20 telephone interview questions to ask candidates during a phone screen

Do you need to find and recruit an expert for your organization, but are unsure of how to choose the right individual? Hiring is a multi-step process, and some methods will help you find the best candidates.

Role-specific skills tests will enable you to narrow down your list of potentials and determine which candidates have suitable knowledge and skills before you interview them. Then, completing a phone-screening process will help you validate what you learned about their abilities and reveal more about their traits and hobbies.

It’s important to ask the right questions during the phone-screening process to get useful information – but finding the right questions can be a challenge.

Have you prepared your list?

You can use a selection of our 20 telephone interview questions list, making screening your candidates easy.

20 telephone interview questions to ask interviewees

These telephone interview questions include topics about technical skills, motivation, experience, soft skills, management, and project management. Use these questions during the phone screening to learn more about your interviewees.

1. Please tell me about your best technical skill.

Your candidates’ responses to this telephone interview question will depend on the role they’re applying for. 

For example, candidates applying for a content writer position might mention their SEO skills and discuss how they can help the company increase organic traffic to their site. Software developers might point to their debugging abilities.

To find the right candidate, you will be looking for individuals whose technical skills match those mentioned in your job description’s must-have skills list. 

You can assess each of these skills using a series of skills tests. Use our Technical SEO or programming skills tests to evaluate candidates for these roles, and explore our test library for many more role-specific tests.

2. Please tell me which skill you aim to improve.

All candidates in your applicant pool will have areas of weakness or certain skills they lack. This telephone interview question will show you if they have the drive to continue building their skills. Ideally, each applicant will mention a specific skill related to their role. 

Some candidates may want to improve their Spanish-language proficiency if they apply for an international company. Others might aim to hone their HVAC knowledge to work with HVAC equipment. 

It’s important to check how they intend to learn these skills. For example, Spanish learners could use an app to perfect their language skills, while others may take a course to boost their abilities.

Make sure you assess these skills with a Spanish Proficiency C1 test or HVAC Online test if you’re hiring for these roles, and look for candidates who can explain how they intend to develop their abilities.

3. Can you explain why we should hire you?

You should expect candidates to respond to this telephone interview question by providing an elevator pitch describing their best traits.

Your candidates might mention their attention to detail or conscientiousness and explain how these traits help them identify errors and complete their work efficiently. They could note their technical skills or how they will add to your company culture and enhance productivity in your team.

Skills assessments that feature DISC or Culture Add tests can help you assess your candidate’s best traits. In the interviews, don’t forget to ask for tangible evidence showing your candidates’ skills and knowledge. 

4. Tell me why you left your last job or want to leave your current role?

With this telephone interview question, the answers you receive will help shape your onboarding process and training. Although compensation is the most important priority for employees, other factors may also prompt them to leave.

For instance, if an individual decides to move on to take on more responsibilities or change their career, you’ll know to offer these opportunities to the successful candidate, and this may encourage them to join your team.

Candidates may also state that a desire to change working patterns or habits played a role in their desire to leave their last role – according to recent research, 81% of employees want to work partially remotely. If your company offers the option for hybrid working, you could be providing a significant incentive to candidates.

Be wary of candidates with negative things to say about their previous employers, co-workers, or the work environment – they may lack the positive attitude required to join your team.

5. Please tell me about your best soft skills.

Soft skills such as good communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and the ability to manage stress are all essential for nearly every role. 91% of talent professionals agree that soft skills are crucial for recruitment and companies, so you need to ensure that your recruitment process prioritizes this.

Your best candidates will use soft skills to complete their work efficiently. If you’re hiring a teacher, candidates must have excellent communication skills to provide insightful lessons to students. 

If you want to hire an administration assistant, candidates will need good time-management and organization skills. Remember to ask for specific examples and situations that demonstrate their use of these skills.

These soft skills are just a few examples of the most important ones to look out for and assess before you hire someone, which you can do with a Communication or Time Management test.

6. Tell me about your experience relevant to this role.

Your best candidates will have plenty of relevant experience that aligns with the responsibilities of your role, which might relate to soft skills, technical knowledge, or work arrangements.

Candidates might also discuss the size of the teams they work with in their current role and describe their key responsibilities. 

