30 Phone Interview Questions (with Answers)

1.

Are you willing to travel?

There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but you do need to be honest. If the interviewer is asking for travel in this role you should clarify just how much, and what type of travel, will be required of you. Keep your answer brief and ask as many questions as you need until you fully understand the travel requirements.

Rachelle's Answer

"I am willing to do some daytime travel as well as some overnights for events and conferences. Could you share with me the travel expectations for this role?"

Rachelle's Answer

"My commitments require me to be home on the weekends, and evenings, as often as possible. Before I answer yes or no, could you provide me with further details on any travel required in this role?"

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Anonymous Answer

"Yes, I am willing to travel. Can you share with me the travel expectations for this role?"

Alexandra's Answer

Good answer.

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Anonymous Answer

"I have traveled for work in the past, and I am open to travel again."

Rachelle's Answer

Alright, good! If you have traveled for work in the past...with which role? How often? Where? Overnight or daytime? International or local? The more information you can provide, the less the interviewer will have to carry the conversation.

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2.

How many years experience do you have in your field?

The interviewer is trying to quickly gauge if you are qualified for this role, or not. If they have called you, chances are - you have something on your resume that they like. Most job postings will specify the number of years of experience that the employer is looking for but it's often a flexible number.

Let's say the interviewer is looking for five years experience in a specific field or skill, and you have 15 years. Avoid being labeled as overqualified by saying: "I have more than five years' experience in your direct field. My most recent position was similar to this role, and I was a top performer for the entire seven years of my employment there. I am eager to continue my path of success with your company."

Rachelle's Answer

"I have more than five years' experience in your direct field. My most recent position was similar to this role, and I was a top performer for the entire seven years of my employment there. I am eager to continue my path of success with your company."

Rachelle's Answer

"I have been working in an administrative position for approximately four years. I also spent a great deal of time helping my dad with his bookkeeping business as a teen. I was exposed to organizing files, making appointments, and double checking the details of his work before he passed it back to his clients."

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Anonymous Answer

"I have over seven years of experience. Although I have a lot of experience, I am willing to learn new opportunities."

Rachelle's Answer

Rather than finishing your answer with a willingness to learn, try focusing on the expertise that you have already gained in these 7 years. How will you add to the employer vs. take from their resources? I have offered a starter, below.

"I have seven years of experience in the field of (name your industry). Through these seven years, I have gained strong skills in (list your areas of expertise). I am eager to take this experience and knowledge and apply it to this role by (what action steps will you take to make a difference for the hiring company?)."

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Anonymous Answer

"I have five years of experience."

Lauren's Answer

Great. Be ready to answer follow-up questions. See below.

"In an interview, you may be asked the following question. It would be helpful to think about your response in preparation for an interview. “What is your greatest accomplishment thus far in your five years as an Engineer?”"

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3.

How do you feel this position would fit in with your long term career goals?

Before applying for any position, it’s best to have an idea of your long-term career goals, and a great sense of the potential growth the hiring company offers. This way, you can highlight for the interviewer all of the great reasons why this position will fit into your long-term goals!

Maybe you hope to be in a management position with them down the road! Whatever your reasons, be sure to provide a response that allows the interviewer to see your desire to stay with them long term.

Rachelle's Answer

"I feel that this position fits in well with my long-term career goals because it provides the project management piece that I have been missing. I would love to become great in this role and then earn a promotion to a leadership position where I can mentor other project managers."

Rachelle's Answer

"My primary career goal is to find a position where I can stay long term. Because your company has such a strong reputation for workplace culture, it fits perfectly with my desires for a long-term fit."

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Anonymous Answer

"I feel that this position would fit my long term career goals because prospective students and families are always on social media, and it is a big way for schools to recruit new students. Today, there are many relationships that are built over social media, and it is a great way to instantly reach out to students. The number of applications received or students accepting, is a great way to determine whether that specific strategy is working."

