Phone screen Interview Questions

Phone screen interview questions are used in the first job interview with job candidates to screen them. The goal of the phone screen interview is to choose a few top candidates that would be asked to come in for the job interview. Discover the best examples and phone interview questions templates!

➡️ Before we dig deeper into the phone screen interview questions, don’t forget to download The Ultimate Candidate Interview & Employee Onboarding Checklist!

What are phone screen interview questions?

Phone screen interview questions are questions employers ask job candidates in their first job interview, typically conducted over the phone.

Phone interview questions are generally employers first direct contact with their applicants.

Once employers review all the received resumes, they will conduct phone screen interviews with suitable candidates.

During these initial screening interviews, employers aim to find out which applicants are the most suitable for the position they want to fill.

Why are phone screen interview questions important?

Phone screen interviews are an important part of every successful and cost-effective hiring process.

By asking job applicants a certain set of interview questions over the phone, employers can eliminate unsuitable among them right at the start of the hiring process.

That way, they can save their time and money by meeting only with a few top candidates in a face to face job interview.

Phone interview questions are especially useful when looking to hire candidates for job positions which require great phone communication skills, such as Call Center Representative job position.

Examples of the best phone screen interview questions

Here is the list of the best phone screen interview questions examples to ask job candidates in order to find the ones that are the best fit for your open job position and your company culture:

Phone screen interview questions for evaluating a job competencies

1. How many years of experience do you have in [insert appropriate job position/industry]?
2. Do you have a [insert appropriate must-have qualification, such as: certification, driver license, etc.]?
3. Do you have experience using [X] software in any of your previous jobs?
4. Are authorized/licensed to work in [X] area?
5. What are you looking for in your next position?

Phone screen interview questions for assessing candidates’ motivation

1. How did you find out about this job opening?
2. What made you apply for this position?
3. What excites you most about this position?
4. Why are you leaving your current workplace?
5. What motivated you to choose this career path?

Phone screen interview questions for evaluating a company culture fit

1. What type of workplace culture do you thrive in?
2. Describe the type of work environment in which you can really give your best and be most productive.
3. Describe your ideal working situation (work environment, hours, travel, and the like).
4. What do you know about our company?
5. Why do you want to work at our company instead of somewhere else?

Phone screen interview questions about salary expectations

1. How much do you earn now?
2. What are your salary expectations for this position?

Phone screen interview questions about candidates’ availability and flexibility

1. Are you willing to relocate for this job?
2. The working schedule for this position is [insert appropriate days and hours]. Is that OK with you?
3. If you were hired, how soon can you start?
4. Are you willing to agree to have a drug test, a criminal and educational background check, references checks and other tests appropriate for this position?
5. If we were to ask you in for a face to face interview, when would you be available?

How to use these phone screen interview questions?

In order to ensure fairness and objectiveness of your interviewing process, you should follow these 6 steps:

1. Make a list of the phone screen interview questions you want to ask your candidates.
2. Develop a rating system for each question and create interview scorecards.
3. Ask every candidate interviewing for a certain job position the same questions in the same order.
4. Take notes of candidates answers!
5. Score each of your candidates’ answers.
6. Compare candidates’ scores to choose the top ones!

Looking for more phone interview questions?

If you’re looking for more great interview questions to ask job candidates, browse our list of interview questions by type.

Make sure you also check out our Complete guide for asking candidates the best interview questions.