Classification of main types of interviews
Types of interviews and rules of conduct for them
Possible duration of employment
Interview with security service
Such an interview is mandatory if the candidate is applying for a leadership position and will have access to the company’s financial resources, formulate its policy and development strategy. First of all, security service representatives are interested in the law-abiding behavior and mental health of the future company employee.
In accordance with Article 86 Labor Code Russian Federation and Article 24 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the employer has the right to receive and process data about privacy employee or candidate only with their written consent. If an applicant refuses to fill out personal data, the employer does not have the right to reject his candidacy for this reason, since such actions may be regarded as discrimination. However, practice shows that, not being able to refuse employment due to a candidate’s refusal to provide access to personal information, companies can justify their decision with any other reason.
IN large companies It can take six months or more from the appearance of a vacancy and the receipt of a resume to the candidate going to work, and this is not only due to a thorough check of the security service, but to the complexity and multi-stage nature of personnel selection. Having gone through all the stages of preliminary interviews and security checks, the candidate waits for numerous services to put their resolutions on written consent to leave.
“Forewarned is forearmed,” says popular wisdom. Therefore, it is useful for students of all courses to know what can expect them at interviews for future employment. Let's look at the types of interviews that are most often used in practice and which you are very likely to undergo when applying for a job.
Depending on the purpose, there are 2 types of interviews - screening And qualifying.
Screening An interview is the first stage of personal interaction between a recruiter and candidates. From all those who sent their resumes for the vacancy, the recruiter selects applicants who objectively meet the requirements of the vacancy. A number of applicants may be screened out based on their resume if, for example, they do not have the required education or experience. Those whose resume meets the requirements are invited to a screening (first) interview.
How to behave at the first meeting with a recruiter? As you know, the first impression is very great value, so the main thing is to show yourself adequate person motivated to work for the company. Calm business attire, discreet makeup and, of course, politeness. Think in advance about the answer to a fairly traditional question: “Why do you want to work with us?” Show professionalism and interest in the company's activities. Feel free to ask questions about the content future work– this will emphasize your high motivation. But you shouldn’t ask about vacation or the canteen’s opening hours right away - the HR manager may doubt that you are work-oriented.
If the screening interview is successful, you will be invited to a second interview - qualifying. At this stage, the company has several candidates left. Each of them objectively corresponds to the vacancy, but at the same time has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Qualifying An interview is a kind of competition for applicants for a position. Most likely, not only the recruiter will participate in it, but also your potential manager. During the conversation, you will have to show that you are an excellent specialist. Tell us about your achievements (with concrete examples), highlight exactly how you can be useful to the company. Ask questions about the specifics of the work - it’s better to think them through in advance (and even write them down) so that you don’t forget anything out of excitement.
Depending on the content there are biographical, situational, criterial, stressful And comprehensive interview.
What's happened biographical interview, as is clear from the name. Most likely, in one form or another you will be asked to talk about your work experience, where and when you acquired it, what educational institution graduated, etc. “Why did you decide to enroll in this particular university?”; “Why did you leave your first job if everything was going well?”; “Where did you learn to work with codes?” - such questions should not confuse you.
Think in advance about the best angle to present your biography, what emphasis to place, what to keep silent about, and what to tell in particular detail. Are you looking for a job as a children's animator? Tell us in detail how you worked as a counselor at a summer camp, what games were organized there, but it’s enough to mention working as a waitress in passing. Are you applying for the position of PR manager? There is no need to remember in detail how you studied at a technical university (why focus on non-core education?), rather tell us about how you mastered your profession, what PR campaigns you were especially successful with.
Remember: you can’t deceive a recruiter; no one has ever managed to make a career with the help of lies; besides, it’s easy to check the applicant’s words by turning, for example, to his former manager for recommendations.
Situational The interview allows you to evaluate the candidate’s working methods, his train of thought, and also understand which tasks he can handle well on his own, and which ones he will need backup.
