Timeliness in research, recruiting, qualifying, reference checking, and debriefing candidates after interviews must be standard operating procedure for recruiters. Recruiters, candidates, and clients need to work together to not only schedule interviews on a timely basis but also minimize the number of steps in the interview process. Candidates need to supply references upon request and any other requested information within 48 hours. An initial phone interview is often necessary, but more than two rounds of face-to-face interviews can become problematic as far as attracting and retaining the best talent throughout an elongated interview process. The ideal scenario is to schedule a face-to-face interview within a week of a phone interview.

At our firm we spend over 95% of our time targeting and calling gainfully employed professionals who are not actively looking for a new opportunity. Subsequently, it can be difficult and sometimes unreasonable for these candidates to request two or three days off to interview multiple times. Companies requiring two or more rounds of face-to-face interviews may unintentionally restrict themselves to considering mostly unemployed candidates, as employed candidates progressively bow out as the hiring process is prolonged. This is not to say we do not recruit the unemployed or they aren’t talented, but the qualified candidate pool in this scenario becomes rather small. It is also essential for candidates and clients to provide timely feedback following interviews.

As the interview process proceeds, a myriad of circumstances may develop that can “kill the deal” including competitive opportunities, promotions, salary increases, as well as candidates developing concerns about an employer’s ability to make timely decisions. If we, our candidates, and our clients adhere to our mutual timelines, the result is an efficient and exhaustive search process, which is why our search firm’s average search length is 79 days from receipt of the retainer to the candidate’s verbal acceptance of the offer.

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Phone interviews are actually interviewing process screens, intended to blow out unsuitable candidates and pull-in the most highly suitable candidates. More often than not, candidates will “talk” their way out of a face-to-face interview by either talking too much or NOT talking about the specific facts sought by the interviewer / screener. No matter if you are phone interviewing with human resources or an actual hiring manager, one rule applies that is universal: you, the candidate, are going to be evaluated not only by how you answer their questions but also by the questions that you ask. So there are two simple rules to follow when conducting a phone interview:

1) Know your interviewer and ask specifically targeted questions. If your interviewer is in human resources, then focus your questions on defining the job, responsibilities, goals and objectives, background and experience they seek. Remember, depending on the type of HR person you are speaking with, they may either have a clear-cut understanding or only a cursory knowledge of the role. So ask focused questions but not so functionally detailed that they cannot answer them. If your interviewer is the hiring manager, focus your questions (see Preparing for Successful Interviews on this website) on the genesis of the role, goals and objectives, and background they are specifically targeting for the role. Never, bring up compensation and benefits in an initial phone interview…. those should be asked and answered later on in the interviewing process (which we will discuss in future blogs).

2) Keep your answers straight, short, simple and to-the-point. An initial phone interview is a quick get-to-know-you and screening (in or out) to evaluate if you are their right “fit and feel”. So don’t stray from their questions and stay away from long diatribes on personal philosophies or hobbies. Focus your thoughts on specific answers. Use appropriate and concise examples when explaining yourself and always remain positive. Negativity, lack of energy, and verboseness are usually the death knell of a phone interview. Before your phone interview make sure you review the position description and company website. Conciseness, enthusiasm for the position, and insights you can derive from the interviewer will usually propel you to the next step of the interview process.

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