Telephone Interview Questions
Updated 13 March 2021
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Telephone interviews are typically conducted by a member of a firm's human resources team, or outsourced to a specialist organisation (such as a recruitment consultancy or job assessment organisation).
Questions will usually focus on:
- Your CV, work experience and academic history
- Your motivations for applying to the firm in question, the particular industry and job role
- Your knowledge of the firm itself (for example, competitors, global reach, future plans)
- Your skills, qualifications and competencies
Typical Telephone Interview Questions
It is less likely that a telephone interview would include technical interview questions, brain teaser questions or commercial awareness style questions (although you should still prepare for these questions, just in case).
Example Telephone Interview Questions
- Why do you want to work in the industry in question?
- Why do you want the position in question?
- What are you most looking forward to in this role?
- Tell me about yourself/take me through your CV.
- Where would you like to be in five years? What do you think you will be doing?
- Why should we hire you?
- What are your greatest achievements?
- What motivates you?
- Tell me about a time you have led a team.
- What was your degree grade? Were you happy with this?
Where possible, always use a different example when answering each question.