During a situational interview, the recruiter usually offers the interlocutor cases - real or hypothetical situations that the applicant may encounter at work. “What will you do if the client refuses the deal literally five minutes before signing the papers?”; “What will you do if a well-known newspaper publishes a comment on behalf of the president of the company without agreeing with you on the final version of the text?” - questions can be very different.
Answer them in accordance with your ideas about proper operation. Don’t worry: since you were invited to such an interview, it means you probably have relevant experience. And in this case, the cases will hardly seem too complicated to you.
Somewhat similar to the previous type of interview and criterial interview. The applicant must answer questions asked by the recruiter (as a rule, this is a whole list, but the questions are mostly standard). The questions will be a kind of criteria for assessing your readiness to work in the company.
This technique is not used very often, since there is a high probability of an interviewer making an error when interpreting your answer. And if you take part in a criterion interview, answer as honestly as possible and use your professional experience.
And from stressful The interview may leave you with very unpleasant impressions. If you are greeted with rudeness from the door (“Another mediocre candidate has arrived...”), if the recruiter spilled a cup of coffee on your new suit, if you are asked incorrect questions (“Why did you get divorced? Don’t know how to get along with people?”), this does not mean that the HR manager does not know about the norms of business communication. It is very likely that in such an intricate and ethically ambiguous way he is testing your resistance to stress.
The chances of getting into a stressful interview are greater for those who have to communicate a lot with people at work - customer service managers, call center operators, PR managers, etc.
There can be only one strategy for behavior during a stressful interview - to behave as restrained and calm as possible, and in no case stoop to rudeness and rudeness. Well, if the recruiter’s behavior, in your opinion, goes beyond all boundaries, you can interrupt the “interview” with the words: “It seems to me that our conversation is not very constructive. Let’s either seriously discuss the vacant position and my business qualities, or end the conversation.” If you say this calmly and with dignity, you can consider the stressful interview passed.
Recruiters rarely use pure form biographical, situational, stress or criterion interviews. Most often the interview is comprehensive: For example, first you will talk about the details of your biography, and then the HR manager will offer you a couple of cases. Or at first the interview will be stressful, and then it will return to normal and acquire a biographical character.
In addition, several company representatives often participate in a complex interview at once - for example, an HR manager and a potential manager.
According to the form of the interview, there are individual And group.
On individual During the interview, you will be the main character - the HR manager (or possible manager) will talk only with you. The advantages of this method for a recruiter are obvious: it is easier to create a trusting atmosphere during an interview, and the candidate has the opportunity to answer questions in more detail.
Group Interviews are usually used in mass recruitment. In this case, the HR manager has the opportunity to evaluate several candidates at once with minimal loss of time. How to behave on group interview? Behave naturally, but try to show off your best qualities- take initiative, ask questions, act as a leader if you have a penchant for leadership.
Interviews are classified according to the place and method of their conduct. They can take place in the office, in a cafe or restaurant, as well as by phone or Skype.
How is it different? interview in the office from interviews in a restaurant? Experienced HR managers argue that nothing matters in principle: in both situations you need to prove yourself to be a professional person familiar with the rules of business etiquette. If you are invited to a business interview lunch, do not rush to order several dishes, because your main goal here is not food. Conduct yourself as you would during a normal interview, but pay attention to the correct use of cutlery. The chances of getting an interview in a cafe are greater for those applying for a management position, or for those who for some reason cannot come to the company office.
Regarding the interview by phone or via Skype, then more often only the first, screening interview is conducted this way. This simplifies the procedure and saves time for both the recruiter and the applicant.
So, if a recruiter calls you, speak briefly, but not in monosyllables, and answer questions clearly. If there is a lot of extraneous noise around you that could interfere with the conversation, it is better to politely apologize and offer to call back after some time. Confirm that you are interested in the position and, if necessary, briefly describe your experience. Try to write down important information, such as the name of the potential manager, the date of a possible meeting, etc.
