The structure of the phone call when scheduling an interview. How to successfully pass a telephone interview (a series of publications "To help the applicant")

Are you afraid of a phone interview? You just don't know how to "cook" it. 10 simple rules will help to prove one hundred percent.

1. Provide normal conditions for a conversation

No matter how obvious this advice may seem, it is one of the key ones when preparing for a telephone interview. Warn your loved ones, mute other phones and electronic devices that may interrupt your conversation with notifications.

2. Don't be afraid to reschedule the conversation

Your conversation should take place in a calm and comfortable environment for you. The wrong time and place can ruin your interview in and of itself. If possible, try to clearly agree on the time of your telephone conversation. However, if this was not possible, and the call caught you at an inconvenient moment, for example, while driving a car or at a meeting, it is better not to try to get out and immediately ask to reschedule the conversation. As a rule, HRs at the beginning of the conversation ask if it’s convenient for you to talk now and your answer is “Would it be convenient for you if I call back in 20 minutes?” or “Can we reschedule our conversation for 10 minutes?” would be perfectly acceptable in such a situation.

3. Think of short answers

A phone interview is usually shorter than a face-to-face interview, so your answers should be even more concise. Think in advance what you will say in response to the most common questions: why do you want this job? why are you the best candidate? what are your strengths? etc. It is best to prepare 3-4 short phrases for each question. Too short “yes” or “no” answers will also be out of place and push the employer to end the conversation faster.

4. Prepare cheat sheets

Put your resume, cover letter, and job description in front of you. Also, take advantage of the fact that the other person cannot see you by preparing materials that will help you answer questions. This could be a portfolio of your projects, reports on your work, or even company information. You will most likely be asked questions about these topics, and it will be much easier to answer them if everything is at hand. At the same time, don't overload your desk with papers. Prepare only the essentials so you don't waste time or pause while you rummage through a stack of documents.

5. Clean yourself up

Unlike a regular interview, the phone interview does not give you the opportunity to express yourself through body language, and the main impression will be in your voice. Even the smartest things you've said will be lost if you mumble, slur, or be too relaxed. In order to gather and focus, it’s better to bring yourself into a “working look” before the interview - go to the shower, get dressed, comb your hair, sit down at the table. This psychological hack will give you confidence and help you be more focused.

6. Smile

This is another technique that will help you create a positive impression. With a smile, your voice will sound livelier and more energetic, respectively, will show your interest and enthusiasm.

7. Tune in to the wave of the interlocutor

Try to catch the pace and manner of speech of your potential employer from the first words of the conversation. If he speaks calmly and quietly, then you should not chatter, thereby creating psychological discomfort for the interlocutor. If the pace and sound of his speech is fast and loud, add cheerfulness to your tone. Remember that in this situation, it is your speech that is an extremely important element of success.

8. Set aside distractions

Take the phone interview seriously. Don't check your email or scroll through social media. The interlocutor will definitely hear that you are not focused on the conversation. In addition, you may not catch or misunderstand the questions. To better concentrate, have a piece of paper ready and take notes as you speak.

9. Feel free to ask about next steps

If you feel that the interview has come to an end, but the interviewee has not said what the next steps will be, feel free to ask this question. Politely ask when you can expect results, and ask how and when it would be convenient to contact him.

10. Write a Thank You Letter

After the conversation, send your interlocutor a letter of thanks. Briefly reiterate what the job means to you and why you think you would be the best fit for the company. This will reinforce the positive impression of your conversation and help you stand out from the rest of the candidates.

Your resume is complete, job openings are selected, cover letters are written, and you are looking forward to meeting your potential employer in person. However, while waiting for an invitation to an interview, do not forget about another possible test - a telephone interview. How to make a positive impression on a recruiter even before a visit to the office?

To make a short telephone conversation turn into a successful job, heed the advice.

