Telephone Interview Questions: 20 Common Questions and How to Answer Them

The questions UK employers and recruiters most often ask on a telephone interview, what each one is checking, the practical questions about salary, notice and right to work, and how to prepare and come across well on a call.

By Tony Musso on Wed Oct 28 2026

A telephone interview is often the first real conversation you have with an employer. It is usually shorter than a face-to-face interview, and its job is simple: to check that you are a realistic fit before anyone spends an hour with you. Many recruiters, HR teams and agencies use a phone call to screen applicants, so how you handle it decides whether you reach the next stage.

This guide covers the questions you are most likely to hear on a telephone interview, what the interviewer is really checking with each one, and how to prepare so you sound clear and confident without being able to see the person you are talking to.

What a telephone interview is for

Most phone interviews are screening calls. The person calling might be an in-house recruiter, someone from HR, a recruitment agency consultant or the hiring manager. They usually want to confirm four things:

You understand the role and applied for a real reason.
Your experience matches what is on your CV and what the job needs.
The practical details work: salary, notice period, location, hours and right to work.
You communicate clearly, which matters even more when there is no body language to help.

Because the call is short, interviewers ask fewer questions and expect tighter answers. Aim for answers of a minute or so, rather than the longer stories you might tell in a full interview.

Questions about you and your motivation

1. Tell me about yourself. Give a short summary: what you do now, one or two relevant achievements and why you are interested in this role. Our guide to answering "tell me about yourself" has example answers for different situations.

2. Why did you apply for this role? Link something specific in the job advert to your skills or goals. Show that you read it.

3. What do you know about us? Mention what the organisation does, who its customers or service users are, and something recent or distinctive you found on its website.

4. Why are you looking to leave your current job? Keep it positive and forward-looking: more responsibility, a new direction, a better fit. Avoid criticising your current employer.

5. What are you looking for in your next role? Describe the kind of work, team and development you want, and make sure it matches what this job offers.

Questions about your experience

6. Can you talk me through your CV? Start with your current or most recent role and work back briefly. Highlight the experience most relevant to this job rather than listing everything.

7. What does a typical day look like in your current job? Use it to show the tasks and responsibilities that overlap with the new role.

8. What experience do you have of [a key requirement]? Expect at least one question built from the essential criteria in the job description. Have a short example ready for each.

9. Tell me about a time you [solved a problem / handled a difficult customer / met a tight deadline]. Some phone interviews include one or two competency questions. Use the STAR method (situation, task, action, result), but keep it brief.

10. What are your main strengths? Choose two or three strengths that the job needs and back each with a quick example.

11. Is there anything in the job description you have less experience of? Be honest, then explain how you would close the gap.

Practical questions

Screening calls nearly always cover the practical details, so have your answers ready.

12. What are your salary expectations? Research the going rate first and give a range based on the role and your experience. Our salary negotiation guide explains how to frame it.

13. What is your notice period? Check your contract before the call. Our guide to notice periods explains how they work if you are unsure.

14. When could you start? Give a realistic date based on your notice period and any holiday already booked.

15. Do you have the right to work in the UK? Employers must check this before you start. Know what documents or share code you will use, as our right to work guide explains.

16. Are you happy with the location, hours or working pattern? Be clear about what you can do, including travel, shifts or hybrid working.

17. Are you interviewing anywhere else? You can say yes without naming employers. It shows you are in demand and helps them plan their timeline.

Questions to close the call

18. Do you have any questions for me? Always ask one or two. Good choices for a phone screen are about the next stages, the team and what success looks like in the first few months. Our list of questions to ask at the end of an interview has more ideas.

19. Is there anything else you would like us to know? Use it to repeat your interest and add one strength you have not mentioned.

20. How would you prefer us to contact you? Confirm the best number and email, and check your voicemail greeting sounds professional.

How to prepare for a telephone interview

Confirm the details. Note the time, who is calling whom, the number and roughly how long the call will last.
Reread the job advert and your CV. The interviewer will have your CV in front of them, so know what is on it.
Prepare short examples for the essential criteria and two or three strengths.
Have the practical answers ready: salary range, notice period, start date and right to work.
Write down two questions to ask at the end.
Choose a quiet place with a good signal, and charge your phone.

Keep the job description, your CV and a few notes in front of you. That is one advantage of a phone call: the interviewer cannot see your notes. Do not read answers word for word, though, as it is easy to hear.

On the call

Answer with your name if you are expecting the call, so the interviewer knows they have the right person.
Stand or sit upright. Many people find their voice sounds more energetic that way.
Smile while you talk. It changes your tone more than you would expect.
Pause before answering if you need a moment. Silence feels longer on the phone, so a short "That's a good question, let me think" helps.
Do not interrupt. Without visual cues it is easy to talk over each other, so let the interviewer finish.
Finish with thanks and confirm the next steps and when you might hear back.

If the call drops, ring back straight away or send a short email explaining what happened.

After the call

Write down the questions you were asked and anything you want to improve while it is fresh. If you have an email address for the interviewer, a short thank-you note on the same day is a nice touch; our guide to the follow-up email after an interview has examples. Then prepare for the next stage, which our step-by-step guide to how to prepare for an interview covers in full.

Make sure your CV backs up what you say. The interviewer will work through your CV on the call. CV Studio helps you write one that is clear, accurate and matched to the job.

Build your CV in CV Studio