I . . . apply the '4-E (And 1-P) Framework' for hiring that I've found consistently effective, year after year, across businesses and borders. The first E is positive energy. It means the ability to go go go—to thrive on action and relish change. The second E is the ability to energize others, and inspire them to take on the impossible. The third is edge, the courage to make tough yes-or-no decisions. The fourth E is execute—the ability to get the job done. Then I look for that final P, passion—a heartfelt, deep and authentic excitement about work.
The objective of the phone screen is to determine if you should continue the interview process with the candidate. You'll make this determination by deciding, at the 30,000-foot level, if his or her skills, personality, and goals match your organization's needs. Used correctly, the phone screen will increase your recruiting plan's efficiency by quickly narrowing your candidate pool by 50 percent.
Because you have developed a job description that details the ideal candidate's skills and personality traits, you should be able to quickly review the résumés and cover letters you've received, and make a reasonable first cut. Skills are easier to evaluate on paper than are personality traits, which is fine. You're not expected to be 100 percent certain of every aspect of the candidate at this point; that's what the phone screen and the rest of the interview process is for.
Note
Sticky Notes:
Use the phone screen to narrow your candidate pool by 50 percent.
Maintain consistency from call to call by utilizing a script.
Use the job overview to specify "knockout" and "go forward" points.
As we have stressed previously, the hiring manager should be involved in as many steps of the interview process as possible. The phone screen is the first personal contact a candidate will have with an organization, and the sooner you can start building rapport, the better. However, depending on your company's size, the position being hired, and the workload—the administrator or the recruiter from the hiring team may need to handle the phone screen. If that is the case, then the hiring manager must, at a minimum, assist in driving the content of the phone screen script that the hiring team creates.
When you're hiring for a specific position, you should use the same set of phone screen questions with every candidate. This approach ensures that you get all of the information you need from every applicant. Remember, a successful hiring process hinges on gathering as much of an apples-to-apples comparison as possible among candidates. Consistency and thoroughness are paramount.
I strongly suggest a position-specific telephone interview form. The good news is that once you develop the form, you can reuse it every time you need to refill the position until the basic requirements change. At that point, any updating you do is simply a matter of making a few tweaks to the form, rather than rebuilding it from scratch.
There is no "magic number" of questions to ask during a telephone screening interview. To determine what questions should be on your form, the hiring team should start with the job overview. The hiring team can create "knockout" points that automatically disqualify a candidate. For example:
Knockout Point: Candidates who do not have _________ (specific knowledge/skill/experience/competency; for example, Microsoft Excel formulas) do not meet the basic requirements for the position and are therefore not to be considered as potential candidates for the position.
On the flip side, I suggest setting criteria for a "go forward" that allows the phone screener—regardless of his or her level—to invite a candidate for an interview. For instance, if the screener discovers that a candidate has a satisfactory mastery of four skills deemed critical for the position, then that would be a green light for a face-to-face interview. The advantage of this technique is that it allows the person conducting the phone screen to avoid the need to consult with the hiring team.
Most organizations conduct a one-on-one telephone screening. However, there are other approaches. The most common alternate is to have a second person listen in on or participate in the telephone screening interview and rate the candidate as well. The two interviewers then compare notes and make a joint recommendation on whether to pursue a candidate. Organizations that utilize this approach find that the cost of having two people on the call is outweighed by a decrease in mishires.
Before we move forward, let's briefly cover discrimination. Not only is it morally and ethically wrong to discriminate based on criteria other than a candidate's ability to do the job, it is also bad business. Discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age is a federal offense in the United States.
Effective interviewing is an art brimming with complex psychological issues. Unfortunately, our litigious society only serves to further complicate the interview process. To effectively navigate the legal tightrope, interviewers must limit inquiries to job-related issues only. It is imperative during the interview process to avoid questions concerning race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, disability, or veteran status. Improper questions made during the interview process—even if asked innocently and without intention to discriminate—will lead to legal hot water.
Here are several sample interview questions that further elucidate what is inacceptable and acceptable:
In appropriate Interview Questions
What is the nationality of your parents or spouse?
