6 top phone interview questions and how to answer them

6 top phone einstellungsgesprch questions and how to answer themYouve put your resume in for a job opening, and now youve got your first bitea phone vorstellungsgesprch. The phone bewerbervorstellungsgesprch doesnt happen in every application/interview process, but you might encounter it for two reasons googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Youre currently far away from the hiring company.The company wants to do a preliminary interview to see if they want to bring you in for a more traditional sit-down interview.Either way, the phone interview is likely a precursor to some kind of physical meeting, before significant time and resources are invested. The main goal of a phone interview is usually to see if you meet certain requirements and would likely be a good fit for the jobor at least for the next round. If a company has a lot of great-on-paper applicants for a single position, phone interviews are a way to narrow the candidate pool to the f ruchtwein appropriate people.How is a phone interview different?Theres the obvious format difference, for starters. Instead of physically sitting face-to-face with someone, shaking hands, and being able to read body language cues, youre sitting by yourself and have no in-person contact or visibility with the person interviewing you. That can be a benefit (its the one interview you can attend in your pajamas Unless its a Skype interview), but also a drawback. Youre in a bit of a void, counting on your conversational skills above all else to get you through to the next round.Also, while an in-person interview is usually with the hiring manager for your position, that may not be true for a phone interview. You may be talking to a menschlich Resources representative or even a recruiter. Its important to know up front the person with whom youll be speaking, so you can adapt your answers accordingly. If its a recruiter or HR person, you can be a little more general. If its the hiring mana ger, you should be more detailed about your qualifications in the specific field, with nitty gritty details.How to prepare for your phone interviewAlthough you dont need to prep your interview outfit or work on your handshake, you can totenstill work on your speaking and listening skills.Make sure your voice is calm, confident, and conversational. If it helps you to call someone else first (like a friend or a family member) right before the interview to get into conversational mode, do it. Anything that puts you at ease and gets you ready to talk about yourself confidently is good. If it helps to dress up in your normal interview clothes to get into that mode, go for it.Be sure that when youre speaking, your voice is also warm and conversational. Part of the purpose of the phone interview is (lets be blunt here) to verify that youre, well, interviewable. You want to come across as friendly and competent if your voice is stressed or your tone is cold, the interviewer may think there are some red flags lurking beneath your words.As for your listening skills, you wont have the advantage of doing the head nod + thoughtful Im listening face, so its important to make sure the interviewer knows youre listening. Make sure youre allowing the person to finish speaking before you answer, and dont feel like you need to fill in brief silences with nervous chatter.Before your phone interview, do your homework on the company, the job, and the interviewer him- or herself, if possible. Put those Google stalking skills to good use so that you understand whos on the other end of the phone. The beauty of the phone interview is that you can have notes right in front of you, without the interviewer knowing youve got a crib sheet of details about the company, or the talking points about your resume that you want to emphasize.And lastly, just before the interview, make sure youre settled in a quiet spot where you can conduct your phone interview in peace, with no interruptions. This rules out busy public places, or home if things are chaotic with kids, pets, ambient noise, etc.The interview questionsNow that youre prepped for the interview, what can you expect from the interview itself? Weve put together some of the most common phone interview questions, and how to approach them.Tell me about yourself.This one is always tricky, no matter what the interview format is. And given that the phone interview is likely an introductory interview, you can probably expect this one to pop up. An open-ended question is difficult because its all on you. Dont go too broad herethe interviewer isnt interested in your third grade spelling bee victory or your favorite television show. Limit your answer to a few highlight points about your professional career, especially those relevant to the job for which youre interviewing. An elevator pitch comes in very natel here, because it covers relevant high-level info that works nicely for a tell me about yourself.Example I recently grad uated with my bachelors in accounting, and Im ready to translate my internship with Prestigious Financial Firm and my strong accounting skills into the next steps of my career.What interested you about this job/company?This is where your pre-interview research comes in handy here, because your job listing on TheJobNetwork matched my keyword search is not a great answer. Instead, talk about one of your goals that this job would help you achieve or mention something you really like about the company. And remember whether this is your dream job or one of dozens for which you sent out your resume, make it clear that this job is an opportunity you didnt want to miss. The more specific and authentic your answer sounds, the better.Example Im ready for the next level in my career, so I was excited to find this opening in X Corps sales department. Its an incredible opportunity, and I know my skills and experience would be a good fit.Tell me about your current/most recent job.Like the tell me about yourself question, dont get sucked into the open-endedness of this question. The interviewer isnt necessarily interested in every one of your daily tasks, thoughts, and opinions about the work. Instead, focus on the parts of your job that relate most directly to the job you want, and highlight the accomplishments.Example I work directly with clients to coordinate orders and shipments. For example, I recently onboarded a brand new client, and we were able to get them up and running with no interruption in sales.Why are you leaving your job?Part of the phone interview process is weeding out people who set off initial red flags, or arent a good fit for this particular job or company. They want to know youre not a flight risk or unable to work as a member of a team. So this question is pretty popular in interviews of all kindsespecially a preliminary phone interview. The answer shouldnt focus too much on what dissatisfies you about your current job (like my boss is a micromanager or my job is boring and I want to try something else). Instead, emphasize your goals and this new job itself.And if you got fired or left under not-great circumstances, dont panic. Also dont lie, especially if the reason you were fired will come up in a background check or in a conversation with your references. Frame it as a learning experience. And definitely talk about your major takeaway from the experience, and how youve used that to overcome your challenges and become a better professional.Example Ive learned a great deal in my current position, but I feel like there wasnt enough room to grow and develop as much as Id like. It helped me realign my goals and figure out that I want a job that is more focused on customer service.Do you have any questions for me?In a phone interview, this is your gunst der stunde to do a little extra research, especially if youre talking with someone other than the hiring manager (who would likely handle the next round interview). Youre not likel y to get candid insights like, I think this company does a lousy job at work-life balance, but you can at least get some on-the-record opinions and information from someone closely related to the company. Think of it as a bit of professional snooping that can help you prepare for the next phase if youre offered an in-person interview.ExamplesWhat qualities are you looking for in applicants for this position?What are the opportunities for advancement in this position?How does this company provide employee feedback?Why is the person who last held this job leaving?What is the most challenging aspect of this particular job?A phone interview may not be the main interview in your hiring process, but its such an important first step that it should be treated every bit as seriously as any other kind of interview. Making sure youre prepared and understanding what your gameplan is will help you be more relaxed and ready to answer any question that comes your way.