Pros and cons of a telephone interview
It is better to see once than hear a hundred times, folk wisdom says. That is why a telephone interview in recruitment is the exception rather than the rule: most recruiters prefer a detailed personal meeting to a short conversation on the phone. It is no coincidence that an interview is often compared to a first date: where else, if not in an interview or on a date, can you evaluate a person from all sides? The way you dress, the way you carry yourself - all this is very valuable information for a professional recruiting manager.

And yet the telephone interview occupies a worthy place in recruiting practice. Most often, it does not replace, but only precedes a traditional meeting in the office: before inviting a candidate for an interview, the HR manager asks him a few questions by phone and after that decides on an invitation to a face-to-face meeting.

According to the Research Center of the Recruiting Portal website, the vast majority of recruiters (91%) use telephone interviews in recruitment, with 50% in certain cases, and 41% always. “I tell the applicant about the working conditions and answer his questions - I lay the foundation for a future meeting”; “A preliminary assessment is necessary before deciding on an invitation to an interview”; “As a rule, this saves time for both parties, in case we are not suitable for each other”; “I work in a regional selection, and it is simply impossible to do without a telephone interview,” HR officers share their experience in conducting telephone interviews. Only 9% of HR managers do not practice telephone interviews at all.

Skype is also widely used by recruiters. In their opinion, this method is indispensable if the applicant lives in another city or for a number of reasons (for example, has not yet quit his previous job) is unable to come to the office. In addition, Skype, like the telephone, is often used for preliminary interviews.

Phone interviews have many advantages. Firstly, it saves the applicant and recruiter time. Why spend two hours on a trip to the office, if in the first five minutes of negotiations it turns out that the vacancy does not suit the candidate, and the candidate does not suit the company? Secondly, in conditions of territorial remoteness (for example, if a company is looking for a regional representative), money is also saved on the road. Finally, a preliminary telephone interview is convenient from a psychological point of view: this form of communication imposes fewer obligations on both the HR manager and the candidate.

True, the telephone interview also has disadvantages: the quality of communication is not always good, the brevity of the conversation, etc. Nevertheless, the applicant must be mentally prepared for the fact that before he personally looks into the eyes of the employer, he will have to go through this stage.

"At the moment I'm busy..."
So, when you see an unfamiliar number on the mobile phone screen, get ready for the fact that you may have to talk with a recruiter, and not only arrange a meeting, but also answer some questions.

If you are riding the subway or in the elevator, there are children or dogs around you, and finally, if you are in the office of a company that you have not yet quit, it is better to inform the interlocutor that it is impossible to continue the conversation. Don't try to be polite to a recruiter and drive at the same time. The interview, even if it is a telephone interview, requires concentration.

“Thank you for calling. Unfortunately, I'm busy at the moment and can't talk to you. When is the best time to call you back? - such a maximally neutral text, without unnecessary details, will make it clear to the caller: in front of him is a polite person who is familiar with business etiquette and the rules of telephone communication.

Pen, paper, money in the account ...
So, all extraneous irritants are eliminated and you are ready for a telephone conversation. Check if there is a pen and note paper nearby. Disable the second communication line on your telephone. If you intend to talk on a mobile phone, check the availability of funds on your account so that your conversation is not interrupted at the most inopportune moment. You should prepare for a telephone interview in the same way as for a traditional one - you will have to present yourself, albeit in a slightly different form.

If you intend to talk via Skype, that is, using video, then you need not only to mentally tune in, but also to put yourself in order. A suit and tie are optional, but a home t-shirt is also not good. A classic shirt or blouse in soothing tones is quite suitable for such an occasion.

Clear questions - specific answers
What questions can a recruiter ask in a preliminary phone interview? As a rule, they specify the information contained in the resume about your professional experience, plans, skills and abilities. “Why did you decide to change the company?”; “What offers are you interested in?”; “Does the possibility of an irregular working day bother you?”; "Where do you live territorially?"; “Are you ready for business trips?”; "What salary do you expect?" - most likely, the questions will involve clear and precise answers that must be given without much reasoning and reflection.

