Send A Thank You Note
At the end of the interview, thank the interviewer and ask what the next step in the process will be. Ask for the interviewers email address and send out an email thank you note immediately, thanking the interviewer and reiterating your interest in the job. Its important to show your appreciation for the interview regardless of how the interview was conducted.
What Things Do Recruiters Consider When Pre
Recruiters use open-ended questions to encourage candidates to express themselves about talk freely about the job role. Quite often, recruiters will evaluate several factors during these pre-screening calls.
Pre-screening interview calls are used to analyze the candidates communication skills, attitude, and personality type. Its also a chance to discuss any information related to the role and whether the candidates meet the basic requirements.
Why Are You A Good Fit For This Position
This interview screening question tells you more about why they applied for the position and is a good indicator of if theyre truly a good fit or if theyre just looking to get out of their current position fast. It will also tell you a few basic things about the candidate:
- Do they have the skills necessary to do the job?
- Did they prepare for the interview by reviewing the job description and matching their skills with the job duties?
- Does their interest in the position have to do with the positions responsibilities, the company, or some other factor?
Lets make it more specific: Why do you think youre a good fit for this company?
Asking this question will tell you if the candidate researched your company beforehand. Candidates who have researched the company ahead of time will be prepared with specific answers rather than general statements, showing a little more initiative than the average applicant. It will also tell you what the candidate knows about your company outside of its online presence maybe their colleague used to work at your company and enjoyed it, or maybe they admire your companys marketing campaigns.
Another tip: Compare these responses to their answer to the first question on this list. The goal is to spot similarities between their skills and expectations and the open position.
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Tell Me What You Know About The Role
Employers ask this question to ensure you did your research prior to your phone interview. They want to hear that you know what the general expectations of the role are. This question also helps them know what additional information they need to share with you about the role. Prior to your interview, carefully read through the job posting and do some research about the company.
Example:”I know this role requires me to work nights and weekends, which I’m completely comfortable doing. I have a very flexible schedule. I also know that this role is perfect for someone with several years of management experience. As someone who has managed different offices, I’m confident I have the leadership and communication skills you’re looking for in a candidate.”
How Do You Like To Be Managed Example Answer
The bosses Ive worked best with in the past have set clear, concise, and realistic goals and expectations. Im highly motivated by deadlines and being a part of not just my teams success but the whole companys, so working with someone who takes both of these things seriously and ties them back to everything they do allows me to perform at my best.
Read More:3 Easy Steps to Answer How Do You Like to Be Managed? in an Interview
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Final Thoughts On Pre
We cant stress enough how important the pre-screening interview is to the recruiting process. Youll save a lot of resources by rooting out unqualified candidates early on. Youll also be able to craft a list of top applicants before the hiring manager even starts interviewing them in person.
After the pre-screening interview process ends, you can consult the hiring managers and work with them on further understanding the skills that candidates have previously showcased.
If you want to learn about conducting interviews, Id recommend the hiring managers guide to interview formats. Theres a lot of helpful information in there.
You might also want to check out our one-way video interview guide since pre-recorded videos are quickly becoming more popular with recruiters, hiring managers, and candidates alike.
We hope the questions in this article will help you discover the top talent youre looking for. I wish you the best of luck!
Andrei Timofte
Phone Interview Questions About You
- What are you looking for in your next job? What is important to you?
- What is your greatest weakness?
- What is your greatest strength?
- Describe a typical work week.
- How would you describe the pace at which you work?
- How do you handle stress and pressure?
- What motivates you?
- Questions about your career goals.
- What type of work environment do you prefer?
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Work Style Interview Questions
Some people love working as part of a team while other people work better solo. Its best to know which way your candidates lean before you spend time with an in-person interview.
If a candidate has worked a solo gig in IT, they may have trouble transferring to a collaboration role between multiple team members who have to work together daily.
Pre-screening interviewquestions to determine their preferences for collaborative versus solo roles can be:
- Do you prefer working with a team, or are you better by yourself?
- Can you provide an example of when you had to work as part of a team? What were your responsibilities? How well did it work?
- What do you think makes the team successful?
- Have you ever experienced a problem with a team member? How was the situation resolved?
