Recruiters ask a lot of questions during phone interviews, but it’s not because they’re trying to trip you up. They’re just doing their job.
When I was in college, I used to do some freelance work for local companies, which involved answering phones and taking messages for other people. One thing I learned pretty quickly is that people tend to say things over the phone that they wouldn’t say face-to-face. If you want to get good at phone interviews, you need to practice talking about yourself in a way that feels natural, but also makes sure your words are chosen carefully.
Now that I’m an interviewer myself, I’ve noticed that phone interviews tend to be much shorter than in-person ones, and there’s less time to get to know each other. So when recruiters call me, I usually have only a few minutes to answer their questions before they move on to the next candidate.
Common opening and motivation questions
In my experience, recruiters will often start with a question like “Tell me about yourself.” This is usually a leading question drawn from your resume, so they can assess how well you communicate and what background is relevant to the position you’re applying for.
After that, recruiters will often ask why you’re interested in this role and what you know about their company. These questions are designed to gauge your motivation and basic preparation. But they’re also leading questions, since they give you a chance to talk about your resume or the job description. If you haven’t prepared answers to these questions, you might end up sounding unprepared or even desperate.
Recruiters may also ask you what interests you about this job, which is another leading question. This is designed to filter out applicants who aren’t really interested in the job or who are applying broadly. It’s important to prepare answers to this question as well, since it gives you a chance to talk about your resume or the job description.
How much to prepare
If you’re applying for a job, you should prepare answers to at least 15 common phone interview questions. Robert Walters and Indeed each identify 15 questions that they think are most commonly asked by employers. You can find sample answers for these questions online, and you can also use sites like Indeed Career Scout to get tailored guidance.