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 1. The Robert Half Blog
 2. Phone Interview Questions to Ask Job Candidates in First Round




PHONE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK JOB CANDIDATES IN FIRST ROUND


By Robert Half on April 6, 2023 at 11:47pm
     


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Phone Interview Questions to Ask Job Candidates in First Round

 * Planning for the phone screening
 * Good phone interview questions
 * The basics
 * Salary expectations
 * Desire for the job
 * Knowledge of the company
 * Resume details
 * Phone interview red flags
 * Following up on the phone call

As a hiring manager, you know what a good resume and cover letter look like. You
also know that despite their promises, they might fail to deliver the candidate
you need. The phone interview questions you ask during this first round of
vetting will be a critical piece of winnowing the field and making a successful
hire.

Time always matters, so you should be both efficient and strategic during this
initial call. Questions for a screening interview will touch on whether a
candidate's hard skills, experience, education and certifications are right for
the open position. But as you check off the boxes, pay attention to soft skills
and how the candidate presents during the call. At the end of a phone screen
interview, you want to be confident a candidate can do the job and also mesh
well with your organizational culture.

Open-ended or technical questions aren’t necessary at this stage of the hiring
process. A screening interview is typically a 15- to 30-minute phone call. Your
objective here is to narrow your list of top candidates to the handful you want
to consider for formal interviews. That’s when you can go deep.

Read on for some tips for what to look for — including red flags — along with
phone interview questions to ask during this first call, and what comes next.


PLANNING FOR THE PHONE SCREENING

As you would for any business conversation, you want to practice good etiquette
when scheduling and conducting a phone screen interview. Respect the
interviewee’s time by keeping to the schedule. Respect their availability for
the phone call, too. Candidates who are working, even if it's from home, may not
be able to talk until after business hours.

Approach every conversation with a blank slate, and treat each candidate fairly
and equally. Remain fully engaged during every call. All that can be easier said
than done: When you conduct one phone screen interview after another, it’s easy
to race through the questions you ask each person. If that sounds like you,
refrain from stacking up the calls back-to-back. And set aside a time and a
location where you can conduct the screening interview free of noise or other
distractions.

Remember, you’re engaging with an external audience. A professional, thoughtful
screening interview will enhance your business reputation; a hurried process and
a gruff manner won’t reflect well on you or your firm. Keep in mind that your
top candidates are evaluating you as closely as you are them. Some might decline
an invitation to a formal interview if they’re at all uncomfortable during this
initial contact.

Finally, once you settle on your shortlist, review the resumes once more before
scheduling the calls. Then create a list of phone interview questions to ask so
you can be consistent with what you ask each interviewee. You want to make a
fair comparison of the talent when deciding which candidates you’d like to
advance to the next stage.


GOOD PHONE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Tailor the phone interview questions below to suit your industry and the role
you’re hiring for. But consider, too, the candidate’s professional history, or
lack thereof. Recent college graduates can’t refer to their career successes,
for example, but screening questions can be framed to allow candidates to draw
on their experience in course seminars and team projects, as well as their
volunteer work and self-taught skills. Leadership, drive, industriousness,
talent and other valued qualities can be demonstrated in many ways.

Give the same consideration for candidates with a gap in their work history,
such as a parent reentering the workforce after raising a couple of kids, or an
out-of-work professional two months after a layoff. Follow this list of five
phone interview tips:


1. THE BASICS

Keep it simple and start with questions that will set the job candidate at ease.
A screening interview can be stressful for many people. Start it off easy for
them, and you’ll get a truer picture of what they can bring to the table.

 * Can you tell me about your background?
 * Why are you looking for a new job?
 * Where are you in your job search?
 * When could you start working?

PHONE INTERVIEW TIP: Even simple questions can help determine whether to move
forward with a candidate. For example, are they available when you want to hire?
Candidates who say they can’t start the job for a month aren’t going to work out
when you need to someone in the position right now.


2. SALARY EXPECTATIONS

Money can be an awkward topic to bring up — if not for you, then certainly for
many candidates. But you want to know whether the candidate’s salary
expectations are in the ballpark of what you can offer.

 * How much would you like to earn in this position?
 * Are there specific benefits that are important to you?
 * Would it be a deal breaker for you if we don’t offer _____ (benefit) or the
   salary figure you quoted?

PHONE INTERVIEW TIP: Many candidates are reluctant to give anything more than a
salary range this early on. If you can’t get a clear idea of whether there’s a
financial fit, you can revisit the topic of salary later. But don’t waste the
candidate’s time, or yours, if you suspect there’s a gaping difference between
their salary expectations and the budget you’re working with. Let them know the
range you’re considering and ask whether they’re still interested in the
position.

Discover projected salary ranges for 500+ positions and advice on how to compete
in the 2022 hiring market.

GET THE ROBERT HALF SALARY GUIDE


3. DESIRE FOR THE JOB

Before discussing skills and training, your phone interview questions should
gauge a candidate’s interest in the position. Questions about the role they have
now — and why they want to leave it — can also tell you about their suitability
for the one you’re hiring for.

 * Why do you want to leave your current job?
 * What attracted you to apply for this position?
 * Describe your current job responsibilities.
 * What motivates you in a job?

PHONE INTERVIEW TIP: Listen for workplace cultural preferences as well as
interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, leadership qualities, initiative
and other soft skills. A candidate who’s looking for a greater challenge, for
instance, might give you reason to consider them for a job that’s more demanding
than their current role.


