. That can play an important role inemployee retention.

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This part of the phone screen interview will likely take up most of the scheduled time. Ask candidates what they hope to get out of the job — and how they see themselves contributing to the role and the company. Do they have the skills, experience and aptitude you’re looking for? Also, raise any questions you have about the job candidate’s resume and cover letter.

What skills have you recently gained or strengthened?

How are your skills a match for this job?

What did you do during the yearlong gap in your employment (and why did you leave your last employer)?

Did your internship at _____ give you specific experience that you can apply to this job?

What questions do you have for me?

Phone Interview Questions to Ask Job Candidates in First Round (9)

Begin every phone screen interview with an open mind and a positive attitude. Assume the best of your top candidates, including their honesty and integrity. But keep in mind that, well,sometimesa candidate might misrepresent their skills and professional background, unintentionally or not. Or,maybethey’re not the best judge of the impact they had in a past or current role.

So, assess answers for how the candidate would meet your hiring needs, but listen, too, for warning signs that this person might not be an ideal match for your company. Here are some potential red flags:

A lack of enthusiasm— Does the candidate seem excited about the prospect of working at your firm, or do they seem like they’re simply going through the motions during the screening interview? If you’re not feeling the love, then bring it up. “What excites you about this job?” or “Why do you want to work for our company?” are both good phone interview questions to ask your candidates.

No questions— It’s not a deal breaker, but toward the end of the call, most candidates should have a question or two to ask about the team, job or company. It can be a sign of not only the person’s interest in the job, but their preparation for the call (search online for “What is a phone screening” or “What is a phone screen interview,” and you’ll see a lot of advice for candidates to come prepared with a question to ask the interviewer).

Sounding distracted during the interview— Sometimes, life interrupts a phone screen interview. A job candidate might have to answer an unexpected knock on the door, for example, or tend to a demanding child or a howling dog. In such situations, be patient and be fair. But if candidates sound as though they’re browsing social media or are otherwise multitasking while speaking to you, take it as a clue that they just aren’t that into you.

Negative comments about former employers— It’s never a good sign when an interviewee bad-mouths a current or former employer. Such behavior is unprofessional, and it demonstrates poor tact and diplomacy — key soft skills in almost any role. It can also mean the candidate takes no responsibility for their own part in workplace dynamics.

A focus on money— As discussed above, not everybody is comfortable talking money so early in the hiring process. But some people focus on it like a laser. When a candidate repeatedly returns to the topic of salary or benefits during a screening interview, it might be a signal they’re primarily focused on the money and perks — not the job and company.

Cursing— It’s not that cursing never happens in the workplace, but no one should use foul language when discussing a job opportunity. Bad language during a phone screen interview is another example of unprofessionalism and poor soft skills. It should give you reason to wonder how the person would do when presenting to senior management or clients.

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When you’ve completed your last phone screen interview, you’ll have some tough decisions to make: Who among your top candidates to invite to a formal, more rigorous interview. No matter the state of the current hiring market, you need to make the right choices here: You want the best talent on your team, not the competition’s.

You’ll also have to make some decisions on how to conduct the next step in the hiring process. Whether you’re creating an interview panel or scheduling a series of one-on-one meetings, discuss with your team thetype of interview questionsto ask, good questions to ask during an interview, who will ask which questions, and how you’ll score candidates.

Move quickly to schedule the interviews with the candidates and the hiring team. If applicable for the role you’re hiring for, ask the candidates to send work examples your team can review in advance of the interview.

There’s a good chance your next step will be a remote interview, using videoconferencing software. Of the senior managers who responded to a recent Robert Half survey, 75% said their companies had conducted remote interviews and onboarding sessions for permanent employees or contract professionals.

Interviewing on camera can be very different than a face-to-face, so you would do well to read up ontips for conducting a remote interview.

Sound like you’re back at the starting line again? Well, in a way, you are. The phone screen interview sets the stage for what can be a time- and labor-intensive hiring effort. From here, you’ll dig deeper into candidates’ background, assess (and possibly test) their skill levels, collect feedback from staff who meet the finalists, check references and consider the salary offer. But if you’ve conducted a thoughtful phone screening, you’ll better guarantee that the candidates who advance to this first round of formal interviews are the best your company can choose from. And that’s a pretty good place to start.

Get more information to help you prepare for interviewing job candidates, andcontact Robert Half if you’re ready to stop searching and start hiring:

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Phone Interview Questions to Ask Job Candidates in First Round (2024)

FAQs

What questions to ask in a telephone interview? ›

Here are the most common telephone interview questions and answers:

What Are Your Strengths? ...
What Is Your Greatest Weakness? ...
Why Should We Hire You? ...
Why Did You Leave Your Last Job? ...
Tell Me About Yourself. ...
Why Do You Want to Work Here? ...
Describe Your Current Job Responsibilities. ...
What is Your Management Style?

