What is a phone screen?
A phone screen is a short first-round call between a recruiter and an applicant. It answers two questions. Does this person meet the must-haves for the job? And are they worth an hour of the hiring manager’s time?
Most phone screens last 15 to 30 minutes, the range Robert Half gives. For hourly jobs, 10 minutes is often enough. Keep deep questions about skills and past projects for the next round. The phone screen is about fit for the basics: schedule, pay, location, the must-have skills and real interest in the job.
15 phone screen questions to ask every candidate
These work for almost any role. Ask them in this order, and ask every candidate the same ones so you can compare answers.
- 1. "Can you walk me through your current or most recent job?" A warm start. Listen for what they actually did each day, not their job title.
- 2. "Why are you looking for a new job right now?" Listen for a reason that this job fixes. If they want more hours and you offer 20 a week, you have found a problem early.
- 3. "What made you apply for this role?" Strong candidates name something specific from the job post. Weak ones say they are open to anything.
- 4. "What do you know about our company?" You are not testing research. You are checking that they know who they applied to.
- 5. "This job is [days and hours]. Does that schedule work for you?" A knockout question. Read the real schedule out loud, including weekends and nights.
- 6. "The job is based at [location]. How would you get there?" A knockout question for on-site roles. A long or unreliable commute is a common reason new hires quit.
- 7. "Are you legally authorized to work in the US?" Ask it this way, with a yes or no answer. Do not ask where they are from.
- 8. "The pay for this role is [range]. Does that work for you?" Saying the range first saves both of you a wasted interview.
- 9. "When could you start?" Ask how much notice they need to give. A start date that is a month away matters if you need someone next week.
- 10. "Do you have [must-have license, certificate or skill]?" Only ask about what the job truly needs on day one.
- 11. "Tell me about a time you [did the hardest part of this job]." For a customer service role: a time you calmed down an upset customer. Listen for a real story with a result.
- 12. "What tools or software have you used in your last job?" Name the ones you use, like a point-of-sale system, a CRM or Excel, and ask how often they used them.
- 13. "What would your last manager say you do best, and what you need to work on?" It asks for strengths and weaknesses in a way that is easier to answer honestly.
- 14. "What matters most to you in your next job?" Compare the answer with what this job really offers.
- 15. "What questions do you have for me?" Good candidates ask about the work, the team or the training. No questions at all is a mild warning sign.
Knockout questions: what to ask first
Knockout questions have a clear pass or fail answer. Questions 5 to 10 above are knockout questions. Ask them in the first few minutes. If someone cannot work weekends and the job is weekends, a 25-minute call helps nobody.
Write the knockout questions and the passing answer before the first call, and use the same ones for every applicant. Keep them to what the job truly needs. "Must have a forklift certificate" is fair for a forklift job. "Must have five years of experience" often cuts people who could do the job well.
When a candidate fails one, tell them kindly and end the call. Many teams move these questions into a short form that applicants fill in before anyone calls. Goodfit’s pre-screening does this for shift, location, license and pay.
Phone screen questions by role
Swap questions 10 to 12 for ones about the actual work. Our role guides each include a 10-minute phone screen script, the knockout questions and a 1 to 5 scorecard:
What not to ask on a phone screen
Phone screens are casual, which is when risky questions slip out. The EEOC says questions before a job offer should be limited to what you need to know to decide if someone is qualified. Employers may not ask about disability before an offer. Questions that point to race, sex, national origin, age or religion can be used as evidence of discrimination. State and city laws add more rules, so check yours.
| Do not ask | Why | Ask instead |
|---|---|---|
| How old are you? When did you finish school? | Points to age. Federal law protects workers 40 and over. | Are you at least 18? (only if the job requires it) |
| Do you have kids? Are you married? | Points to sex and family status, and has nothing to do with the job. | This job is [schedule]. Can you work it? |
| Do you have any health problems? What medication do you take? | Questions about disability are not allowed before a job offer. | Can you do the main tasks of this job, with or without an accommodation? |
| Where are you from? Is English your first language? | Points to national origin. | Are you legally authorized to work in the US? (and, if the job needs it) This job is in English. Are you comfortable with that? |
| What church do you go to? Do you need Sundays off for religion? | Points to religion. | This job includes Sunday shifts. Does that work for you? |
| How much do you make now? | Some US states and cities ban questions about past pay. | The pay is [range]. Does that work for you? |
| Have you ever been arrested? | An arrest is not a conviction. Many states and cities limit when you can ask about criminal records. | Leave background checks to the step your state allows, usually after an offer. |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
A 15-minute phone screen script
Use this script for every call so each candidate gets the same questions in the same order. Keep notes in the candidate’s own words under each step.
- Minute 0 to 1, the opening: "Hi, this is [name] from [company], calling about the [role] job you applied for. Is now still a good time? The call takes about 15 minutes."
- Minute 1 to 4, knockout questions: schedule, location, work authorization, pay range, start date and any must-have license. If one is a clear no, thank them, say why, and end the call.
