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Recruiter’s Best Phone Interview Question

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Interested in starting a job search? Looking for a recruiter to assist you? Prepare yourself for that initial conversation by practicing your answers to the following best phone interview question from the Recruiters at Smith Hanley Associates.

Why are you looking to make a change from your current company?

Data Science and Analytics Recruiter, Paul Chatlos, feels you can learn a lot about a person by their answer to this best phone interview question. You might respond about changes in the industry you are in or looking for a new cultural fit, perhaps changing from a start-up to a larger organization. Paul says, “This question establishes a partnership between me the recruiter and the job searcher. Instead of just reviewing a slew of jobs with them, I target what they are most interested in.”

What are you most proud of?

Eda Zullo, Pharmaceutical Commercial Analytics Recruiter, feels this best phone interview question can be quite insightful for her as well as for the job searcher. “The job searcher is often excited to share what they have accomplished, or sometimes humbled that they don’t have something significant to report. It can highlight where their strengths are or for the humbled candidate what they need to look for in their next position to make sure they can answer this question with a clear accomplishment in their new job.”

Tell me about a time when you had a project fail?

Your answer to this best phone interview question can show a high level of self-awareness in acknowledging that all projects are not successful and how your personality reacts to bad news. Do you laugh and recognize we all make mistakes or do you get defensive. Data Science and Analytics Recruiter, Nancy Darian, says, “I like to see how the job searcher walks through the project execution with me. Do they recognize where it went wrong and can they share what they learned.”

What would you like to do differently in the next position?

Instead of just having you detail what you want in the next position, Rory Hauser, Actuarial Recruiter, asks you to discuss how to differentiate your desired job from the one you now have. “We end up discussing their current responsibilities and what they like or dislike about them, and delving in to what they really like to do. The job searcher’s preferences can be a renewed focus on managing a team, or to stop doing valuations or to do more modeling. This discussion early on carries them through the interview process, and is a good reminder at the offer stage of why they might choose to leave their current job for this new one.”

Want to talk more? Contact the Recruiters at Smith Hanley Associates.

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