When answering them, remember: usually the goal of the recruiter at this stage is not to make a detailed psychological portrait of you, but only to understand whether you are interested in the vacancy and whether it is worth inviting you to a personal meeting. So refrain from anything that diverts the conversation from your work experience and interest in the company.

In your answers, be as specific as possible, leaving details of your biography and a description of the thorny path to professional heights for a traditional interview. A telephone conversation implies a significantly greater information saturation. Remember that brevity is the sister of talent, however, excessive brevity, dryness and monosyllabic answers to questions are unacceptable.

Usually, the recruiter also considers it his duty to tell about the company and the vacancy. Feel free to ask a few questions about future work, responsibilities - thus you will once again demonstrate your interest, as well as receive useful information. Leave the clarification of the details for later, the main thing is to find out as much information about the vacancy as possible. In the end, you can always get detailed information about the company from the Internet.

Do not miss the opportunity at least once to call the interlocutor by name or by name and patronymic (depending on how he introduced himself). Remember: psychologists believe that addressing a person by name always wins them over to you. When you hear the name of a recruiter, immediately fix this information on paper so that later you will not make annoying mistakes.

When the conversation is over, the recruiter, most likely, will offer you a further interaction scheme: either invite you to the office for a personal meeting, or inform you that you do not quite match the vacancy. Thank you for the call, for your interest and for your time. And in the case of an invitation to a traditional interview, specify the details - where and when it will take place, how best to get to the meeting place.

Good luck with your interview - both on the phone and in person!

Not all necessary professions are equally popular in society, especially among young people. Among the mass professions, there are many that require an average skill level from an employee - a cashier, a sales assistant, a call center operator, social service workers, etc. How to attract people to a non-prestigious job?

The problem is that employers are interested in keeping responsible employees in these positions, but cannot offer them high salaries or especially creative tasks. From the point of view of employees, such vacancies can be classified as unpopular. And from the point of view of a recruiter - to difficult ones, because you have to select only those candidates who meet:

• position profile;
• certain corporate requirements.

I have been working at Global Bilgi for more than four years. The team grew and developed before my eyes. Three years ago, when I was recruiting, everything was much simpler: there were fewer competitors, the projects were quite simple, hardworking and active applicants came to us. Over the past year, projects have become more complex and technologically advanced, and the selection has become three times tougher, although the flow of candidates has hardly grown. But the number of competitors has increased, and candidates in the labor market have the opinion that there is nothing worse and more difficult than an operator.

The company had to change its HR strategy:

• more efforts were made to retain and develop employees;
• in order to attract new candidates, they gradually began to form an employer brand;
• reviewed the assessment center - made it more practical and understandable for applicants.

Efforts began to bear fruit: the proportion of people coming to the introductory training (from the number of invitees) slightly increased. When it turned out that this was not enough, I had to reconsider other stages of recruiting ...

This is where we got to the phone interview. In fact, our recruiters have always done it well, rigidly following the script: “question - answer; question - answer ... ”But something was wrong.

After analyzing the problem, we came to the conclusion: we position ourselves as an outsourcing call center that knows how to sell, for our operators “the ability to sell” is the main competence. But our recruiters - researchers (researchers) do not know how to sell, and do not even try!

Having identified the problem, we began to look for ways to solve it. How was the phone interview with candidates in the past? We spent five to ten minutes on the call - we asked standard questions, not always thinking about the fact that a person’s decision largely depends on these questions: will he choose our company among identical offers?

A telephone interview is a rather effective tool and, despite its simplicity, is very useful at the initial stage of selecting suitable candidates. Personal communication helps to find out the missing information, or, conversely, to communicate what we are not ready to publish in the vacancy announcement.

In general, the interview should be considered as a two-way tool, because it can be used to:

1. Primary selection of candidates who responded to the vacancy. In this case, selection means cutting off obviously unsuitable applicants - according to parameters that obviously do not correspond to the profile of the vacancy. For example, the criteria "general literacy" and "absence of speech defects" are defining for the position of "operator", but they are not amenable to remote research (by resume or questionnaire).
2. Attracting "passive" candidates - those who did not show interest in the vacancy (outgoing calls on resumes).