For instance, if you need to hire HR professionals for your team, consider if they can talk confidently about task delegation, onboarding, and conflict resolution, and check that their experience is similar to your expectations. 

7. Please tell me some interesting facts about yourself.

This question can lead to some very revealing answers. Candidates who stray into obscure details of their personal lives may not be an ideal match for your role, failing to recognize that this is a chance to demonstrate their work-related expertise. Instead, look for candidates who focus on work-related factors and frame their answers in the context of the role you’re offering.

For instance, software engineers may mention that they enjoy working on personal projects in their free time, which could involve coding in their favorite programming language or using frameworks.

If candidates mention skills-related hobbies, this isn’t a dealbreaker. You could ask follow-up questions about specific skills your candidates practice as part of their hobby to learn more about their knowledge. 

An avid birdwatcher may demonstrate attention to detail and the ability to focus, while a keen gamer may have excellent communication skills, fast reactions, and an ability to think on their feet.

8. Can you tell me how you communicate with your co-workers?

Communication is key in any workplace, and several communication methods can facilitate fast, effective communication. From messaging tools like Slack and video-conferencing tools like Zoom to the standard face-to-face meeting, your candidates’ methods will depend on their preferences and the ideas they want to share.

When you review your candidates’ responses, don’t forget to consider if the method of communication they use is appropriate for the information they need to share in each particular example. 

Team members might use video-conferencing tools when discussing career progress with team leaders in one-on-ones or use messaging tools to share minor company updates.

No matter their communication preferences, candidates will need good communication skills. Review their communication abilities with our free Communication skills test.

9. Could you tell me why you want to work with us?

If you want to learn what motivates your candidates and understand whether they’ve researched your company, ask them this telephone interview question. Candidates should have reviewed your company’s website or read articles to find out more about the organization.

Most candidates should discuss the positive aspects of your organization. For example, if they notice your employee value proposition rewards employees with assistance programs or wellness initiatives, they may indicate that these motivated them to apply.

10. Can you describe two of your main work responsibilities?

All candidates should be familiar with their main work responsibilities and should be able to describe them during a telephone interview. Candidates should mention at least two key duties and be able to explain why they’re important for their role.

For example, freelance content writers may mention that research and proofreading are two important duties for creating engaging blog posts and landing pages and show an understanding of why these are so important.

Don’t forget to ask candidates about the skills they use to complete these duties, such as attention to detail, and consider if they achieved good results using these abilities.

11. Are you a motivated worker? Can you explain what motivates you?

Motivation is an essential soft skill that can help candidates stay productive and achieve targets. Each applicant will have different motivating factors, which might include:

• Compensation increases

• Career progression goals

• Work-life balance benefits

Knowing which factors motivate your candidates will help you tailor the benefits you offer prospective employees. And since motivation levels can vary from candidate to candidate, it is helpful to review their motivation. Evaluate this soft skill with our Motivation skills test to find your perfect candidate. 

12. Please tell me if you’ve ever led a team.

If you’re hiring a leader for your organization, asking candidates this telephone interview question is crucial. According to Gallup, one in 10 people have the skills to manage teams, so your candidate must be able to discuss their leadership experience to convince you of their suitability.

From coaching and mentoring to driving outcomes and delegating tasks, there are many responsibilities your candidates may mention. Looking for leadership experience from candidates who match your roles is important to ensure they’re prepared for these duties.

Assess their leadership experience and skills with a Leadership & People Management skills test before you select a candidate for your open role.

13. Can you describe your management style to me?

There are several management styles, and each candidate likely uses a unique approach. Some may prefer the autocratic style to make faster decisions, and others might use the democratic leadership style to encourage teamwork.

It’s common for leaders to combine different management styles, depending on the situation and team dynamic. For instance, to encourage team collaboration and creativity, some leaders might use a democratic or laissez-faire management style, which involves giving team members more freedom to work independently.

Ask extra questions about your candidates’ management styles and the contexts in which they use them, and don’t be afraid to ask for examples – this can be useful for determining whether they will fit into your team and whether their management style is effective. 

14. What do you want to achieve within five years?

Ambitious candidates will have established the goals they want to achieve in the short term, but few will know where they want to be in five years. What you’re looking for in your candidates’ responses is a willingness to remain with your company and achieve their career goals over time by accepting the training sessions you offer.