What religious holidays do you observe?
Do you plan to marry?
Do you plan to have children?
Did you ever have any other names from the one you are using now?
Appropriate Interview Questions (as long as they are job-related)
Are you eligible to work in the United States?
What foreign languages do you speak?
Are there any other names under which your employment may be verified?
Do you have any family, business, or social obligations that would prevent you from working consistently or overtime or prevent you from traveling?
Never stray from questions that are directly related to a person's ability to do the job. And when in doubt, don't ask. If you feel that there is an area you need to question, but are unsure of the legality, check with your legal team and ask on the second interview. By keeping this in mind, an interviewer will be able to move beyond legal concerns and focus on the candidate's ability to be successful in the position.
Keep the call short. Your calls should take around 15 minutes, and shouldn't exceed 30 minutes. Remember, the point is to figure out if the candidate meets enough of the requirements to warrant a face-to-face interview.
Don't discuss the specifics of the job requirements. Keep in mind that if this individual passes the screening, they will be coming in for an interview. There is no value in thoroughly exploring the candidate's skills during this stage of the process. Your objective is merely to get a snapshot.
Be consistent from one call to another. You are a professional representing your organization. Whether it is the first or the hundredth call of the day, you owe it to your company and the candidate on the other side of the phone to be enthusiastic and upbeat. At the same time, do not oversell. The goal is simply to ascertain if it makes sense to have this person come in.
Script your calls. Take time with the hiring team to formulate a complete script. Start with an overview of the company and the role for which the candidate is being considered; then move into a list of questions regarding his or her ability to perform the job. Compile the responses of the candidates for future review.
Setting the right tone is important when conducting your actual phone screen. We find this format works best:
Clarify the purpose of the call.
Provide a two-minute summary of the company and the reason behind the search.
Ask scripted behavioral questions that have been supplied by the hiring team.
Clarify and close.
Always be prepared to take notes. Doing this while keeping up a conversation is challenging, but it is absolutely necessary to ensure that you have this information. Leave five minutes open after the conversation to fill in the details and your impressions. Save your computerized notes in a place where the hiring team can review and add to them at a later date.
The phone screen process should allow you to identify candidates who possess the requisite job skills and traits that align with your company culture. Following are examples of effective phone screen inquiries:
Describe your management style.
How do you utilize pivot tables in your current role as tax manager?
Give an example of a time where you were charged with reducing days sales outstanding (DSO). What specific actions did you take, and what were the results?
Note that each of these three questions are open-ended and focus on a very specific job requirement (question 1 focused on management; question 2 focused on a specific Excel skill; question 3 focused on experience on an explicit accounting management function).
Now, contrast these three questions with the following "traditional" phone screen questions:
How many people do you manage?
Do you have experience with pivot tables?
We currently have a problem with our DSO. Do you have experience in this area?
There are three potential outcomes at the conclusion of a phone screen:
The candidate is top tier and therefore scheduled for a face-to-face interview.
The candidate is put in the pending file, meaning that they're a possibility, just not a first-round possibility. If no first tier candidates are hired, you will review this file and consider bringing in this person.
The candidate is identified as not a fit for this particular position. Their information should be filed for future opportunities in a different area.
Following are closing scripts for each of these outcomes:
For candidates who meet the requirements for a face-to-face interview:
"Mike, I sincerely appreciate your time today. Judging from your résumé and our short discussion, I believe that you are qualified for the job. If you remain interested, I'd like to invite you to thoroughly discuss the opportunity with the hiring manager. During that interview, you will be asked many more probing questions about your skills and competencies. This interview will last roughly two hours. If that goes well, the next steps in the process would be for us to complete reference checks and appropriate background checks. There will be a team interview, and a final dinner with the hiring manager. Our interview process is thorough so that we can ensure that our new hires are successful. The hiring manager can interview you on ____________. I will follow up with you by sending you a copy of our data sheet and a confirmation of your interview time. Please complete the datasheet before arriving, including your salary history and complete set of references. On the day of your interview, please call to confirm your appointment. Do you have any questions before we conclude?"