4. KNOWLEDGE OF THE COMPANY

You can’t expect candidates to have read your annual report or know the history
of your company, but anyone who’s serious about the position you’re hiring for
will have prepared for the interview by doing some research.

 * What attracted you to our organization?
 * What do you know about our products or services?
 * Do you use our products or services?

PHONE INTERVIEW TIP: Candidates who support your company’s mission, and who are
interested in its product, can be gold. Just as you want employees who are
interested in the job, not just the paycheck, you also want professionals who
have a positive view of the company itself. That can play an important role in
employee retention.


5. RESUME DETAILS

This part of the phone screen interview will likely take up most of the
scheduled time. Ask candidates what they hope to get out of the job — and how
they see themselves contributing to the role and the company. Do they have the
skills, experience and aptitude you’re looking for? Also, raise any questions
you have about the job candidate's resume and cover letter.

 * What skills have you recently gained or strengthened?
 * How are your skills a match for this job?
 * What did you do during the yearlong gap in your employment (and why did you
   leave your last employer)?
 * Did your internship at _____ give you specific experience that you can apply
   to this job?
 * What questions do you have for me?

PHONE INTERVIEW TIP: Give the candidate some space to talk here. You want to
allow them to fill in their resume gaps, be it their work history, skills
section, or education and training. Ask follow-up questions when you need more
clarity.

When you're ready for the next step, see The Top 15 Interview Questions to Ask
Job Candidates.


PHONE INTERVIEW RED FLAGS

Begin every phone screen interview with an open mind and a positive attitude.
Assume the best of your top candidates, including their honesty and integrity.
But keep in mind that, well, sometimes a candidate might misrepresent their
skills and professional background, unintentionally or not. Or, maybe they’re
not the best judge of the impact they had in a past or current role.

So, assess answers for how the candidate would meet your hiring needs, but
listen, too, for warning signs that this person might not be an ideal match for
your company. Here are some potential red flags:

 * A lack of enthusiasm — Does the candidate seem excited about the prospect of
   working at your firm, or do they seem like they’re simply going through the
   motions during the screening interview? If you’re not feeling the love, then
   bring it up. “What excites you about this job?” or “Why do you want to work
   for our company?” are both good phone interview questions to ask your
   candidates.
 * No questions — It’s not a deal breaker, but toward the end of the call, most
   candidates should have a question or two to ask about the team, job or
   company. It can be a sign of not only the person’s interest in the job, but
   their preparation for the call (search online for “What is a phone screening”
   or “What is a phone screen interview,” and you’ll see a lot of advice for
   candidates to come prepared with a question to ask the interviewer).
 * Sounding distracted during the interview — Sometimes, life interrupts a phone
   screen interview. A job candidate might have to answer an unexpected knock on
   the door, for example, or tend to a demanding child or a howling dog. In such
   situations, be patient and be fair. But if candidates sound as though they’re
   browsing social media or are otherwise multitasking while speaking to you,
   take it as a clue that they just aren’t that into you.
 * Negative comments about former employers — It’s never a good sign when an
   interviewee bad-mouths a current or former employer. Such behavior is
   unprofessional, and it demonstrates poor tact and diplomacy — key soft skills
   in almost any role. It can also mean the candidate takes no responsibility
   for their own part in workplace dynamics.
 * A focus on money — As discussed above, not everybody is comfortable talking
   money so early in the hiring process. But some people focus on it like a
   laser. When a candidate repeatedly returns to the topic of salary or benefits
   during a screening interview, it might be a signal they’re primarily focused
   on the money and perks — not the job and company.
 * Cursing — It’s not that cursing never happens in the workplace, but no one
   should use foul language when discussing a job opportunity. Bad language
   during a phone screen interview is another example of unprofessionalism and
   poor soft skills. It should give you reason to wonder how the person would do
   when presenting to senior management or clients.


FOLLOWING UP ON THE PHONE CALL

When you’ve completed your last phone screen interview, you’ll have some tough
decisions to make: Who among your top candidates to invite to a formal, more
rigorous interview. No matter the state of the current hiring market, you need
to make the right choices here: You want the best talent on your team, not the
competition’s.

You’ll also have to make some decisions on how to conduct the next step in the
hiring process. Whether you’re creating an interview panel or scheduling a
series of one-on-one meetings, discuss with your team the type of interview
questions to ask, good questions to ask during an interview, who will ask which
questions, and how you’ll score candidates.

Move quickly to schedule the interviews with the candidates and the hiring team.
If applicable for the role you’re hiring for, ask the candidates to send work
examples your team can review in advance of the interview.

There's a good chance your next step will be a remote interview, using
videoconferencing software. Of the senior managers who responded to a recent
Robert Half survey, 75% said their companies had conducted remote interviews and
onboarding sessions for permanent employees or contract professionals.

Interviewing on camera can be very different than a face-to-face, so you would
do well to read up on tips for conducting a remote interview.

Sound like you’re back at the starting line again? Well, in a way, you are. The
phone interview sets the stage for what can be a time- and labor-intensive
hiring effort. From here, you’ll dig deeper into candidates’ background, assess
(and possibly test) their skill levels, collect feedback from staff who meet the
finalists, check references and consider the salary offer. But if you’ve
conducted a thoughtful phone screening, you’ll better guarantee that the
candidates who advance to this first round of formal interviews are the best
your company can choose from. And that’s a pretty good place to start.


Tags
leadership
     


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