Interview via Skype– the task is a little more complicated, but quite feasible for any applicant. Be prepared for the fact that the recruiter will evaluate in absentia not only your speech (as it would be during a telephone conversation), but also your appearance. Therefore, it is better to change your home T-shirt to a shirt, and temporarily lock the dog in the bathroom.
A telephone interview is, as a rule, the first stage of introduction of representatives of personnel services to applicants, allowing them to save time for both. Of course, it is impossible to evaluate candidates with a high degree of probability in this way, but there is a good opportunity to make a first impression about them, make sure of their interest in a specific vacancy, and also weed out some of the applicants who clearly do not meet the employer’s expectations. And with regional (remote) personnel selection, a telephone interview is simply mandatory.
According to the Research Center of the recruiting portal www.Superjob.ru, telephone interviews when recruiting personnel are used by the vast majority of recruiters (91%), including 50% - in certain cases, and 41% - always.
Your chances of being one of the lucky ones who overcome the first hurdle of a telephone interview will increase significantly if you take this type of interview as seriously as you would a face-to-face meeting with a recruiter. Before calling the employer back, prepare a brief introduction about yourself, including a story about your professional achievements and the reasons for your interest in the proposed job.
There are 2 types of telephone interviews: the first is to clarify your experience, the second is a full telephone interview. In both cases, the recruiter will usually pick out certain details of your experience that are important for the vacancy they want to offer you. Therefore, they ask you a question very precisely and specifically, and here it is important, as always, to answer as specifically as possible and with examples. Most often they ask about the details of your work experience, reasons and search criteria, salary. And it is important, as always, to answer as specifically as possible and with examples.
A telephone interview helps verify the accuracy of the information provided on the resume. An experienced recruiter can already determine at the stage of a telephone conversation how interesting a candidate will be to a potential employer.
The way the applicant speaks, how he constructs sentences and what he emphasizes, allows us to determine his personality type, preferences, main motivational factors and much more.
The average duration of a telephone interview is usually 10–20 minutes, and for regional recruitment in this way - from 40 minutes to one hour. If the employer indicated in the advertisement a time interval for requests, then the corresponding time of the applicant’s call will allow us to assess the organization and punctuality of the latter. If the period is not specified, then it is better to call about work from 10.30 to 13.00 and from 15.00 to 17.30.
The specificity of a telephone interview is the lack of eye contact with the interlocutor. On the one hand, there is no need to worry about external presentation, on the other hand, you are deprived of the opportunity to transfer your opponent’s attention to abstract topics. In addition, for many it is a business suit and other details of appearance that give confidence in their own abilities. Telephone communication can distort the timbre of the voice, but cannot affect the intonation and manner of negotiations, so pay attention to the following important details.
Try to avoid two extremes during your first telephone contact with the employer: do not speak too quickly, trying to fit one minute into the process of making a mini-presentation, but at the same time, do not exaggerate your modesty, do not be timid when communicating with representatives of the personnel service.
Do not interrupt the interlocutor on the other end of the line when he, in turn, begins to introduce the company to you and tell you about the working conditions. If you don’t understand or hear something, don’t be afraid to clarify or ask again. This behavior is much better than blushing later at a repeat interview, making excuses that you listened to this part, and referring to bad quality communications.
Career development consultants advise conducting a telephone interview while standing. Such psychological technique helps you speak louder and more confidently.
As with any interview, be prepared to not only answer, but also ask questions that will help convince the employer of your interest in getting a job at their company. If the applicant is targeting a specific vacancy, then his questions will mainly concern functional responsibilities and job evaluation criteria.
If you forgot or did not have time to ask something, it is not recommended to immediately call back and clarify. This behavior may lead the recruiter to think about your disorganization and absent-mindedness. The formation of an opinion about a candidate can also be influenced by various sounds associated with the living environment (working TV, barking dog, children’s voices), street noises (when you call from a car or from cell phone). Based on this situation, the recruiter will, firstly, assess how seriously the applicant takes the this species negotiations, and secondly, more precisely, it will amount to psychological portrait applicant.