Speaking of an unpopular vacancy, we know in advance what the motivational profile of most candidates will be - the criteria for choosing a job and their priorities are predictable. The order (in order of importance of motives will be something like this:

1) wages;
2) work schedule;
3) office location;
4) type of employment.

There are others, of course, but in most cases the decision is made on the basis of this information.

Of course, if during the day a candidate receives five calls with identical offers from different employers, he also begins to pay attention to reviews about the company in open sources, recalls a conversation with a researcher. This is where an additional factor comes into play - “attitude towards a person in the course of a conversation”. This becomes important, because “ceteris paribus” it is the first phone call that demonstrates to the candidate the corporate culture of the company, its values ​​and standards. Yes, it is very easy to demonstrate a respectful attitude and a pleasant atmosphere in the office, giving a person the opportunity to observe employees or ask them questions for at least five minutes ... But whether he comes to the office depends on the call.

A well-conducted telephone interview influences a number of factors ( table).

Important points for conducting a telephone interview

What needs to be done to conduct a quality interview?

BUT. Find out the name of the interlocutor and do not forget to repeat it several times throughout the conversation. This will demonstrate your respect and help to dispose him to frankness, because a personal appeal is pleasant to everyone ☺.

B. Start simple. It is very important to concentrate during the call, and better - half a minute before it. It has long been tested and proven: it is the greeting phrase, or rather, its intonation and content that directly determine the style of the upcoming dialogue and its results.

AT. The candidate should feel that the recruiter is happy with his call.

G. We call not just to offer a vacancy or answer the candidate's questions (if the call is incoming), we try to "sell" it.

D. Separately, I would like to note the need to develop the correct structure of the conversation for the first call to the candidate. It is very important! Even the best "salespeople" always keep a script in front of their eyes (a typical conversation scenario, a step-by-step recording of all its stages, including a list of sample questions and answers to frequently asked questions). They also have a couple of important phrases in reserve, which should always be paid special attention. Explanatory "tips" help the seller feel confident, speak consistently, meaningfully and concisely.

Here is a typical script structure:

1. Greeting and establishing contact. The greeting should be concise. You need to speak legibly and slowly, because it is important for us that the candidate correctly understands who is calling him and why. It is also very important at the stage of greeting to clarify whether a person has the opportunity to pay attention to a full discussion of the vacancy, since we take away his personal time.

Sample conversation pattern:

Good afternoon, (name of candidate)! My name is ______, I am a Human Resources Specialist at _______. I want to offer you a job in our company. Can you talk now?

2. Identification of need. You can, of course, do without this item, immediately informing the candidate of all the advantages of the vacancy. But as often happens: what is good for one is not suitable for another. Therefore, if you start with a few simple questions, you can present your vacancy in the most attractive way for a particular job seeker. For example:

• What vacancies are you willing to consider?
• What is the first thing you pay attention to when choosing a job?
• "How will you choose?"
• “Have you heard of our company before?”

In addition, at this stage, the recruiter may decide to end the conversation - if the needs and interests of the applicant are completely at odds with the company's offer.

3. Presentation of working conditions and job responsibilities. It will be much easier to communicate the benefits and tasks that will have to be solved in this position, knowing what is important for this particular person. For example:

“Global Bilgi is an international company with a leading position among the world's contact centers. We work with companies such as _________________________.

We currently have a job opening for _______. This vacancy is fully consistent with your wishes for ________ (we list what we found out at the beginning of the conversation).

The duty is only one: to help the client in solving problems. Most of your time will be spent on:

• phone consultations;
• search for answers on the company's website;
• fixing appeals;
• drawing up applications for connection / diagnostics.

Most often, customers contact the contact center when they need:

• assistance in choosing services / tariffs;
• technical advice on setting up the Internet;
• consideration of complaints and disputes”.

It is also important to say that:

• where is the office located;
• what conditions of employment are offered;
• that the company provides introductory training.

