The phone interview can be a time saver in your candidate evaluation process. Applicants' answers over the phone can allow you to quickly identify the most promising candidates who you may want to bring in for an in-person interview.
Here are some tips for getting the most out of a phone interview:
1. Do your homework
Once you've reviewed resumes and have your applicant pool narrowed down, dialing up candidates to ask some initial questions – and further narrow down your list – can be more efficient than inviting them all in for in-person interviews. But since talking on the phone is very different than meeting in person, you may need some telephone interview tips to follow when calling your top job candidates. Here are a few:
- Prepare and practice. Before you pick up the phone, make sure you’ve reviewed the candidate’s application and have it in front of you. Having reviewed the job description and discussed with your team the staffing needs going forward, be sure your notes and the questions that you want to ask the candidate are within arm’s reach as well. It’s a good idea, before picking up the phone, to get comfortable with what you want to convey, so that you don’t stumble over your words or clutter your speech with “um”s. A quick practice run should be sufficient.
- Cover the background material. When the candidate is on the line, thank him for his time and let him know what you plan to discuss during the phone call. Introduce yourself and briefly discuss what your organization does and the role of the current open position. Let the candidate know how the position fits within the organization’s goals.
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