Effectiveness of Conducting Telephonic Interview

Conducting interviews is an important part of the recruitment process and during this time of social distancing, it is very likely for recruiters and hiring managers to resort to other methods of conducting interviews. One of the ways to do this is by conducting interviews by phone. Phone interviews are also referred to as ‘’phone screens’’ by employers. These interviews are usually conducted for a short duration of fifteen to thirty minutes. Before conducting face-to-face interviews it is important for the recruiter to conduct phone screens. This would create an opportunity for them to improve the recruitment process and the end result. 

Phone interviews will help you to narrow your pool of candidates thus helping you find the right candidate. Before inviting the candidate for the face to face interview in your organization it is better to conduct the initial screening through a phone call. This will enable you to access the candidates’ skills, experience, salary expectations thus saving your valuable time and money which would otherwise have been wasted on meeting unsuitable candidates. 

As you cannot read the body language of the candidate during these interviews it is important that you give your full attention and listen carefully. It is better if you make notes while the candidate is answering your questions. Start of easy, with basic questions like –   ‘’Introduce yourself’’ ‘’what are your roles and responsibilities in your current organization’’ ‘’why are you looking for a job change’’ ‘’when can you join’’ because these interviews can be very stressful for the candidates. You may also not want to ask open-ended, in-depth questions (Save them for the Face to Face interview).

Phone interviews are just the first hurdle in the interview process but if you have mastered that you’ll surely guarantee better candidates who are the best your company can choose from.