4. Discussion. You need to go to this stage even in the process of presenting the conditions. It is important to find out from the candidate his salary expectations, how convenient the office location is for him, etc., and also to give him guarantees that introductory training will be provided. The task of the recruiter here is to interest the candidate so much that he wants to come and see everything with his own eyes. We usually say at the end:

I told and asked about everything that was important to me, now it's your turn.

If the needs of the applicant are not identified at the very beginning of the conversation or are not fully defined, then the discussion may develop into a fight with objections. In this case, you need to return to the stage of identifying needs - to find out:

• what is important for the candidate in work;
• what he would like to avoid.

5. Completion. By the end of the conversation, the recruiter should give himself the answer: is he ready to invite this candidate for an interview?

It is important to immediately inform the candidate of the decision and the reasons for it. The worst option is to tell a person “on the forehead” that he is not suitable and why exactly he is bad. It is best to report unpleasant information using the "sandwich" method: "wrap" the refusal in a positive - not only objectively analyze why the identified shortcomings are incompatible with the position, but also emphasize the merits of the candidate.

For example:

“You have demonstrated good communication skills and understanding of Internet technologies. This is very important for this position. At the same time, competent Russian speech is also important for us, and you use a lot of Ukrainianisms.”

If a positive decision is made, the recruiter must:

• tell the candidate how to get to the office, suggest how to find it easier;
• give a contact phone number and offer to call if you have additional questions;
• recall your name.

Thanks to a good attitude towards candidates at all stages of selection, employees who are already loyal to it will come to the company, and those who for some reason did not come up will advise interested applicants. In our practice, there was a case: three people were invited, and seven came. Sometimes we say to the most deserving candidates: “Your skills and knowledge will be very useful in this position. And if you have friends with the same level of training, then come together.” This works very well - as a rule, candidates choose smart friends, so most interviews are successful. In the worst case, only one candidate will pass, but it will be the strongest!

Basic mistakes. A recruiter can also make the mistake of missing out on a worthy candidate. And because of some blunders, the entire company can lose the trust of the labor market. What mistakes are made most often? Recruiter:

• Corresponds by mail during a conversation with the candidate. But, being distracted, he may miss important points, and the candidate will come to the conclusion that he is not interesting to the interlocutor.
• Doesn't record/memorize responses. As a result, he asks for the same information over and over, giving the impression of an inattentive and indifferent listener (and will not be able to add “you said that ...” in a personal meeting).
• Doesn't ask questions about the key points of the position, therefore invites those who clearly do not meet the requirements. As a result, the company will not acquire an employee, and the candidate will remain dissatisfied, because he wasted time and money on the road.

For example: already at the interview, the applicant learns that the company has a “floating” work schedule, with priority given to morning shifts, and the opportunity to work in the evening hours is important for him (he didn’t say on the phone, but we forgot to ask). The person is indignant, and most importantly, he is ready to tell the whole world about his negative emotions.

• Scornful of those who are unsuitable or "unworthy". This is a direct threat to the employer brand! Everyone knows that the negative is remembered better. If there is nothing unusual in the interview, then the candidate will not remember about it ... But if he did not like the tone or words of the recruiter, then, believe me, he will not be silent! All friends, relatives, neighbors and just random people will find out about the insult. Of course, how violent the reaction will be depends largely on the temperament and sociability of the interlocutor, but it’s better to part with people “in a good way”.

If the company consistently builds an HR brand, maintains a positive corporate culture, and generally cares about employees, then recruiting should also be professional and positive. If the phone interview works to strengthen the employer brand, both the candidate and the recruiter will benefit from it. And the business will definitely not lose!

Article provided to our portal
the editors of the journal "Human Resources Manager"

Each stage of the job search has its own characteristics. Creating a resume, posting it, searching for vacancies and sending your self-presentation to the employer are the first steps that begin future employment.
Then comes a new phase - the participation of applicants in interviews, and not only personal ones, sitting in the meeting room opposite the recruiter. Often, prior to this meeting, a telephone interview is required. A common mistake candidates make is underestimating the importance of telephone contact with the recruiting manager.

