Top 100 phone interview questions

A phone interview is usually short, just enough time to rule you in or out. So, pick a few interview questions that are relevant to the job, to your potential role at the company, and to your background and skills, to have ready when you're asked if you have any questions.

Below are some of the most common phone interview questions and answers.

Common general interview questions

• Tell me a little about yourself.
• Why should I hire you?
• How do you define success?
• Where would you like to be in five years? Ten years?
• Describe your personality.
• What past accomplishments have given you satisfaction? Why?
• What made you choose to apply to this position?
• Why do you want to leave your current position?

Wage negotiation interview questions

• What kind of salary do you need?
• Do not be harsh during salary negotiations.
• Do not mention your expected salary on the resume?
• Let the employer first make the salary offer. Try to delay the salary discussion till the end.
• What kind of salary would you require to accept this position?
• What kind of salary do you believe you will be earning after five years?
• What kind of salary do you think you deserve?
• Do not lie about your previous salary. Employers can often verify your salary history by contacting your previous employers.
• Your own background and qualifications. If you are asking for an above-average salary, are you above average in your credentials?

Common experience interview questions

• How would you define a great work environment?
• Have you ever worked for a difficult person?
• Have you mostly worked alone or in groups?
• How many projects can you handle at one time?
• What was your workload in your current/last position?
• What are some things you find difficult to do on the job? Why?

Common education interview questions

• What tertiary qualifications have you attained?
• What if (if any) self improvement courses have you attended?
• What certificates have you attained?
• What is the most recent skill you have learned?
• What have you learned from your past jobs?

Common competencies interview questions

• What are your strengths?
• Describe a time when there was disagreement in your team.
• What achievements in your life are you most proud of?
• Tell me about the biggest change that you've had to deal with at work.
• How do you respond to change?
• How do you feel about supervising people older than you?
• What is your weakness?
• What was your greatest achievement in your job?
• What experience have you had working in a team?
• Do you think conflict or differences of opinion can ever be seen as positive?
• Tell me about a time when you used tact and diplomacy
• Tell me about a time when you had to unexpectedly change your approach during a project.
• Tell me about the last time you had a disagreement with someone
• Give me an example of when a project or task you were managing suffered a setback.
• Tell me about the most difficult person you have worked with

Common behavioral interview questions

• How do you work with new people?
• We have a problem with “______”. How would you handle this problem?
• Are you a persistent person? Give me an example of this, if so.
• Where do you stand with your former employer?
• Explain a difficult situation in which you were involved and how you handled it.

Other stress interview questions

• Why are manhole covers round?
• Why did you switch to political science? Is it because you couldn’t handle engineering? Why did you do so poorly on this test?
• What kinds of people do you find it difficult to work with?
• What are some of the things that you find difficult to do?
• How would you evaluate me as an interviewer?
• What interests you least about this job?
• See this pen I’m holding? Sell it to me.
• You need to work a full whole one month because of quarter results nearby what reason will you give to exempt from the work?
• If you are a leader of the team, what could you do better than the truly leader?
• What do you think that you have learned from it?
• Would you like to have your boss’s job?
• Why should I hire an outsider when I could fill the job with someone inside the company?
• Why were you out of work for so long?
• If you caught a student cheating on their test, what would you do?
• How do you feel this interview is going?

Common goal setting interview questions

• By what date do you want to achieve your goal? 
• What (exactly) do you want to achieve?
• How do you know you are committed to achieving your goal?
• Who needs to be involved in this goal process in order to accomplish it successfully?
• Why invest time and energy into this goal?
• Why would this goal relate to purpose, vision, or organizational values?
• Finally one extra question; What day will you commit to, to start to achieve your goal?
• These stages are short term goals, which are integrated steps to achieving the long term goal. They're also a measure of progress to achieving the long term goal.'
• Who possesses the skills and talent necessary to meet the goal or do we need to train?
• What would change once you achieved your goal?
• Then I define what needs to be done, in working stages, to achieve that goal.
• 'I start with the big picture, and define what I'm trying to achieve on the long term as the strategic goal.
• Describe a difficult decision you had to make.  Would you make the same decision again faced with the same situation?

Common management skills interview questions

• What are your weaknesses/strengths?
• How do you motivate people?
• How do you react to pressure?
• How do you handle a subordinate whose work is not up to expectations?
• How do you coach a subordinate to develop a new skill?
• Explain a situation when you have had to deal with a difficult person.
• What have you done to develop the skills of your staff?
• When do you give positive feedback to people? Tell me about the last time you did?
• Give an example of how you handle the need for constructive criticism with a subordinate or peer?

Common conflict resolution interview questions

• Have you ever been deal with any difficult team member or worker? How did you do that?
• How do you go about problem-solving?
• What Is conflict resolution?
• Tell us about any experience of dealing with power struggle. What had you done to convert it to a win-win situation?
• Tell me about a situation when you were given job instructions and you were unable to comprehend the instructions. How did you go about completing the task?
• Describe the most difficult conflict you have ever had to deal with.
• What types of disputes can be addressed through conflict resolution?
• Provide any example for a successful solution you had brought to a conflict.

Common last job interview questions

• Why did you leave your last job?
• Tell me about your last position and what you did?
• If you don’t leave your current job, what will happen there? How far can you advance?
• What did/do you enjoy most/least about your last/p resent job?

Common new job interview questions

• What are you looking for in a job?
• What kind of people do you like to work with?
• What type of work environment do you prefer?
• Do you have any questions for me?
• What do you know about this position?
• What do you know about this company?
• Explain why you are qualified for this job.
• Are you looking for a permanent or temporary job? Why?

Common stressful interview questions

• What are your worst characteristics?
• How long have you been looking for a new job? Why?
• How would you rate your performance in this interview so far?
• How long would you stay with us?
• Have you ever had problems getting along with others?
• Tell me about the weakest argument in your writing sample.
• What can I tell you about my organization?
• Do you think the questions I’m asking you are fair?
• What can you bring to the table that someone else could not?
• The answer you just gave me was
• ridiculous. Tell me what you really think
• What outside interests do you pursue?
• Do you have any reservations about the job of the company?

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