In What Order Do You Prioritize Work To Do
This question allows you to demonstrate how you prioritize tasks to meet set deadlines and contribute to group goals. When answering, display related skills such as your time management, multitasking, and organizational skills. You can demonstrate how you have improved these skills over time to increase your productivity at your workplace.
Example:âI set priorities for my work in order of their deadlines to ensure efficient productivity and delivery. Usually, I set a personal deadline for each work to ensure that I have enough time to work on them. By so doing, I maintain timely delivery of every task and ensure I can adapt to any unplanned changes. Also, to remain updated on every task, I use scheduling tools and ensure I get daily reminders of existing tasks and their due date.â
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Tell Me About Yourself
This is the most common opening question for a prescreening interview. Consider this question an opportunity to give your elevator pitch to the recruiter by explaining your professional strengths and experience. Hiring personnel may also hope to learn about your interests, personality and communication abilities. Provide a short answer with relevant details to give the interviewer an understanding of your professional self.
Example: “I’m a direct sales marketing professional passionate about strategizing new marketing techniques for women’s apparel. With five years of experience managing a marketing team, I lead team members in engaging our customers and elevating their experience with our brand. In my current role, I focus on retail marketing strategies targeted at women ages 35 to 50 using social media, direct sales and product networking. When a college mentor told me I had a talent for pitching sales ideas, I decided to pursue a career in the marketing industry and I’ve loved my journey so far.”
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How Do You Say You Have Interpersonal Skills
- If you lack the mind of your own and feel youre just another cog in the system, you could be building a poor impression in the recruiters eyes.
- Instead, they are keen to know whether you can bring the team together and become a single moving force shaping organizational goals.
- An enthusiastic designer eager to impress with his ability to join forces with the team responded this:
- I collaborated with the developer, strategists, and copywriters on a rebranding project to drive the web traffic by up to 30%.
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Choose A Suitable Place To Talk
Before answering a pre-screening interview call, think about if its suitable. Before answering the call, are you in a quiet place that makes it easy to hear what is being said? If not, consider asking your recruiter if its possible to reschedule the call at a better time when you wont be disturbed.
What Are Your Professional Goals
When screening candidates, their professional goals tell you a lot about how much or how little they tend to think about the future. Its also a broader look at what they hope to accomplish long-term compared to the standard question hiring managers tend to use, Where do you see yourself in five years? It can also encourage candidates to share even bigger goals, like their dream job or even retirement plans, that help you learn a little bit more about what makes them tick.
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How Do You Typically Manage Projects And Prioritize Tasks
A good answer to this question might include a priority system that the candidate has in place when managing projects. For example, if youre asking a potential copywriter this question, a great answer would be to reference Gary Halberts priority system which states that first completing the important but not urgent tasks will make it simpler to finish the important AND urgent tasks down the road.
Red Flag: The worst answer that you could possibly get is I dont think this question is relevant since Im not applying for a manager position. An answer like that is a clear sign that the candidate does not understand the subtleties of the question because what youre actually asking is Do you have what it takes to one day assume a leading position in this company? No matter the position, leadership is a great skill to have.
What Are Your Salary Requirements
While it may seem presumptuous, interviewers ask this in phone interviews to quickly eliminate anyone whos out of their budget.Oftentimes recruiters are given a certain amount per position, and rather than bring a candidate all the way through the process only to get stuck on salary, they want to ensure the person is comfortable with what they can offer.
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Why Are You Interested In This Position
This question aims to ascertain how excited you are about the role. Is it towards the bottom of your list? Are you able to convey passion and enthusiasm about the role?
In other words, view this question as an opportunity. First, it lets you discuss what drew you to the role in the first place and how it would offer you a step up on the career ladder. Whats more, the question gives you the chance to describe how the role would let you build on the competencies you have already begun developing.
In other words, your response to this question should convey both your enthusiasm for the position and the skills youll bring to the role.
Clear Your Mind Of Bias
The purpose of the phone screen interview is to determine whether a candidate deserves an interview. Bias can diminish its effectiveness. If you were impressed by a candidates resume and youre already determined to bring them in for an interview, the call is obsolete. Conversely, if you dont like this candidate because of their cover letter or resume, youre likely to deny them the opportunity anyway. Avoid the risk of making a bad decision by being objective.