A recruiter's interest in you as a potential employee for his company may wane if you are distracted by other matters during the interview. For example, one of the applicants talked about a mistake he made: in parallel with the telephone interview, he checked email. When the interlocutor asked about the reasons for the delay in his replies, he admitted that he was simultaneously looking through letters. And there was no offer for a personal meeting from this company.
If the initiative to call comes not from you, but from the employer, and you are uncomfortable talking at this moment (it doesn’t matter for what reasons: you feel unwell, a tense work atmosphere, business negotiations), or you are simply not psychologically ready for an interview, then It is best to reschedule a telephone interview. The answer can be formulated as follows: “Thank you for paying attention to my candidacy, thank you for your call. Your proposal interested me very much, but, unfortunately, I can’t talk now - I have to leave in five minutes. Will this be enough time to talk, or can we call you back at another time?” This way you can clearly express your interest in the vacancy, honestly warn about the time you have available and agree on the date of the next call.
It is advisable to call the interlocutor at least once by name or by name and patronymic (depending on how he introduced himself). Remember: psychologists believe that calling a person by name always attracts him to you. When you hear the recruiter’s name, write it down immediately to avoid annoying mistakes later.
When the conversation ends, the recruiter will most likely offer you a further interaction scheme: either he will invite you to the office for a personal meeting, or he will inform you that you do not fully correspond to the vacancy. After finishing the conversation, be sure to ask what your further actions: when you can expect the result of the interview, and, in case of a positive decision, what additional materials and documents you may need during a personal meeting. If you know the email address of the employee who communicated with you, after the conversation you can send him a short reminder letter in which, in addition to thanking you for the conversation, you can once again list your strengths as a professional.
If according to the results telephone conversation If you immediately receive a refusal or realize that you yourself are not interested in this position, then be sure to thank your interlocutor for a pleasant conversation and express hope for the possibility of cooperation in the future. The experience of conducting such negotiations with an employer, like any other skill, is not acquired immediately. The more of them there are, the more confident you will feel from time to time and, therefore, the fewer mistakes you will make. This is the very case when quantity inevitably turns into quality.
So, how to schedule a telephone interview? The best way agree on the date and time of the telephone interview - call the applicant. In this case, it is necessary to explain how long the conversation will take and why it is needed. Next, a date and time for the interview that is convenient for both parties is discussed with the candidate.
Often an interview is not agreed upon in advance, but is found out during the conversation whether the candidate is willing to spend 10-15 minutes right now to clarify and discuss some points regarding the vacancy and his resume.
This option is good because the applicant does not have time to prepare and in such conditions it is easier to find out more interesting information about him, as well as evaluate him communication skills. True, such a spontaneous interview can become seriously stressful for the applicant.
Pros and cons
Obvious advantages of a telephone interview:
- candidates feel calmer than during a face-to-face interview, which makes it possible to obtain more relevant information. A relaxed person makes contact more easily than a tense person;
- saving time for the employer and the applicant;
- the ability to conduct the initial selection of candidates quickly and effortlessly;
- low cost telephone interview.
Minus two:
- inability to evaluate the candidate by non-verbal signs, what allows him to be insincere;
- the inability to assess the applicant’s appearance in cases where this is important for the vacant position.
Important! Another significant disadvantage of a telephone interview is the high risk of bias in assessing the candidate. If the interviewer does not have sufficient experience in remote assessment, he can easily make mistakes and eliminate the right candidate at this stage.
Peculiarities
Almost all types of interviews can be conducted over the phone. Both biographical, projective, and situational questions can be asked as part of a telephone interview. Therefore, the main feature of such an interview is versatility.
Another feature is that if the applicant is not suitable, you can end the telephone conversation at any stage. With a face-to-face interview, this is more difficult, because finishing it 5 minutes after the start is problematic.
In what cases is such an interview conducted?
A telephone interview is indispensable in the following cases:
- territorial remoteness of the candidate;
- preliminary assessment for mass vacancies, when it is necessary to weed out unsuitable candidates, saving your and their time;
- professional testing of candidates for positions related to telephone sales.