Why Conduct a Phone Interview

Telephone interviews are actively used by recruiters not only to invite a candidate to a meeting. Some of the specialists, communicating with applicants, already by phone begin to evaluate applicants for compliance with the requirements of the vacancy.

The most common reasons a recruiter calls a candidate:

1. The summary is completely satisfied, it is necessary to agree on the date and time of a personal meeting.
2. To conduct it, it is necessary to discuss the possibility of the candidate's presence and obtain confirmation of his consent to participate in the selection.
3. The resume is of interest, but the manager needs to clarify certain issues, for example: place of residence, salary expectations, if they were not indicated in the resume, desired work schedule, reasons for dismissal from previous jobs, performance of any specific tasks.

As a result of telephone conversations, an invitation to an interview may not follow if the manager receives answers that do not suit him. And this is for the best: the candidate and the recruiter will save their time.

In addition to the above reasons, the recruiter can offer the applicant to undergo a full-fledged interview by phone, at which not only clarifying questions will be asked, but also an assessment of the applicant's competencies. This format of communication can be chosen by a hiring specialist if he conducts a remote selection, and the candidate lives in another city or still continues to work and cannot always plan a trip to the employer's office.

A remote interview can take place via Skype, both in the format of video communication and regular voice communication.

Pros and cons of phone interviews

Like a personal interview, a telephone interview has its pros and cons, knowing which you can minimize your own mistakes when communicating with a recruiter.

Positive sides

• The ability to quickly obtain additional information about the vacancy or candidates. The applicant, by asking questions, can decide whether he needs to go for an interview, and the recruiter will save time on a personal meeting if he clarifies the details over the phone and understands that the candidate does not meet the requirements of the company.
• Less stressful situation of communication on the phone compared to a face-to-face meeting.

Cons of a telephone interview

• With insufficient recruiter experience, there is a high probability of error. If a specialist rarely conducts an assessment using telephone interviews, then he may not receive the necessary information and draw erroneous conclusions about the candidate, both positive and negative.
• Lack of eye contact, inability to see the candidate's reactions to questions. The ability to capture the nuances of the behavior of applicants by ear is not formed by all hiring specialists.
• The inability to conduct written test tasks that require the control of the HR manager at the time of their execution by the applicant.

Tips for preparing for a phone interview

Having sent out a resume to employers, you must be ready to answer a phone call from the company at any time. This is not always possible, so you need to answer calls correctly, transferring communication to a more comfortable time.

When starting a job search, you need to make sure that the phone is within range and ensure a positive balance on the number. If the recruiter fails to get through 2-3 times, most likely, he will stop his attempts to establish contact with the applicant.

If for some reason the candidate cannot or is not ready to receive calls in the evening, for example, after 6 pm, it is better to indicate this limitation in the resume.

One solution to the problem of not being able to answer calls can be to turn on the answering machine and receive voice messages.

Read about how to respond to and the employer. on the given links.

Print and review your resume

On job search portals, candidates create multiple resumes, following the rule: one desired position = one resume. And they do it right. But when you call a recruiter, you have to sort through in memory which of the resumes he can call in order to get answers on topics of interest to him or invite him for an interview. Even if one self-presentation is created, it is better to print it and have it at hand at the moment when you need to answer the manager's questions.

Explore the employer's website

Before the interview, it will not be superfluous to study the website of the company you plan to get into. Pay attention to the pages that tell about the history of the organization, activities, personalities and contacts. If the candidate in the process of telephone communication demonstrates awareness of the activities of the enterprise, this is always an additional plus and is assessed as an interest in the employer's offer.

How to behave during a telephone interview

Strange as it may sound, but there are basic principles for the behavior of the applicant on the phone.

1. Be polite.
2. Speak at a normal pace: not too fast, but not too slow.
3. Answer the question without prejudice.
4. Do not answer questions too broadly, trying to retell all your experience.
5. Ask questions essentially.
6. If something did not suit you in the vacancy, do not rush to refuse or agree to a personal meeting, take a break.

