How To Do A Good Phone Job Interview

Whether yous're a Recruiter or Hiring Manager, knowing how to comport a phone interview is an essential part of the screening process. In a matter of 30-minutes, you tin uncover whether or not a candidate has the right skills and experience for the job. However, you can likewise judge other vital factors, such as team fit, mental attitude, and ethics.

Below, we share the benefits of conducting a telephone interview, tips on preparing for a phone interview, sample questions to ask, and those to avoid.

Benefits of Conducting a Phone Interview

Phone interviews are an essential function of the mod hiring process, offer convenience for both the jobseeker and Hiring Manager akin. While in-person interviews will remain an essential part of the hiring process, most applicants have come to expect an initial phone screening prior to an in-person visit.

Being able to acquit a phone interview offers the following advantages.

Convenience in scheduling

It'due south much easier for someone to find 30-minutes to acquit a phone interview than to find the time to go into an office for an in-person interview.

Higher book screening

By starting the interview process with a phone interview, you are able to filter through a higher book of candidates in a shorter catamenia of time.

Decreased travel expenses

Information technology's not uncommon for multiple people to be a part of a phone interview. If different members of your organization are in different locations, a phone interview quickly becomes the most convenient solution.

With years of experience running a top staffing agency in Florida, nosotros know how to conduct phone interviews that go out candidates excited and eager to motility forward in the interview procedure.

Preparing to conduct a Phone Interview

Hopefully by now you accept a clear view of the benefits a phone interview can provide. The next step is learning how to set up yourself or your team to behave successful interviews via the telephone.

1. Enquiry the interviewee

To set up for a telephone interview, start by doing some inquiry on the individual who yous will be interviewing. We recommend reviewing their resume, LinkedIn profile, the job description, and whatever other supplemental information provided. This will come in handy afterwards when you are preparing phone interview questions to ask.

ii. Find a quiet place

If possible, conduct your phone interview in a repose space. Conducting a telephone interview while in a public or noisy space is non advisable. You could exist interrupted, and it could be viewed every bit disrespectful to the interviewee. These groundwork noises might be okay for you, simply they may exist distracting to the applicant. This could crusade them to stumble in what otherwise could have been an splendid interview.

3. Prepare relevant interview questions

While there is definitely some value in preparing general interview questions to inquire all of your applicants, candidate-specific questions are highly appropriate. Candidate-specific questions allow you to dig deeper into the information on their resume. It also shows the bidder that yous accept washed your homework, and that you're seriously considering their asking to work for you.

Good Phone Interview Questions

When conducting a telephone interview, the questions you ask will either make it worthwhile or a complete waste product of time. By asking good interview questions, you should exist able to larn enough about the candidate to make up one's mind whether or not they should move forwards in the interview process.

The goal of your phone interview should exist to proceeds a deeper agreement of the candidate's background, credentials, and career expectations. If all of these align with what you have to offer, you take a groovy match!

1. Why are you looking for a new position?

Agreement why the applicant is looking for a new position is a crucial office of the interview process. No, this isn't meant to be a catch-all where the bidder is forced to disclose that they were recently fired or laid off. While that may come up, at that place is a more important reason to ask this question. That is, to decide if they will be happy in the position y'all are interviewing for. If they just left their chore because they hated working long hours, and y'all know your job requires long hours, it's probably non a good fit. On the flip side, if they left considering they felt they hit a glass ceiling, and you know the position yous are hiring for has a ton of room for growth, it could be a smashing opportunity to sell the office.

two. What are your salary expectations for this office?

While this usually wouldn't be the first question you'd ask in an interview, it can be a dandy filter to narrow down a large listing of potential candidates. It would be a huge waste of time to go through multiple rounds of interviews only to find out that the salary expectations were non in alignment. This happens time and time once again, but in most cases tin hands be avoided.

3. Your resume mentions that you were responsible for a sixty% increase in sales at your last company. How did yous reach that?