Often a telephone interview is required, e.g. if the head office is remote from the branch, in which it is necessary to interview a candidate for a key position.
In many companies, for vacancies of telephone sales managers, telemarketers, and call center specialists, a telephone interview is a mandatory selection stage. In this case, one of the employees of the hiring company, for example, can play an intractable client, and the applicant is trying in every possible way to make a sale to him, working with objections. This is a great way to test a candidate in a work environment.
What is being checked?
If a telephone interview is the first stage of selection, then its task is to determine the formal suitability of the candidate for the vacant position. To do this, information about education, past experience, reasons for leaving the previous job, and degree of proficiency are ascertained. foreign language, if required.
Telephone conversation quite enough to understand how good a candidate is in spoken English. An opinion is also formed about the communication skills of the applicant.
By asking specific questions, the employer can identify the candidate's motivation, degree of teamwork, degree of learning ability, basic inclinations and personal qualities, and much more.
Telephone interview: how to conduct it?
The employer can find out any information and clarify any details of interest through a telephone interview. These are details about work experience, education, marital status and everything else that becomes clear during a face-to-face meeting. The conversation algorithm is the same.
A telephone interview is also convenient if if a HR specialist has any questions while studying your resume. A telephone conversation will allow you to quickly clarify controversial issues.
To ensure that the interview is effective and does not take much time, it is necessary to prepare a questionnaire in advance. The list of questions is compiled based on the purpose of the interview and the reason for which it is being conducted. Having prepared such a list and the candidate’s resume with notes on what needs to be clarified, you can begin the interview.
During the initial selection, the conversation might start like this:
Hello, Stepan Stepanovich! Olga, HR manager at 101 Million. I'm calling, as we agreed. Are you comfortable talking now? I’ll tell you a little about the company and the vacancy, and then I’ll ask you a few questions...
Examples of personal biographical questions:
- What is the profession of your parents?
- Which school subjects Did you find it easiest?
- Who influenced your choice of institute and faculty?
- Which of your current hobbies are directly related to your profession?
- What sport were you involved in at that time? What are you doing now?
Examples of biographical questions related to profession:
- How long did you work at your last place?
- What were your responsibilities?
- Which of these did you like best? Why?
- What successes have you achieved? What are your main achievements?
- What is your education? Why did you choose this faculty? Do you want to continue your education?
Examples of projective questions:
- What did you want to be when you graduated from high school?
- Why? Did you succeed in this in the end?
- Why didn't it work?
- Why did you choose your current profession?
- Do you think you are good (called your current profession)? Why?
- Why does a person choose a certain profession?
- In what situations is lying justified?
Situational questions (cases), focused on testing skills, are selected individually for each position. To determine the candidate’s behavior patterns and values, the following cases can be proposed:
- You find out that a colleague is speaking badly about you behind your back, and this is hindering your career development. What will you do?
- You have learned that one of your colleagues systematically commits unseemly acts against the company. Your actions.
- The ideal leader - what is it?
- What is an ideal team?
- Imagine that you received two offers from employers at the same time. How will you choose?
After the interviewer has asked all the questions of interest and received satisfactory answers, it is necessary to give the applicant the opportunity to voice his questions:
Thank you, Stepan Stepanovich, for the comprehensive information! What questions do you want to ask me?
It’s better to ask questions directly, because when constructing the phrase “Perhaps you have some questions for me?” many candidates get lost and forget what they wanted to ask.
The interview should be concluded with a discussion of further interaction and gratitude for your time:
What time could you come to our office tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to talk in person? Then, tomorrow at 16:00 I will be waiting for you. Do you know how to get to us? Please take your passport with you, as we have a pass system. Thank you for taking the time to chat with us today! I'll be glad to see you tomorrow!
Average duration of initial telephone interview – 10-15 minutes. When assessing applicants for management positions, it may take up to 1 hour.
It is advisable for the interviewer to divide the interview plan into several stages - control points.