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What Is A Phone Screening
Before you can understand whether or not phone screening would be the right choice for your business, you need to know what it is. So, what is a phone screening interview? Well, like a normal screening interview, it helps you to determine which candidates show promise and helps you determine which candidates may not be the best fit for your business. Essentially, a screening interview helps your hiring and recruitment teams to determine who should be offered an opportunity to get a second interview. Because of this, screening interviews usually consist of a list of generic HR screening questions that just serve to sort out which candidates may be the best suited for the position they are applying for. Usually, then, there are a set of specific answers or points that you can mark as desired. These points are then the key to how to pass a phone screen interview for that position.
What Appeals To You About Our Company
Theres some overlap with the previous question here. But this question encourages the candidate to give a slightly different perspective.
They dont just need a solid reason for moving on from their current workplace. They need a solid reason for wanting to work for you.
Youll also get a sense of their enthusiasm. Are they really excited to work for your company? Or are they simply looking for any job in a particular pay band?
Youre ultimately looking for people wholl feel invested in your company and its objectives and a candidate should be able to convince you of that.
Fair screening tip
Be realistic about how your company is perceived and your employer brand. Its much easier for a candidate to give a strong answer to this question when your company is forthcoming about its values and culture.
Why Ethical Employer Brands Should Be Making a Social Mobility Pledge
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Best Phone Screening Software
When youâre looking to implement the best phone screening software into your hiring process, itâs important to find the tool thatâs right for you. This is important to remember as many software solutions will promise you that theyâre the best for any business. In reality, HR software is dependent on the purposes and needs of the adopting organization.
There are many recruitment tools available to the modern recruiting team. This is good for market diversity, but creates a challenge for finding the right one for you amongst the plethora of options available.Look at the most common virtual interview platforms to determine the right tool for your business. Take note of the various platform features and ability to integrate with your existing suite. If you need one to streamline your hiring process, for example, and see what they have to offer in terms of on-demand phone interviews. Qualifiâs platform allows you to increase screening efficiency by 80% while providing additional tools to improve your hiring process such as improved team collaboration and candidate experience.
Qualifi ensures flexibility for both your recruiters and candidates without sacrificing efficiency. Plus, you can eliminate screening interview scheduling from your hiring process. This is what makes Qualifi great for small and large hiring teams alike, enabling you to expand your candidate pipeline by 5x and your teamâs hiring efficiency by 7x.
Additional Resources
Screening Questions To Know Why The Candidate Applied
The foremost thing to know about the candidate is the reason behind joining your company. Some candidates apply for every job under the sun because they desperately need a job or their sole motivator is the higher package.
The honest ones will know about your company, understand its way of doing things, and business, and have industry experience. You should never lose such types of applicants.
These screening interview questions will let you uncover the reason for the candidates decision to apply at your company:
- Why do you want to work in our company?
- What thing did make you interested in this position?
- How much do you know about our company and what we do?
- Why did you choose us to work for instead of our competitors?
- Are you giving interviews at other companies as well?
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Issues With Their Resume
A candidates resume may meet the minimum requirements but it may still have gaps or raise some concerns. Ask them to explain and listen to their answers carefully. Ideally, they should sound honest, reasonable and give concrete responses.
Example questions:
- Tell me about this two-year gap in your resume
- I can see that youve changed many jobs recently. Why did this happen?
- How would you feel about changing industries?
- Why do you want to leave your current position?
The Most Common Recruiter Questions
Before we begin these questions are usually too quick and snappy and, recruiters wont bother asking too many complicated or lengthy questions. Although, its your job as the applicant to make a lasting impression and give a detailed response.
So, here are the most common pre-screening interview questions that you need to prepare for
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What Types Of Management Styles Do You Respond To Best
As part of your pre-screening interview, be sure to ask questions about what types of leadership personalities candidates admire or work well with. This is important when determining which candidates would perform best under the current department manager or supervisor for their job role. Determining preferred management styles at this point in the process allows you to promote a positive work environment in the future.
Are You Willing To Relocate
This is a logistical question for interviewers to weed out anyone whos immediately not a good fit purely based on where theyre located. But especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, being out of the area is not going to be an immediate disqualifier for all jobs. Depending on the companys culture, set-up, and leadership styles, employers may consider letting you work remotely, paying for you to move, or assisting you in coming into the office every once in a while if needed. If the employer is only interested in candidates who would work in-person each day , consider what this says about organization and if it would be a good match for you.
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