Your best candidates will show they want to be part of your company’s future. Check if your candidates’ long-term career ambitions align with your company and what it can offer before you hire someone.

15. Can you tell me how you manage your time and projects at work?

Understanding how your candidates manage their projects and time at work will give you a glimpse into how they meet deadlines and organize their tasks.

Responses to this telephone interview question can vary. Some candidates may use project-management tools, while others may prefer a calendar to plan for task completion. Others might need to set reminders to complete the crucial parts of their work and prioritize the most important projects. 

The key is ensuring that candidates have a system in place and that this works effectively to allow them to meet targets and deadlines. Candidates with good project and time-management skills are worth considering as a new hire. Use our Project Management skills test to assess them.

16. What do you hope to achieve in your first six months at our company?

This question is useful, especially if you’re offering a probation period to assess your employees’ performance before making their contract permanent. 

Despite the US job market seeing a total 6.1 million hires in April 2023, there were 1.8 million layoffs – many of which occurred due to poor onboarding and experience during the first few months. Your candidates’ answers to this question will help you learn if their objectives match the targets you expect them to meet within their probation period.

It may be a bad sign if your candidates’ ambitions do not correspond to the goals you have in mind. For instance, if you hope your content writer will be familiar with guest blogs and pillar posts within six months, but your candidate aims to write only shorter articles, there may be a misalignment of probation-period goals and you could be setting the candidate up for failure. 

Ask follow-up questions to fully understand their short-term goals and determine if they align with your company.

17. Please tell me what you know about this position.

Active job seekers who have applied to your position should have researched your company thoroughly, found some information about what it does, and understood the details of the role you’re offering. They should also know a little about your company’s values, its mission, and how the role relates to the company’s goals.

Candidates won’t understand everything your organization does, but you should look for candidates who can accurately describe why the role is important – this shows they have taken the time to research and they are serious about the job.

If your candidates know nothing about your company or the role or haven’t read the job description properly, your candidate may not be motivated enough.

18. Describe one thing that you’re passionate about.

Responses to this telephone interview question might be hobby-related or related to work. 

For instance, if you’re hiring a UX designer, your candidates might be passionate about creating unique and navigable designs for their users. If you’re searching for a copywriter, their main hobby may involve writing blog posts in their free time.

You should listen out for responses that show your candidates’ enthusiasm for their work, projects, or hobbies. If they’re work-related, this could translate to better productivity and focus in the work environment.

19. Can you tell me your salary expectations for this role?

If you need to determine whether your candidates’ salary expectations align with your budget, ask them this telephone interview question. To determine whether this is a good match, just compare the responses candidates give with the compensation you intend to offer them.

If you extend a job offer, you can expect some candidates to negotiate their salary expectations, but make sure their range is similar to your compensation budget. This method means you can offer a suitable salary matching their experience.

20. Which questions about the role or company do you have for me?

You can ask this question at the end of your telephone interview to determine if your candidates want to learn more about your company. Candidates could ask various questions, such as:

• Could you describe a typical workday for employees in this role?

• Do you expect this organization to see significant growth?

• Why did this position become available?

• When can I expect to hear more from you about the next steps?

How should you use telephone interview questions and skills tests to hire someone?

The most effective way to hire someone is to ask candidates to complete a skills assessment before using our telephone interview questions.

Not only does this approach help you gather some skills-related topics to discuss in the phone screening process to assess your candidates’ abilities, but it also helps you choose the very best candidates to interview.

You can also keep unconscious bias out of your recruitment process and keep your time-to-hire metrics low by choosing skills assessment methods instead of resume screening.

Assess your best talent with telephone interview questions and skills assessments

You are almost ready to begin the hiring process with these telephone interview questions and skills test suggestions. But what other actions do you need to take?

Learning how skills testing, role-specific tests, and assessments work is important. Sign up for a free demo with TestGorilla to discover how 9,000 companies have successfully used our platform and how we can support your hiring efforts.

Once you’ve seen how it works, visit our test library to begin building your skills assessment, and ensure that you can effectively narrow down your pool of candidates for interviews.

Hiring is easy with the right tools and processes. Use our telephone interview questions and skills assessments to hire the top experts for your organization.