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Jul 29, 2024

Read On ›

How do you nail a first round phone interview? ›

How to nail a phone interview

Schedule an appropriate time for the interview.
Understand who is interviewing you.
Research the company.
Understand the job position.
Prepare questions to ask.
Prepare for common phone interview questions.
Have applicable documents nearby.
Find a quiet spot.

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Aug 31, 2023

Discover More Details ›

What are 5 interview questions you could ask your candidates? ›

Interview questions always have a purpose behind them—whether it's “What are your strengths?”, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” or “Why are you interested in this position?” Standard questions are generally considered standard for a reason, as they've been tried and tested at generating the information the ...

What should I say at the beginning of a phone interview? ›

Start Off Strong

Thanks for calling, it's great to speak with you.” Basically, you'll want to say something that'll set the right tone off the bat. Saying “'Sup” or not making it clear it's you speaking will immediately make the interviewer question your professionalism and communication skills.

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How do you ace a phone interview? ›

When you're on the call you should:

be polite and professional.
tell the interviewer if the line is bad or you cannot hear.
try to sound engaged and interested.
be clear and confident.
leave a small gap at the end of each question before answering, to avoid talking over the interviewer.

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Find Out More ›

What to expect from an initial phone interview? ›

7 common phone interview questions + example answers

Tell me a bit about yourself and why you applied for this job. ...
Tell me about your current/previous position. ...
What do you know about our company? ...
Why are you the best candidate for this role? ...
What are your salary expectations? ...
Where do you see yourself in five years?

More items...

Nov 29, 2023

Tell Me More ›

How do you stand out in a first round interview? ›

Here are 11 actions you can take to help you stand out during an interview:

Research the company. ...
Wear bold colors. ...
Arrive early for your interview. ...
Showcase your strengths and areas for improvement. ...
Describe your accomplishments. ...
Give them samples of previous projects. ...
Present a 30-60-90 day plan. ...
Ask unique questions.

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Aug 15, 2024

Show Me More ›

How do you dominate a phone interview? ›

During the Call

During the interview, be enthusiastic and confident. ...
Be ready to provide specific examples of projects and accomplishments to demonstrate your skills. ...
Don't speak too fast, drink, chew gum, or smoke during the conversation. ...
End your conversation on a positive note.

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How do you crush an initial phone interview? ›

5 Critical Tips for Crushing a Phone Interview

Prepare and Research the Company. Just as you would for a face-to-face interview, you must prepare yourself as soon as you've landed the phone interview. ...
Find the Perfect Location. ...
Avoid the “What's in it for You” ...
Be Confident, Clear and Concise. ...
Energy.

What is a smart question to ask in an interview? ›

What is the company culture like? Ask about dress code, social events, lunchtimes, and even if the company considers itself a 'start-up' or mature in its sector. These aspects of a company are important in forming lasting relationships, and asking shows you are trying to see yourself inside the company.

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What is a creative question to ask an interviewee? ›

Unique and Weird Big Picture Questions

If you were the CEO of our company, what would your 5 year plan be? If you were interviewing me for my job, what would you want to know about me? If you had an unlimited budget, what innovation would you want to create in our industry? How could AI potentially change our industry?

Read The Full Story ›

What are 5 questions not to ask in an interview? ›

What shouldn't I ask when hiring?

Questions about race, religion or ethnicity, such as: Are you biracial? ...
Questions about age, unless used to verify that applicants meet any age-related legal requirements for the job.
Questions about an applicant's pregnancy or plans to start a family, such as: Are you pregnant?

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What is the #1 question asked on a phone interview? ›

1. Tell Me About Yourself. Interviewers typically start the call by getting to know you — asking you to talk about yourself is an easy way for them to learn more about you and your background. Since phone interviews only last around 15 to 30 minutes on average, having a quick “about me” blurb prepared is vital.

Get More Info Here ›

What is the best answer for "Tell me about yourself"? ›

Provide a Brief Highlight-Summary of Your Experience

The best way to answer "Tell me about yourself" is with a brief highlight-summary of your experience, your education, the value you bring to an employer, and the reason you're looking forward to learning more about this next job and the opportunity to work with them.

How to answer why should we hire you? ›

Highlight What Makes You Unique. When answering "Why should we hire you?" it's important to highlight what makes you stand out as a candidate. Think about your greatest strengths, unique experiences, or qualities that separate you from others.

What is usually asked in a phone screening interview? ›

Most Common Phone Interview Questions

Tell me about yourself. Walk me through your resume. Why are you looking for work? Why are you interested in working here?

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Should you ask questions during a phone interview? ›

Interview process questions

Asking about the next steps in the interview process shows that you are interested and eager to move forward. It also allows you to determine how long the process will take and what you can expect. Asking for clarification about anything unclear during the phone screen can also be helpful.

How do you introduce yourself in a telephonic interview? ›

When introducing yourself to a recruiter, be polite and confident. Start with a greeting, state your name, and briefly mention your current job title or area of expertise. Highlight your most relevant experience and skills that match the job requirements. Mention any significant achievements or certifications.

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