If unsatisfactory answers are received to the questions of the first stage, it is not even worth moving on to the second. It’s better to end the conversation immediately, thereby saving both your time and the applicant’s.
How to prepare?
To prepare for such an interview, the candidate must follow most of the rules for preparing for a face-to-face interview and not leave things to chance. A telephone interview is no less serious stage of selection for a vacant position than all the others. For particularly charming candidates, this interview option may be more difficult, since it is more difficult to charm an interlocutor over the phone than in a personal meeting.
To be prepared for an interview, a candidate must:
- Reread carefully your own resume and think about what points in it may raise questions from the recruiter. Choose concise and comprehensive answers.
- Explore company website and publications about it in electronic media, to have a clear idea of what the company does, who runs it, what its mission is, whether there are branches, how many employees there are. Based on the results, prepare several questions about the company for the interviewer.
- Prepare short story about myself. It’s better even in 2-3 options.
- Make a list of questions for the employer about the vacancy, think and write down, if any, your wishes and suggestions.
It is useful to ask the interviewer interesting non-standard questions in a telephone interview:
- What do you expect from the person who will take this position?
- What does a person of my experience and qualifications need to do to get a job in your company?
- What do you personally like about the company and working there?
- What tasks will I solve in this position, and in what time frame?
At the end of the interview, it is necessary to thank the interlocutor and be sure to discuss further actions, the timing of the response based on the conversation, and the possibility of a personal meeting. It is also advisable to ask the question about who the next interviews will be with and how many there will be.
A telephone interview is an independent personnel assessment tool, but it cannot replace a standard face-to-face interview. In most cases, the impression about the applicant obtained during a telephone interview is confirmed during the meeting. But for this, the employee conducting the remote assessment must have high professionalism.
And finally, we invite you to watch a video on the topic.
Tips for receiving phone calls from job seekers
To effectively communicate with candidates over the phone, you must have a lined sheet (notebook) to record information about callers and interview appointments.
An example of a record sheet design:
No. vacancy Full name age education work experience place of residence, registration, contact information source of information about the vacancy
When a call is received from a candidate, the following algorithm of work is performed:
1. Greeting and question: \"What vacancy are you interested in?\"
*If a candidate starts asking \"What vacancies do you have?\", this indicates that he most likely is not a specialist in a particular field or is not looking for a specific job.
2. Ask the candidate to introduce himself: \"What is your name?\" and say: \"Now I will ask you
a series of general questions to get to know you. Then I'll tell you about our
company, vacancy and working conditions, and will also answer your questions about the vacancy."
*If the candidate does not want to talk about himself before he knows something about the vacancy (for example, the size wages), this is bad signal. In this case, you can immediately go to step 8, and then return to step 2.
3. Ask the candidate: \"Where do you currently live geographically and where are you registered?\"
*If the candidate does not have a local residence permit or is temporarily registered in Moscow, then you should find out where he came from and how long his registration is for.
** If a candidate lives geographically more than 1 hour from the place of work, then you should immediately talk to him about this and decide whether it is advisable to consider him for the vacancy. At this point, the conversation with the candidate can be completed if he does not have a residence permit or lives very far away.
4. Ask the question: \"How old are you?\" or \"Tell your age\"
^Some candidates are wary of this question and do not want to give their age, which usually indicates that the candidate’s age is below or above the bar for the job requirements or that the candidate has a negative experience of age discrimination.
5. Next question: \"What is your education?\"
*You need to find out what the candidate’s last completed education is:
- type: higher/technical school/college/secondary school
- form: full-time/correspondence
- speciality.
** If the candidate has not yet completed his education, then you should find out who he is studying for, what year he is expected to complete his studies, what his mode of study is and when his sessions take place. It is important to understand how much his training may interfere with his job and how his future specialty is related to the vacancy.