- Minute 4 to 6, background: their current or last job, and why they are looking.
- Minute 6 to 11, two or three job questions: one about the hardest part of the job, one about tools, and one about what their last manager would say.
- Minute 11 to 13, the job: pay, hours, where it is, what the first week looks like and what happens next.
- Minute 13 to 15, their questions and the close: "What questions do you have for me? We will let you know by [day]."
- Right after the call: score each answer from 1 to 5 before the next call, while you still remember it.
How to score a phone screen
Most phone screen notes say "seemed good" or "nice person". Those notes cannot be compared across 40 candidates or two recruiters. Score each answer instead.
Mark each knockout question pass or fail. Then score each job question from 1 to 5, and write down what a 1, a 3 and a 5 sound like before the first call. For "tell me about a time you calmed down an upset customer", a 1 is no example, a 3 is a real example with no result, and a 5 is a real example where they say what they did and how it ended.
Add up the job question scores. Move forward everyone who passes every knockout question and scores above the bar you set. When two recruiters screen for the same role, have them both score the same two or three calls first and compare. Our scorecard builder makes the rubric for you, and the guide to structured interview questions covers how to write one.
Phone screen red flags
One red flag rarely decides a call on its own. Note it, and ask a follow-up question before you judge.
- They do not know which job or company they applied to.
- Every answer is general, with no real example, even after you ask for one.
- They speak badly of every past employer.
- Their answers do not match their resume, such as dates, job titles or tools.
- They miss the call and do not reply, or reschedule more than once without a reason.
- They have no questions about the job at all.
Ways to run phone screens
A recruiter on the phone is still the most common way. When applicants come in by the hundred, teams add a form, a recorded video or an AI phone call. We checked each price on the vendor’s own pricing page on October 24, 2026.
| Method | How it works | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruiter phone call | A recruiter books a time, calls, asks the questions and writes notes | Senior roles and small numbers of applicants | Recruiter time, plus the back-and-forth to book each call |
| Knockout form | Applicants answer the pass or fail questions in a short form when they apply | Cutting clear mismatches before anyone calls | Usually included in your applicant tracking system |
| One-way video | Applicants record answers to set questions on video, with no follow-up questions | Office roles where seeing the person matters early | Spark Hire video interviews start at $249 a month billed yearly, or $299 month to month |
| AI phone screen | An AI agent calls each applicant, asks your questions with follow-ups, and scores each answer | High-volume and hourly roles, where applicants are hard to reach in office hours | Goodfit: $5 per finished interview, first 20 free. Phonescreen: from $99 a month for 25 screens, then $4 each. |
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Phone screening hundreds of applicants
At 15 minutes a call, 200 applicants is 50 hours of phone time before anyone books a single call or writes a note. Most of those hours go to people who fail a knockout question in the first two minutes.
Goodfit runs the phone screen as a real phone call. It calls each applicant in the hours you set, asks if now is a good time, then asks your questions and follows up on vague answers. If nobody answers, it tries again later. If the candidate is busy, it calls back at the time they ask for. Every call is recorded and transcribed, and each answer gets a score on your rubric, with the candidate’s words next to it. Your team starts the day with a ranked list and decides who moves forward.
It costs $5 per finished interview, with no contract, and your first 20 are free. A call where the candidate is connected for less than 2 minutes, like a wrong number, is not billed. After Springworks let Goodfit run the first call, its team went from 5 to 15 interviews a day to more than 50. See how AI phone screening works.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a phone screen interview be?
Usually 15 to 30 minutes. For hourly jobs, 10 minutes is often enough to check the schedule, pay and a few job questions. Ask the knockout questions in the first few minutes, so a call with a clear mismatch can end early.
What questions do recruiters ask in a phone screen?
Recruiters ask about your current job, why you are looking, why you applied, whether the schedule, location and pay work for you, whether you are authorized to work in the US, when you can start, and one or two questions about real past work. They end by asking what questions you have.
What should you not ask on a phone screen?
Do not ask about age, marriage, children, health or medication, religion, where someone is from, or arrests. In some US states and cities you also cannot ask about past pay. Ask about the job instead, for example whether the person can work the schedule or do the main tasks.
Can you ask about salary expectations in a phone screen?
Yes, you can ask what someone expects to earn. Some states and cities ban questions about past or current pay, so avoid "How much do you make now?" The simplest way is to say the pay range for the job and ask if it works for them.
How do you score a phone screen?
Mark each knockout question pass or fail. Score each job question from 1 to 5, using a short description of a 1, a 3 and a 5 that you write before the first call. Score right after each call, and move forward everyone who passes the knockouts and scores above your bar.
Can AI do phone screens?
Yes. AI phone screening tools call each applicant, ask your questions, ask follow-up questions and score the answers. With Goodfit, every call has a recording and a transcript, and your team reviews a ranked list and makes every decision. It suits high-volume and hourly hiring, where applicants are hard to reach during office hours.