This is an case of a custom interview question. Like we mentioned above, it's of import to review the interviewee's information and set up a couple of questions that are completely unique to them. This allows yous to gain a better understanding of their background, and fact-check some of their statements.

If you would like to get help with the recruitment process and relieve your squad of the initial hiring administrative tasks, such equally conducting first-round phone interviews, we tin can help.

Related: The Best Behavioral Questions To Ask Candidates

Telephone interview questions to avert

Bad phone interview questions can create a poor candidate feel, waste hours of time, and potentially take legal implications. With such a serious downside, it's worth spending fourth dimension to learn how to avoid these potentially damaging interview questions.

Questions that enquire for personal information

You must avoid asking questions that are related to the candidate's age, marital status, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, disability condition, sexual orientation, plans to conceive, etc. In improver, y'all should avoid sharing any of this information about yourself. Doing so may make the candidate feel uncomfortable and could as well open you or your visitor upwards to legal action.

Questions asked for the sake of passing time

While this is rarely intentional, and typically happens due to a lack of training, it's important not to ask questions just for the sake of request questions. It tin be tempting to get online and Google "interview questions to ask candidates" and and then contain those questions into your phone interview. However, think almost each question and what significance it plays in the interview procedure. There are enough quality interview questions out there to make full a 30-minute time slot.

Related Web log: Read our commodity on the worst interview questions to inquire candidates

Conduct a Phone Interview FAQS

We are regularly asked questions related to phone interviews. For your convenience, we have compiled some frequently asked questions too every bit our answers.

How long does the average phone interview final?

The average telephone interview last for effectually 30 minutes. Of course, this tin range wildly. At Amazon, it is non uncommon for a concluding phase phone interview to consist of five back to dorsum 45-minute interviews. Granted, these are 45-minute interviews with 5 dissimilar individuals at the organization. For a 1-on-1 phone interview, xxx-minutes is usually plenty time.

Who should phone call who to initiate the telephone interview?

Typically, it is the hiring director, headhunter, or recruiter'south responsibility to arrange the phone interview (ostend candidates' availability, send out calendar invites, etc.), and brand the telephone call.

What percentage of the time should I be talking or listening?

Interviews are intended to be conversational. Remember, this is not an interrogation. A quality applicant should be just as concerned nigh joining the right company, as you are nearly hiring the right talent. Try to proceed the interview every bit close equally possible to a l/50 taking to listening ratio. Sharing extensively near the function and not allowing the candidate to share about themselves will do a not bad job of informing them of the job but a lousy task at informing you if they are a quality candidate. Conversely, simply asking questions without giving the bidder a take chances to learn about the part may help you lot with screening, but does a poor task at ensuring the bidder is able to make a well-informed decision.

What happens if the interviewee does non reply their phone?

If the interviewee does not reply their phone when you call, leave a voicemail. Some people like to screen their calls. This can exist avoided by scheduling the telephone call alee of time and providing the phone number that you will exist calling from. If the bidder does not call back within a few minutes, it's time to motion on with your twenty-four hours.

How should I conclude the phone interview?

The best manner to conclude a phone interview is with some level of transparency. If the applicant is worthy of moving forward to the next round, let them know someone will be contacting them to schedule a follow-up. Should they non be deemed a good fit for the position, let them know why or tell them that y'all have other candidates who are a closer match. When you lot have mixed feelings and need some time to think about information technology, let your bidder know a definitive fourth dimension frame when you will get back to them with an update. Interviewing is a two-way street. Do non presume an applicant is going to wait for your response and non continue interviewing elsewhere.

Need Help Hiring?

Here at iv Corner Resources, we are eager to assist your visitor with any hiring needs. We offer professional staffing services that will save you time and attempt in your hiring process.

With our personal approach, we will find you non only a qualified candidate but too a civilisation fit that will make a great addition to your team. Our specialties consist of IT recruiting, marketing & artistic headhunting, legal staffing, finance & accounting recruiting, non-clinical healthcare headhunting, and call eye staffing across multiple industries.

Don't hesitate to contact us with whatsoever questions.