For candidates in the pending category:
"Mike, I sincerely appreciate your time today. You certainly have an impressive track record. We are currently interviewing a number of candidates for this role, and at this stage of the process I would like to file your résumé for future review. Over the next two weeks we will be reevaluating your file. Should you not hear back from us, then I would suggest you look at other opportunities. In either case, we wish you the best and look forward to further discussions."
For candidates who do not show the skills necessary to warrant a face-to-face interview:
Mike, I sincerely appreciate your time today. You certainly have an impressive track record. We are currently interviewing a number of candidates for this role, and at this stage of the process I would like to file your résumé for future review. Should we wish to ask you in for an interview, either for this or any other opportunity, we will give you a call. In the meantime, I suggest you look at other opportunities, and we wish you the best in your endeavors."
Recently, I shared this script with a friend and business associate that found it to be disingenuous in that we never said "no." I understood his point, but I still stand by the script for two reasons. First, just because the candidate was not a fit for this specific job, he or she might indeed be ideal for another. So, in fact, we are being genuine. Second, it is polite. We don't slam the door in the candidate's face, but we do encourage the candidate to look elsewhere.
Trying to coordinate phone screens with numerous candidates can be extremely time consuming. Instead of scheduling each candidate, try issuing a general email to each of the potential candidates using the following format:
Dear _________,
Thanks for your interest in this position. I would be delighted to talk to you about your career goals, and how they match with this opportunity.
Please give me a call any day this week between the hours of 4:00 to 5:30. Schedule roughly 15 minutes for us to talk.
Based on our discussion, we will determine whether it makes sense to continue the conversation.
Thanks again for your interest.
This approach is effective, because it puts the responsibility for time management on the potential candidates. It also helps to alleviate "tire kickers" by requiring that the candidates take action. You are quickly able to determine if this individual is truly interested—as well as capable of following directions.
The approach does require that you are at your desk during the hours you indicate, and in some cases, you will be swamped with calls. In my opinion, this is a positive, because you are able to compress your communications by having one candidate hold while you finish a call with another. Sometimes you will be overwhelmed, but I have found that to happen very infrequently. (Note that I purposely schedule these calls for the end of the day, using the end of business hours to more effectively manage my time.)
Alternatively, use e-mail scheduling software to manage your time with each candidate. Once confirmed, use the candidate's ability to call on time as a "knockout point." If they miss the call, don't go out of your way to reschedule the appointment.
There are times, however, when neither approach is appropriate—for example, when hiring an executive, or an information technology (IT) role in high demand. But there are many instances in which this method will allow you to more effectively manage your time.
It's best to avoid conducting the telephone screen over a cell phone. While this may seem like common sense to you, it's not to everyone. A friend of mine who was a candidate for a director-level position recently suffered through a telephone screening interview conducted over a recruiter's cell phone. The reception was so poor that he could hear only about half of what the recruiter was saying, and kept having to ask to repeat or clarify what she was asking. After a few minutes, my friend suggested that the interview be rescheduled for another time; the recruiter said, "That's okay. I can hear you just fine."
The moral of the story: it is important not only that you be able to clearly hear and understand the candidate, but that the candidate is able to clearly hear and understand you. When you couple this problem with the dropped signals that can also plague cell phone interviews, you end up with a telephone screening interview that has so completely disrupted the interview process that it is practically worthless.
Despite how outrageous this story sounds, I assure you it is true. A hiring manager once called me because he had just fired the recruiting firm he engaged on a search. After spending nearly an hour describing his criteria for hiring a new controller, the manager was surprised to get an email from the recruiter just hours after their initial call. He opened the email—and found 42 résumés attached!
A lot of people know that when you're making spaghetti, you can tell if the noodles are done by throwing them against the wall to see if they stick. While this might be an acceptable approach in a kitchen, it is not an acceptable approach to hiring.
If you've engaged an effective recruiting firm, the high-level sorting-out process should absolutely be done already. You should expect that any candidate from a reputable firm will be thoroughly interviewed by your recruiter. Good recruiters should send only qualified candidates, which allows you to skip the phone screen process.