How To Succeed At Engineering Phone Interviews?

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Engineering phone interviews are an easy way for employers to filter candidates before inviting them for a face-to-face interview. Usually, phone interviews happen suddenly without any notice. Therefore, you should be prepared for those interviews before they happen.

Engineering phone interviews happen without prior notice and are usually very quick, under 30 minutes. The way to succeed at phone interviews and progress to face-to-face interviews is to show how your skills match the position you are applying for and how they align with the company goals.

Because phone interviews are unexpected, the best way to prepare for phone interviews is to do as much research as possible when you apply for the position.

It is easy to forget about a job you applied for a few weeks ago and suddenly get a phone call about a phone interview. This is why preparation and understanding the job role in detail are key to success in phone interviews.

The above is a quick answer to how to succeed at engineering phone interviews. The following gives more contexts to how you can succeed at engineering phone interviews in detail:

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How to prepare for engineering phone interviews?

Phone interviews usually happen a few weeks after you apply for the job. Phone interviews happen when the employer and the recruiter have too many candidates and try to narrow down to the best 5 or 10 candidates for face-to-face interviews. Therefore, the phone interview can be very random and unexpected.

A random number calls you during the day turns into a 30 minutes phone interview. When you are asked to do a phone interview, It is best to go through the interview and not ask for a callback unless the time is inconvenient for you.

Therefore, the only time you have to prepare for a sudden phone interview is before you apply for the job. You must research as much as possible about the company while writing your cover letter and resume. There are two things you should be very familiar with when you apply for a job:

1- Know the company

Knowing what the company is and its goals are critical. This is simple research you should do when you apply for the job, and it helps give you more understanding of the company, and it also helps you provide good answers during the phone interview.

2- The key responsibilities of the job

During the phone interview, there will be some related questions about the role, which is why knowing the key responsibilities in detail is the key to success in phone interviews.

What questions are asked in engineering phone interviews?

Engineering phone interview questions are usually basic questions about you and why you are applying for this job. The person who usually does the phone interview is either a recruiter or an HR manager, so there might not be any technical interview questions. However, it is highly possible that the interviewer is an engineer for smaller companies.

If you are reading this, you are probably expecting a phone interview. The following are three of our best resources to help you get through interview questions:

The following are 10 common questions in an engineering phone interview:

What do you know about our company?

How to answer: This is a straightforward question by the interviewer; they want to know how much you know about the company you want to work for. To answer this question, start by mentioning their core business and capability and then say a specific project that they are working on that you are interested in and how did you hear about this company (There are no right or wrong answers here. Just mention how much you know).

What attracted you the most about our company and this position?

How to answer: Mention one or two specific tasks for this position and connect them to the company goals and speciality.

Example: I have always wanted to be involved in vehicle manufacturing. Being part of the quality control team will help me bring my attention to detail and problem-solving skills.

How did you hear about us?

Example: I came to know your company because of the building you did on Broadway St. This is the tallest in the area with clearly impressive engineering and architectural features. Since completing this building, your company has been on my radar, and I have followed your projects very closely.

Why should we hire you?

How to answer: This is a classic question and also quite tricky. A bad way to answer this question is to say that I am motivated and highly skilled, and I will most certainly be your best pick for the job. Instead, you need to associate some level of emotion when answering the question.

Example: Since I was a young kid, I was always fascinated by computers, and because of my curiosity, I learned a few programming languages, which enabled me to make my first game with my school friends at the age of 12. This passion for technology has only grown more as I went into high school and university. I believe you should hire me because I am genuinely passionate about programming and have spent a lifetime learning and sharpening my skills to be a successful software engineer.

Please explain why you would like to join our company and why are you interested in working for us?

How to answer: A bad way to answer this question is to start listing your skills. You need to bring some emotions to the answer. You have a deep desire to become a successful engineer, which is why you want to be in this company, not because you spent 4 years at university. See the example above.

Why are you leaving your current position?

How to answer: The best way to answer this question is to mention that you have outgrown your current position and feel there is no more for you to learn or that you are looking at something more challenging. This is not the time to mention how horrible the old workplace is; keep it professional.

Example: I am looking to take on more responsibility, and I feel that I have progressed as far as I can in my current role. I am looking for a position that gives me more exposure to wastewater treatment, water engineering and project management, which I studied at university, that my current role does not offer. I have learned a lot from my past experiences, which I believe will benefit this team and allow me to grow my skills further.

What was the most challenging thing about your previous position?

How to answer: In this question, you should only focus on the technical aspect of a job you handled in your previous position and how you overcame it. This is not the time to mention conflicts you had in your old positions. You can use the example in the previous question.

Give me an example where you had to step in and lead everyone?

Example: A few years ago, I had to step into my boss’s position when he was on holiday for six weeks. This was a tough time. Our company was busy because we were getting ready to lunch a new line of products which we also ran into a few technical problems that required immediate action. Because my boss was not around, I had to step in and assume leadership. Although I have been making critical decisions in the company for a few years, this involved big decisions that put the company’s survival on the line. However, I got it done, and because of it, our company sales revenue increased by 20%.

What is your biggest weakness?

Example: Public speaking makes me nervous. In my recent role, I had to do a lot of public speaking to my company staff on the new management system that we are trying to implement in our company that I was in charge of. To combat this, I spoke to my mentor, who recommended that I speak to members individually before the meeting, which made me realise that my public speaking can help many staff learn more about the new management system, as many had similar questions. The experience made me more relaxed and energetic and made the staff extremely engaging.

What is your biggest strength?

Example: I am an extremely creative person. In my recent role, I was in charge of the company’s weekly internal meeting. I realised that those meetings were not very productive. Which made me produce a meeting agenda before the meeting for staff to discuss, take the minutes during the meeting and produce a set of actions for individual staff after the meeting. This has increased productivity and effectiveness in the workplace. Everyone knew what they needed to do, eliminating the staff’s confusion and miscommunication.

How to leave a good impression in engineering phone interviews?

Phone interviews might be intimidating since you can not see the person you are speaking to, and you have never met them before. The interviewer can only evaluate you based on your answers. This is why you need to keep in mind the following when answering phone interview questions to leave a good impression:

1- Listen

Since you can not see the interviewer, it is important to listen to the question and ask for clarification in case the question is unclear. You have only one chance to answer those questions, so make sure you do the phone interview in a quiet space without any interruptions.

2- Talk slowly in a natural voice

There is no point in speaking fast when you are answering the questions. You might have an accent, or the interviewer might have an accent, so speaking fast might make your answer unclear. There is a chance that the person who is interviewing you is not an engineer; therefore, speak slowly in a natural voice and simplify your answer as much as possible.

3- Use keywords and action words in your answers

Using keywords and action words is a good way when answer phone interview questions. Keywords such as engineering technical terms or software you use for this job. Action words are statements that show your competence, such as I supervised, I designed, I managed, I drafted, .. etc. Adopting keywords and action words in your answers can show that you are aware of the position you are applying for and have the capability to do the job.