Alexandra's Answer

Be sure to define your long-term career goal. I'm inferring from this & your other questions that it's to be in social media, but it would be good to state that here.

"My long-term career goal is to get into social media marketing. I feel this position is a good start because a lot of relationship-building and recruiting is done through social media. Social media is a great way to reach out to students instantly. Additionally, by learning what draws students to apply and attend this university, I can apply that information to a future role in social media marketing for this university if the opportunity arises."

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Anonymous Answer

"I feel that this position fits in well with my long-term career goals because it provides real-world experience in Data Analytics and it is naturally in line with my career path. I would love to become great in this role and set a path towards a data scientist and mentor others in this field."

Marcie's Answer

Excellent answer! You sound confident in your assessment that this position aligns with your long-term career goals, which is great. It's also positive that you mention your aspirations for becoming a data scientist. Great job!

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4.

What are the top duties in your current position?

A great way to prepare for your interview is to reflect on the main tasks in your current position and how that experience would make you a strong candidate for the job for which you are applying. The interviewer wants to know if you have the knowledge and skills required to be successful in this position. Make sure you are familiar with the job description before your interview! You will want to draw on that valuable information.

Rachelle's Answer

"The top duties in my current position are to deliver exceptional customer service, attempt to upsell every existing client at every touch point, and conduct 50 outbound cold calls per week. I understand that the primary skills you are seeking are in cold calling, up-selling, and customer service. I see a great match between my current job duties and this particular position."

Rachelle's Answer

"In my current role, being a solid organizer is the name of the game. I am the administrative support for the VP and President of the company. My day includes arranging their schedules, booking their travel, ordering lunch for meetings, and more. I do it all!"

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Anonymous Answer

"Currently, my primary duties as an Implementation Team Leader and Network Engineer, I provide solutions-based customer service. I mostly handle Cisco devices (wireless, switch, router, and ASA), as well as Fortigate and Riverbed. There are many transferable skills I can bring to this position at Qatar Airways."

Lauren's Answer

Fantastic response!

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Anonymous Answer

"The top duties in my last position are analyzing and resolving complicated patient accounts, communications regarding patient accounts with various payers, collection accounts review, and refund processing."

Rachelle's Answer

This is an excellent answer, showing the interviewer all the responsibilities you could take care of in this new role.

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5.

After reviewing our job description, are there any required skills listed that you feel you are lacking?

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Phone Interview Questions

Are you willing to travel?

Phone Interview Questions

Are you willing to travel?

How many years experience do you have in your field?

How do you feel this position would fit in with your long term career goals?

What are the top duties in your current position?

After reviewing our job description, are there any required skills listed that you feel you are lacking?

Where did you find our job posting?

Describe a typical work day in your current role.

What would you change about your current role, if you could?

Are you actively interviewing with other companies? Are you close to offer stage with anyone?

Why did you apply for this position?

All of our candidates must pass a criminal record check and education verification. Is there any reason why you would not be comfortable with this?

Briefly walk me through your work history. Please include why you left each position listed on your resume.

I'm interested in knowing more about the type of work you are seeking, and your ideal workplace culture. What is your ideal position at this time?

When would you be available to start?

Tell me one valuable skill that you are currently working on.

What do you know about this position?

What is the most important thing you are looking for in your next company?

What is your long-range career objective?

Why are you looking for a new position?

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

You have a few gaps in your resume. Can you explain these?

Tell me more about your post-secondary education. Are you interested in expanding your education, or gaining any other certifications?

Would your current employer be willing to provide a reference for you?

Our company is looking for a team member with flexible work hours. Are you able and willing to work overtime, as needed?

We are quickly moving into second interviews. What is your availability like over the next few days?

What challenges are you looking for in a position?

Tell me one thing about yourself that is not on your resume.

When was the last time you helped out a coworker?

How does this position fit your long-term career plans?

What type of manager do you best work with?