If you were busy when the call came from HR.

The recruiter may call unexpectedly. However, the candidate cannot always communicate for various reasons:

• nearby is an employee of the company in which the applicant is still working;
• being in transport or other public place;
• noisy home environment
• being at the wheel of a car.

In these cases, it is better to reschedule the interview, for example, like this: “Thank you for calling, I'm busy at the moment. When can I call you back? .

Literacy and simplicity of speech

- a reflection of the level of upbringing and education of the candidate. Speaking correctly and competently at a telephone interview is a prerequisite for successfully passing this selection stage.

It is better to remove ornate and long sentences, jargon and vernacular from speech. You should also not pour terminology in which the recruiter is not required to understand.

For those candidates who do not remember where the stress is placed in the word “ringing”, it is better to print and hang, for example, the correct pronunciation above the desktop, at least in this form: ringing.

Positivity and goodwill even at a distance

On the phone - this is not only the ability to speak correctly, but also the ability to convey positive messages. The voice is the same communication tool as the look or. Listening to the interlocutor and not seeing him, however, you can get an idea of ​​​​his emotional state or attitude to what he says.

Therefore, it is very important, when answering a manager, to maintain composure, even if his questions are not very pleasant.

Do not show fatigue or pain on the phone. It is better to smile, because a smile can be heard from a distance and always helps to create a friendly atmosphere of communication.

And, of course, you need to remember the words of politeness: "hello", "Sorry, I didn't hear you", "could you clarify", "thank you", "all the best".

When listening to a recruiting manager, it is necessary to record the most important points of the conversation. Therefore, it is good to have a pen and paper nearby. The main thing to fix:

• The name of the company;
• manager's name;
• responsibilities for the vacant position;
• requirements for candidates;
• working conditions: schedule, salary, availability of compensation, location of the organization;
• recruiter contacts;
• data that needs to be sent to him additionally, for example, by e-mail;
• the date and time of the interview with the company.

This data will help you prepare for a personal meeting with a recruiter, look for additional information about the employer in open sources, and, of course, not be late for a meeting.

Answer questions to the recruiter

Do you need a recruiter? Certainly yes. Your questions during a telephone interview should be more about the responsibilities and requirements of the company, the features of the organization of work.

Less emphasis on wages. Specify the general figures, and the details can always be found at a personal meeting. Too much emphasis on the benefits that the employer provides will lead to the fact that the manager will regard you as a specialist who is interested in money, and not the content of the work.

If you pay due attention to the telephone interview, evaluating it as an important part of communication with the employer, you can get an offer for a personal meeting. And most importantly, the correct behavior in a telephone interview will create a good impression about the candidate, whom the recruiter will definitely remember.

A phone interview is the first step in selecting candidates for a job opening. How to properly invite for an interview by phone, prepare and conduct an interview, we will tell in the article.

From the article you will learn:

Why is the telephone interview format so popular?

Telephone interviews are used by employers as a preliminary stage in the search and hiring of candidates. At minimal cost, except for time, these allow you to immediately weed out those applicants who clearly do not meet the requirements of the vacancy or corporate culture.

With candidates who live in another locality or out of town, conducting an interview by phone becomes a must if the company is not going to waste them and ruin their image. For positions that involve remote work, this method of interviewing the applicant may be the only option.

The multi-stage selection process can take up to three weeks over time. But already at the stage of a telephone interview, an experienced recruiter will be able to assess the presence of critical thinking and interpersonal skills necessary for effective communication. By “culling out” less qualified applicants, you narrow the pool of applicants while improving the quality of the remaining ones and saving time spent on .

Telephone interviews have another advantage. In a telephone conversation, the interviewer is not distracted by external factors and focuses on the meaning of what the interlocutor says. This allows you to form a deeper, more holistic portrait of the candidate and an objective one.

