While phone screens are becoming a more common hiring practice, they are still an underutilized part of the hiring process for many small businesses. Thinking back to the positions I’ve interviewed for, none but my current job got me on the phone before inviting me in for an in-person interview. While it’s certainly exciting for a candidate to be invited into an office after sending in a resume, it’s ultimately a waste of everyone’s time when it quickly becomes clear the candidate is not right for the job.
A phone screen is a short call with an applicant to determine if they are a good fit to move forward with your hiring process. This 15-30 minute call is for going over the basics of the position, the applicant’s qualifications, and to trying to discover any obvious red flags.
Phone screens can be hugely beneficial in narrowing down a large applicant pool and setting up quality in-person interviews. Here are a few tips to conducting efficient phone screens:
Ask Knockout Questions
If you didn’t utilize these type of questions as part of the application, now is the time. Can they work weekends? Do they need to speak fluent Spanish? Are they familiar with Salesforce? If you have a deal breaker qualification that doesn’t come up on their resume, a phone screen is the right time to ask it before you spend any more time on a candidate who won’t be the right fit.
Keep It Short
This isn’t a full interview, but rather a way to for you and the candidate to determine if there is a mutual interest to move forward. Hit on the most important qualities you’re looking for in a candidate. Are they well-spoken? Do they understand the position? What questions do they ask you to demonstrate genuine interest?
Follow-Up
Whether you’re rejecting them or asking them to move forward, candidate communication is just as important after phone screens as it is after an interview. Whether they’re a great candidate or not, your level of communication is a reflection of your company and can ultimately affect your business’s reputation. An applicant tracking system, like CareerPlug, includes email templates to make candidate communication as easy as clicking send.
Do you use phone screens as part of your hiring process?
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