13 Phone Screen Interview Questions to Ask Potential Employees

Screening applicants via audio calls is helpful in the first round of hiring. It’s a good way to filter candidates and decide if you want to continue their interview process. This is the ideal time to validate resumes and ask any questions you may have had while reading the applicant’s profile. Phone screen interview questions don’t have to be complicated or long. You can save situational and behavioural questions for face-to-face interviews where you have more time to talk.

Make the process easy by having a checklist of things to do before making the call.

1. 1.

   Revisit your job opening and the description. Identify the skills and knowledge that you are looking for.

2. 2.

   Review the applicant’s CV. Take notes and make a list of questions that you want to ask so you don’t forget anything during your conversation.

3. 3.

   Allow time for each interview. There’s no need to rush each one. You want to make the applicant feel important and valued.

4. 4.

   Check in with the applicant for their availability before making the call. You don’t want to catch the applicant at a bad time.

5. 5.

   Make sure your environment is free of noise and distraction. If you’re calling from your mobile phone, make sure your signal is strong, so the audio won’t get cut or choppy during the interview.

Here are some questions for a phone screening interview that you can ask:

1. Can you walk me through your resume briefly? 2. Why are you applying for this position? Or why are you exploring job opportunities right now? 3. How did you find out about this opening? 4. What part of this opening attracted you or convinced you to apply? 5. What do you know about our company? 6. Are you currently employed? How many days of notice do you need to give your current employer if we hire you? 7. Do you have experience in ? 8. Our work schedule is . Are you amenable to that? 9. Are you willing to relocate if needed? 10. What is your expected salary? 11. If we hire you, when can you begin working with us? 12. I saw that you worked at . Can you tell me more about that? 13. Can you tell me about your role and responsibilities at ?

Once you’ve covered the questions you want to ask, allow the applicant to ask you questions. They may have some initial queries or concerns that you can easily address. Don’t forget to mention the next steps in the interview process and how soon you’ll be in touch.

Phone interview questions and answers don’t have to be long and are a great way to go through potential candidates. Use phone interviews to screen applicants and identify whom you would like to speak to in-depth.