Phone screen questions by role

The five everyone gets

"Tell me about yourself." They want a minute, in this order: what you do now, what you did before, why you are on this call.

"I'm a staff nurse on a surgical ward, three years in. Before that I trained at St Mary's. I'm looking at this post because I want to move into day surgery."

"Why this role?" One reason about the work and one about the place. A reason that would fit any employer does not count.

"Why are you leaving?" Talk about where you are going. Complaints about the current job are remembered longer than anything else you say.

"What are your salary expectations?" Give a range you would accept, or ask for theirs.

"What range has been set for the role? I'd like to make sure we're in the same place."

"When could you start?" Know your notice period to the day.

Nurses

The screen checks that you can do the shifts and have worked with the patients. The harder questions come later.

• "Which settings and patient groups have you worked with?"
• "Are you able to work nights and weekends?"
• "Tell me about a time you had to prioritize between several patients."

For the third, pick one shift and tell it in order. What was happening, what you chose to do first, and how it ended. More questions are on the nurse interview page.

Teachers

Expect the practical facts first, then one question about a difficult class.

• "Which age groups and subjects have you taught?"
• "What is your notice period, and when does it fall in the school year?"
• "How do you manage a class that isn't listening?"

Answer the third with a real class and what you changed. More questions are on the teacher interview page.

Managers

A recruiter screening for a manager is listening for scale and for one hard decision.

• "How many people have you managed directly?"
• "Tell me about a time you gave feedback someone did not want to hear."
• "What would your team say about working for you?"

Use numbers for the first and a single story for the second. More questions are on the manager interview page.

Answering on a phone

Use notes. Nobody can see them. Three bullet points per question is enough, and reading full sentences sounds like reading.

Keep answers under two minutes. On a call there is no face to tell you when to stop. Finish your point and let the silence happen.

Ask one question at the end. It shows you intend to get there.

"What does the next stage look like, and when should I expect to hear?"

Rehearse out loud

Answers that read well on paper often come out twice as long when spoken. Say each one once with a timer running.

The phone screen at the top of this page is a live call: a recruiter rings, asks the opening questions and follows up on what you say. The app has longer mock interviews, and there are worked answers on the phone interview questions page.

Updated 11 November 2026.