6. Next you should ask: \"What work experience do you have similar to the vacancy?\"
\"Do you work in present moment or have you already quit?\", \"How long have you been
are you working after being fired?\", \"Why do you want to quit (resigned) from your last job?
places of work?\"
*You should compare the candidate’s existing work experience with the requirements of the vacancy and pay attention to how long he worked at previous jobs and why he left.
7. Ask the question: \"Where did you hear about this vacancy?\"
*This information is necessary to determine the effectiveness of job advertisements in different sources.
8. Next you should tell about the company and the vacancy: \"Now I will tell you what we
are we talking about this vacancy?\"
\"Our company is called... and is engaged... We have been working in this market for... years. Now, after..., we are recruiting new employees. The vacancy we are talking about is: see application for selection for this vacancy (functional responsibilities, salary, benefits package, work schedule).
9. After this, you must ask the candidate: \"What questions do you still have?\" and
answer them.
*Worth paying special attention on what additional questions the candidate asked, what exactly interested him.
10. Based on the entire previous conversation, you should determine which category
include the candidate:
- an unsuitable candidate (you should say goodbye to him for one reason or another -
\"Unfortunately, we will not be able to consider your candidacy, because...);
- a conditionally suitable candidate about whom there are some doubts (should or
invite him for an interview or keep him in reserve, asking him for his contact information
phone - \"We are currently selecting for this vacancy, we are considering candidates and perhaps
We will invite you for an interview\");
- a promising candidate who, at first glance, corresponds to the vacancy (he has
you should take a contact phone number and invite you for an interview).
11. A candidate who is invited to an interview should determine the date, time
meeting and tell in detail how to get to the office. Should be offered to the candidate
bring your passport to the interview, work book(if she is in her arms) and documentary
a 3x4 photograph for registration of the application form (if there is no photograph, then the candidate will
asked to take a photocopy of the passport photo).
Memo for inviting applicants for an interview
When inviting a candidate for an interview, the following algorithm is performed, in which the result of telephone conversations is recorded in the telephone call log:
1. Greeting and message: \"Hello, this is a company... You contacted us about a vacancy...
We are ready to invite you for an interview in.\"
day of week date time
A telephone interview is the primary stage of selecting applicants for an open vacancy. We will tell you in this article how to properly invite for an interview by phone, prepare and conduct the interview.
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 searching and hiring candidates. At minimum costs, 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 living in another country locality or out of town, conducting a telephone interview becomes mandatory item, if the company is not going to introduce them into unnecessary expenses and spoil its image. For positions that require remote work, this method of interviewing an applicant may be the only option.
The multi-stage candidate selection process can take up to three weeks. But already at the stage of the telephone interview, an experienced recruiter will be able to assess the availability critical thinking and the interpersonal skills needed to communicate effectively. By culling less qualified applicants, you narrow the pool of candidates while improving the quality of those remaining 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 is saying. This allows you to form a deeper, more holistic portrait of the candidate and an objective one.
This is an interview that you need to prepare for in advance, whether you are the recruiter conducting the initial interview or the hiring manager making the final decision. You need to know not only how to properly invite someone for a telephone interview, but also how to correctly interpret his answers to your questions.
Vera Mukhina answers,
HR Director at ENKOR.
Typical picture: HR conducts a face-to-face interview with a candidate and realizes that this could not have been done. There is a formal circumstance due to which the applicant is clearly not suitable. Moreover, this circumstance could have been learned at the stage of telephone screening...
How to invite for an interview by phone?
Rules of business etiquette suggest that the candidate must be given time to prepare for the conversation with the recruiter. Therefore, there should be two phone calls from the company:
- 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.
- The interview itself is over the phone.
In both cases, you should remember and follow the basic rules business communication accepted 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 an interview by phone (example)
Good afternoon, Sergey. My name is Natalya, I am the HR manager at 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 will it be convenient for you to answer my questions about your resume? Which is more convenient for you - will you call us yourself or wait for a call from us?
Fine. So, we agreed that you will call us on the 15th, Monday, at 10:00. I remind you that my name is Natalya, I will be waiting for a call from you at the appointed time. Thank you. Goodbye and have a nice day.
