by Dave Clough
What are you trying to accomplish in a phone screen?
Verbal ability, and motivation (motivation for applying and general self-motivation)
Getting a feel for the applicant that is not apparent via text – sometimes I can discount someone right off the bat (e.g., if they are notably unenergetic for a position that requires high energy), and sometimes I am surprised since the way they behave via text is opposite of their behavior on the phone
Gauging their excitement about the company/position
Giving them more details about the position (remember, all interactions are a two-way street—you are being qualified by the applicant as well)
How long is the phone screen?
For an individual contributor position, typically 5-10 minutes, though some will go shorter/longer based on applicant’s personality and the position
For a leadership/manager position, it takes longer to ask about management style to determine cultural fit
Sample intro script:
“Hi [NAME], this is [YOUR NAME] calling from [COMPANY]. Thanks for taking the time to connect with me today. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me about your background and experience with [JOB OPENING].
What questions do you ask?
Can you tell me a bit about your background as [POSITION]?
What are you doing currently?
Reason for leaving previous position?
Why are you looking for a new opportunity?
Why do you think you would be a good fit for this position?/How could you be successful in this role?
What interests you most about this position?
Could you clarify [SOMETHING ON RESUME]?
How would you characterize your management style?
Do you have any questions for me?
What kind of company cultures have you work in? What did you think of them?
What is your ideal work environment?
Have your roles and responsibilities ever changed unexpectedly?
Have you had a manager who gives blunt feedback?
What’s the greatest mistake you ever made?
Add notes to the candidate’s record in your tracking tool. Once the first phone screen determines if the candidate is suitable for the position, the candidate is tagged in the database as “Passed phone interview” or “Did not pass phone interview.” Add notes from your call for more detail.
Assign applicants who pass this screen to next interviewer: If the next interviewer is a different person, the candidate must be notified. Schedule the interview with the candidate over email, and let her know to look for the email from the next interviewer. Debrief phone screen details with second interviewer.
PHB Tip: Video conferencing can be an effective tool for screening for customer facing jobs. Skype or Zoom are affordable and easy to use. Video can help identify things such as nervous tics or eye contact issues before bringing the person in for an interview. This can also be a cost effective measure if the candidate needs to fly in for the interview.
Summary & Action Items
Within one week of receiving the resume, schedule quick phone screens with qualified candidates.
Save the time and hassle of bringing someone in for an interview who is not a good fit.
What are you trying to accomplish in a phone screen?
Verbal ability, and motivation
Getting a feel for the applicant that is not apparent via text
Gauging their excitement about the company/position
Giving them more details about the position
Add notes to the candidate’s record in your tracking tool
Assign applicants to next interviewer
Chapter 11: Have a Pre-Interview Meet-up
Some hiring managers think that the in-person interview is supposed to be stressful, so that you can better gauge how the candidate may perform under stress at work. I have three answers to that:
There shouldn’t be that much stress at work.
You will not get a true read on the candidate’s natural behavior at work.
The candidate will not want to work for your company.
(Note: Positions that require the employee to often walk in to unfamiliar and potentially emotionally charged environments can/should skip this step because it is part of the job. This step is best for office-based and home-based jobs.)
The goal of the interviewing process is to create a composite of how the candidate will perform in the job as described. But, the interview is not a natural setting- it is already stressful. The interviewee is trying to be who she thinks you want her to be, and the interviewer is “judging." Often, minds are made up in the first 60-90 seconds. This “interrogation” is not a comfortable situation for any interaction, whether it is a teenager coming home after curfew, or a candidate interviewing for a job.
To have a better chance of seeing how someone will really behave if hired, I recommend that the hiring manager have a face-to-face meeting for about 30 minutes before the formal interview. One great place to have this is at a coffee shop, and have it occur a day or two before the interview. This is especially important for a job that tends to draw introverts, or people with lower social skills. This is typical of those with analytical backgrounds, for instance. (I highly recommend a Job Profile/Benchmark to identify these traits.)
There are many good reasons to have a pre-interview meeting:
More casual - less stilted
Less stressful for the candidate
Prescreen for any anomalies – strange behavior or appearance
Isolate strange behavior early – don’t bring it into the office
More realistic view of behavior – not under the spotlight
Better in-office interview – fewer unknowns means more comfort
Saves time and resources – don’t schedule an interview day with a known Mis-fit
The candidate will be more comfortable at the interview
The ideal environment is a coffee shop for several reasons:
Short amount of time – much less than with a meal
Neutral ground – no one has home field advantage
In public – likely won’t make a scene, safer for strangers to meet
Comfort of knowing what to expect of the interview environment – likely been to one before
Low cost – any budget can afford a coffee meeting
Daily routine – may already be going there in the AM
Fits the candidate's schedule – won’t have to take time off from current job.
(Important: tell the candidate to dress as he would typically – and “don’t judge the book by its cover/outfit”)
Remember, this is not a formal interview. It is a casual conversation to get to know the candidate. Don’t bring a prepared list of questions or give a test. Keep it light and topical.
How can I keep the conversation casual?
Start with:
How are you? Can I get you a coffee? (Another drink if not coffee?) Need a small bite to eat? I am getting ______. Did you run into any traffic on your way here? The construction/road conditions are… When do you need to leave? What do you think of this weather?
Continue with: Just let the conversation go – don’t steer it. See where the candidate takes it.
End with:
Just wanted to get to know you a little bit. We have a process to make sure we hire only very good people. You’ll hear from _____ about the next step. We have some very good candidates, so it may not be immediate.
