A simple, yet often overlooked recruiting practice
Do you regularly conduct phone screening interviews?
If not, you are missing on an opportunity to significantly improve your recruitment process - and results.
Implementing a simple practice such as phone screening interviews as a regular phase of your recruitment process will help you find better candidates faster and easier.
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The benefits of phone screening interviews
Here are the top 6 benefits of phone interview screening:
1. Shorter time to hire
By conducting phone interviews in the early phase of the interviewing process, employers can save time and money that would otherwise be wasted on meeting unsuitable candidates face to face.
2. Lower cost per hire
By narrowing your applicant pool early on in the selection process, employers can significantly cut down on the recruiting costs.
3. Improved the quality of hire
Phone interviews are primarily used as a screening method which helps an employer eliminate unsuitable for a position.
4. Tests candidates’ phone communication skills
Phone interviews are an especially important part of the hiring process for positions which require great telephone communication skills.
5. Reduced bias
A properly conducted phone screening interview minimizes the impact of first impressions, thus improving the objectivity of the selection process and reducing bias in recruitment.
6. Improved candidate experience
Even candidates who don’t you don’t end up calling for a face-to-face interview will feel that you’ve given them a chance, time and attention. Conducting phone screening interviews is a simple, yet very effective way to improve the candidate experience.
How to conduct a phone interview?
Here are 5 easy tips to ensure a proper phone screening interview:
1. Format
Phone screening interviews should be formatted as structured job interviews. This means that you should ask every candidate the same interview questions in the same order.
2. Questions
Keep the question short and simple. Make a list of your top 10 phone interview questions to ask candidates in a phone interview.
3. Scorecards
Develop the rating system for your interview questions and create appropriate interview scorecards.
4. Interviews
Schedule an interview by sending customized phone interview invitation email template and conduct interviews with your candidates.
5. Make notes
Taking notes of your candidate’s answers during an interview is mandatory for objective assessment.
6. Compare the candidates
Rate every candidate based on his/her answers and then compare candidates against each other.