Pay attention! An invitation to a telephone interview is an example when the applicant himself sets the time for the conversation - also a way to check his 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 good result, the recruiter must get an idea of the interlocutor’s experience and 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 recruiter’s task is to interest the interlocutor in this vacancy. Therefore, a good recruiter provides information about the company based on his motivations, goals and career aspirations. This means that at the beginning of the conversation you need to find out as much as possible about the interlocutor before telling him about the employer.
When inviting an applicant to an initial interview by telephone, 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 that received by candidates awaiting such an interview:
- Prepare in advance. Find out as much as possible about the interlocutor before the interview, use social media. Study the job description, prepare questions, the answers to which will show whether the interlocutor meets the established professional criteria.
- Ensure it is quiet and free from distractions. Do not announce the invitation to a telephone interview or the interview itself and do not conduct it “on the run”, in a noisy place, while traveling on public transport, etc. During the conversation, do not be distracted - do not answer calls, do not check email. A calm, continuous conversation will help you better concentrate, hear and understand each other.
- Don't talk too much or quickly. Observe general principles conducting an interview - ask questions, do not allow the interlocutor to be distracted by details during answers, listen to them carefully.
- Be prepared for unexpected questions. Just like the candidates themselves, they never know when a non-standard question will be asked. If you are prepared for such a situation, you will be able to answer any tricky question correctly.
- Tell the candidate about next steps. This must be done when completing a telephone interview. This will eliminate unnecessary calls and emails with questions from the applicant. End the call by thanking them for their time and letting you know when you will call to report the results of the interview.
If the question arises about how to refuse an applicant after a telephone interview, do not use the phrase “You are not suitable for us,” even though it reflects the true state of affairs. Be clear about the reasons for the refusal, but remember that you may be required to justify it in writing if discrimination is suspected.
Telephone interview, example of a conversation between an employer and a rejected candidate
Unfortunately, we only had one vacancy. Based on the interview results, you took second place, so we cannot hire you now. But, if you don’t mind, we will leave your information in our database and, if a similar vacancy appears, we will contact you again.
It can be crowned with success if you are one of those lucky ones who managed to pass a telephone interview.
Telephone interview- This important stage on the way to the coveted position. It only takes a few seconds to form a positive opinion about yourself.
Often, a telephone conversation on the part of the employer is carried out for a specific purpose. For example, a telephone conversation allows you to determine how accurate the information contained in your resume is.
Sometimes, using a telephone interview, selection is carried out in large companies when a search for employees for regional offices is announced.
Which is better - a regular interview or a telephone interview?
In many ways, the “quality” of a telephone interview depends on who initiates the conversation. If the conversation takes place at the initiative of the employer, he knows exactly how to conduct a phone interview, and such a conversation can cause extraordinary anxiety and tension for the applicant. The first telephone contact should not be “accompanied” by the following extremes:- Speech too quickly and the desire to provide as much information about yourself in a minute;
- Excessive modesty, timidity in conversation with the personnel service.
Employer. Rules for conducting a telephone interview
During the preliminary telephone interview, the employer seeks to clarify the following questions:- What does the applicant do in at the moment;
- What to expect from new job;
- Experience;
- Age;
- Professional skills;
- Education;
- Marital status.
Applicant. How to behave during a telephone interview
No matter how strange the following advice may seem, if the applicant smiles during a telephone interview, he will be able to quickly establish contact with his “invisible” interlocutor. A person with a smile on his face radiates optimism even through the telephone receiver, and this is of great importance for a first acquaintance. Often the employer calls the applicant at an inconvenient time for him. It will be quite acceptable in polite form explain that now is not a good time for a telephone interview.
If the conversation “takes place,” then no extraneous factors should distract the applicant from the conversation. And at the end of the conversation, you should definitely clarify your further actions.
Do not despair if some mistakes were made during a telephone conversation. If the applicant has aroused the employer's interest, a telephone interview will certainly be followed