You need to prepare for such an interview in advance, whether you are a recruiter conducting an initial interview or a hiring manager making a final decision. You need to know not only how to properly invite for a phone interview, but also how to correctly interpret his answers to your questions.

Answered by Vera Mukhina

HR Director of ENKOR.

A typical picture: HR conducts a face-to-face interview with a candidate and understands that it was possible not to do this. There is a formal circumstance due to which the applicant is clearly not suitable. Moreover, this circumstance could be found out even at the stage of telephone screening ...

How to invite for a phone interview?

The rules of business etiquette suggest that the candidate should be given time to prepare for a conversation with a recruiter. Therefore, there should be two phone calls from the company:

1. You agree on a time when it will be convenient to answer your questions and specify whose call will be outgoing - yours or the applicant's.
2. Just a phone interview.

In both cases, you should remember and follow the elementary rules of business communication adopted in the modern business environment. By following these rules, you will create a good first impression of the company and increase its prestige.

How to invite for a phone interview (example)

Good day, Sergey. My name is Natalia, I am the HR manager of Alfa company. We have received your resume for the position "" and are ready to conduct a preliminary interview by phone. Now, would it be convenient for you to give me a couple of minutes and agree on a time for it?

When is it convenient for you to answer my questions about your resume? What is more convenient for you - will you call us yourself or will you wait for a call from us?

Good. So, we agreed that you will call us on the 15th, on Monday, at 10:00. I remind you that my name is Natalia, I will wait for a call from you at the appointed time. Thank you. Goodbye and have a nice day.

Note! An invitation to an interview by phone is an example when the applicant himself sets the time of the conversation - it is also a way to check its commitment and punctuality.

How to conduct a telephone interview?

The result of a competent telephone interview will be the right decision - whether this applicant is suitable for your company and whether he meets the requirements of the vacancy. To conduct an interview with a good result, the recruiter must get an idea about the experience of the interlocutor, his skills. To do this, he must know when to ask questions and when to listen carefully to the answers.

If during the telephone interview it becomes clear that the applicant may be suitable, the task of the recruiter is to interest the interlocutor in this vacancy. Therefore, a good recruiter provides information about the company based on motivations and, his goals and career aspirations. So, at the beginning of the conversation, you need to learn as much as possible about the interlocutor before telling him about the employer.

When inviting the applicant for an initial interview by phone, the recruiter has the right to decide for himself how to conduct it. The advice that can be given to him is often similar to what candidates receive when they are waiting for such an interview:

1. Prepare in advance. Find out as much as possible about the interlocutor before the interview; for this, use social networks. Study the job description, prepare questions, the answers to which will show whether the interlocutor meets the established professional criteria.
2. Be quiet and free from distractions. Do not announce both the invitation to the interview by phone and the interview itself and do not conduct it “on the run”, in a noisy place, while traveling by public transport, etc. Do not be distracted during the conversation - do not answer calls, do not check e-mail. A calm, continuous conversation will help you better focus, hear and understand each other.
3. Don't talk too much and quickly. Follow the general principles of the interview - ask questions, do not let the interlocutor be distracted by details during the answers, listen carefully to them.
4. Be prepared for unexpected questions. Like the candidates themselves, they never know when a non-standard question will be asked. If you are ready for such a situation, you will be able to answer correctly any tricky question.
5. Tell the candidate about the next steps. This must be done at the end of the telephone interview. This will eliminate unnecessary calls and emails with questions from the applicant. End the conversation by thanking for your time and let them know when you will call to report the results of the interview.

If the question arose of how to refuse an applicant after a telephone interview, do not use the phrase “You are not suitable for us”, although it reflects the true state of affairs. Be clear about the reasons for the denial, but be aware that you may be required to provide written justification for it if discrimination is suspected.

Telephone interview, an example of an employer talking to a rejected candidate

Unfortunately, we only had one vacancy. Based on the results of the interview, you took second place, so now we cannot hire you. But, if you do not mind, we will leave information about you in our database and, if a similar vacancy appears, we will contact you again.