You can sort the standard phone interview questions into three different categories:
- Do you know who we are?
- Do you know about the role we are advertising?
- Are you ready to be employed?
Do you know who we are?
The standard ‘Do you know who we are?’ question is ‘What do you know about the company?’ You need to have a coherent answer! Be able to talk about the structure of the company, who their clients are, what their key projects are, have they won any awards and if they have been in the news.
You need to demonstrate that you know what they’re all about and genuinely want to be a part of their team. Finally, from a recruiter’s perspective, it’s painful listening to someone say ‘Not much.’ If you have taken the time to send in a CV and cover letter, not doing the research is just plain lazy.
Do you know what the role is?
The recruiter might ask you what you know about the role and follow up with a few questions about your experience and qualifications. For some roles it won’t matter if you don’t have the exact qualifications; however, you do need to be able to discuss how you have kept up to date with industry initiatives. Whatever you do, focus on why you will fit in and do the job well.
Are you ready to be employed?
Having the correct visa to work is a given and how you approach a job if you don’t have a work visa is a whole different story. The first question in this section is often why do you want to leave your current role? Try to focus on what’s good about the new company that you’re applying for, not what’s bad about the company you want to leave.
You may also be asked if you have any holidays planned. No employer wants to spend time getting someone trained only to find out that they’re off on a three-month honeymoon.
The third type of question in this category is a little bit of a trick question. “When will you be available to start?” This is your opportunity to demonstrate that you have a sense of integrity. Know what your leaving period is and how much notice you have to give beforehand, and then say something like,
“I know I need to give one-month notice under my current employment agreement, and I would like to honour that. It’s really important to me that I don’t then bridges and that I leave this company with dignity.”
That answer will mean three big ticks in your favour because recruiters want to know that the person that’s going to get interviewed is an adult and has integrity.
Summary: Standard Phone Interview Questions?
To get the best results make sure you get someone to help you practice answering these questions. Make sure you are ready to answer standard phone interview questions by researching the company and the role, have examples or how you are capable of doing the role and be ready to prove that you are ready to be employed.