If good candidate: Are there any times or days we should avoid? Please be patient if you can. I believe you will find the result to be worth the effort. We will go as fast as we can. Please call me if you have any concerns. (Give your personal business card to the best candidates)
Disclaimer: While it may be casual, it is still technically an interview. Don’t cross the line by talking about personal, non-job related topics that may make the candidate less desirable in your mind (for example: r
elationships, children, extra-curriculars, military activity, criminal record, age, religion, etc.). This can be easy to fall into since it is a casual conversation. If the candidate brings up one of the “out of bounds” topics, make a mental note of it and move on. Don’t keep digging.
Positions where I don’t recommend this meeting:
I don’t think it is as good of an idea to have a pre-interview meeting for a position such as an outside salesperson or senior execute who needs to make a great first impression and adapt to any in-person situation. It will be common for those people to be in unknown situations, and it is more than fair to see how they would react to the unknowns.
If you still feel good about the candidate after this pre-interview meet-up, move them to the next step in the process: the interview at the company. Asana notifies the hiring manager that the candidate is in the queue and next steps are the responsibility of the manager.
Assign applicant to next interviewer for face-to-face interview at the company
Add notes to contact record
Next interviewer schedules interview
Contact applicant to schedule interview – Depends on department
* * *
PHB TIP: If you have multiple candidates to interview, interview the weakest first. Here’s why:
It allows you to work out the kinks in your interview process on a less critical candidate.
You will incorporate lessons learned into the more important interviews.
If you interview the best first, you may lose the person before you get around to making an offer. This will help you schedule the candidates closer together and take action more quickly.
Summary & Action Items
A face-to-face meeting before the formal interview is recommended to have a better chance of seeing how someone will really behave if hired.
There are many good reasons to have a pre-interview meeting:
More casual - less stilted
Less stressful for the candidate
Prescreen for any anomalies
Isolate strange behavior early
More realistic view of behavior
Better in-office interview
Saves time and resources
The candidate will be more comfortable at the interview
Assign applicant to next interviewer for face-to-face interview at the company
Add notes to contact record
Next interviewer schedules interview
Contact applicant to schedule interview
Chapter 12: First Interview
The in-person interview continues the process by having management and key employees ask specific questions to get a gut feel of the candidate and decide if she should be moved to the next step in the process. The interview day is also when the candidate decides if she can work for your company and the hiring manager, so you need to sell the company as well as interview the candidate.
Many companies don’t understand the full importance of the on-site interview. If CEOs actually considered what is at stake, I believe many would have a better plan for the candidate's visit.
An interview should:
Sell the value of the company
Qualify the candidate
Communicate the culture of the company
Show the caliber of people the candidate will work with
Convey a typical day of working at the company
Identify if the candidate is a good fit for the company and the position.
Does your company have a plan for who asks which interview questions? Is it a well-choreographed endeavor? If it isn’t, your company may not only be missing a great opportunity, but it may also be missing out on hiring the best candidates for the company.
* * *
To hire the best workers, the in-person or on-site interview should be 70% interview and 30% selling.
* * *
Great candidates, A-players, will not be there to just get the job. A-players want to work with other A-players at a great company. You will not attract A-players with B-players, so put your best and brightest on the interview team.
Selling the company is not a sales pitch, but should be done by your A-players talking about why they work there – what keeps your top talent motivated? Your A-players should either be asking behavioral interviewing questions, answering questions, or injecting why they work there. Otherwise, the candidate should be talking.
Choreographing the on-site visit is very important, and the post-interview team debrief is also vital. The team needs to hear about the responses to key questions from the people who asked the questions.
PHB TIP: Inform the candidate that you will be asking for references (prior managers preferred) and will check those references. This candidate should “stretch the truth” about his experience to a lesser extent if the exaggeration may be detected in a reference check.
Day of interview checklist
☐ Stay objective – fight against falling victim to first impressions.
☐ The manager should start by setting the stage:
Get the candidate excited about the opportunity.
Describe what success looks like at the company.
Explain what to expect from interview process.
It is a mistake to start with someone other than the hiring manager, unless he is too inexperienced.
☐ Administer the job competency test. Some examples are:
Personal trainers should put the interviewer through a typical training session.
A chef should cook his signature dish.
An analyst could develop a spreadsheet from a specification.
An engineer or programmer should understand the theory behind the technology, design something related, or correct a flaw.
☐ A tour of the company typically makes sense. It should be done by an employee who has done a tour previously to show the highlights and not get bogged down in the details.
☐ Each interviewer has an assignment:
Multiple stakeholders – 30 minutes each (hiring manager decides on interviewers)
Each interviewer asks different questions
Refer to the Multi-Respondent Job Report from the Benchmarking process for interview questions that identify the perfect hire.
These questions are behavioral – what happened in the past will likely happen again.
Ask for specific examples, don’t stay at 10 thousand feet. Get specifics on results:
Ex. When you said that $200k was sold, how much did you personally do?
Ex. What role did you personally play in the success of that project?
Probe – Why, When, How, What?
Get details – size, scope, complexity, effort, team issues, dates, etc.
Looking for Action and Execution – not generalities and what the “group” accomplished.
Find out what the environment was like, whether it worked for her, and determine how it is similar to or differs from your environment.
Did the person act as a leader of others (even informally)?
What motivates the person to do their best?
☐ QUESTIONS MUST PERTAIN TO THE JOB, NOT ONE’S PERSONAL LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK.
If the person is not hired, any conversation regarding what is done on personal time could be scrutinized.
For example, you can’t ask what they do for fun after work, but you can ask if they achieve a healthy work/life balance.
☐ Stay away from the following topics. Most of these subjects relate directly to federal and state employment laws. In an interview, or on an employment application, do not ask questions about...
