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Permalink Reply by Vineet Sharma on September 2, 2008 at 12:41am

Hi Sarang

The basic prescreening rule which i follow is trying to close the candidates completely then go for resume mapping. I try to get more information about the candidates rather than just resume mapping. I try to find a candidate with good work ethics and no attitude, so i speak to him about his projects and his challenges, types of project he has done and who were the implementation partner if you are closing a candidate for ERP and weather he has reference for it. Also looking if a candidate is a job hopper if closing for an full time position.

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Permalink Reply by Ajith Raju on September 2, 2008 at 1:02am

Hey Sarang,

Its nice to see a query like this.

Pre-screening has different action items.

1. Selling the job
2. Getting the interest level - Location, Timing, Travel, etc
3. Understanding about candidate profile and suitability for the job
4. Gather the info about Current CTC, Expected CTC, Notice-Period & Educational Qualification
5. Understand the candidate`s obligations with his/her current organisation ( Most of the time we get to know about BONDS/AGREEMENTS towards the end of the interview stage - so need to be clear here )
6. And ofcourse adressing the questions from the candidate.
7. Atlast, Collect the word "YES / Good to go" from the candidatt after confirming the job once again

I hope this would help.

Please let me know if I missed out any.

Kind Regards
Ajith Raju

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Permalink Reply by Claudia Faust on September 2, 2008 at 10:30am

Hi Sarang, and I agree -- great question!

When it comes to defining "best practices" in this area, I like to divide the pre-screening described by others above into very specific objectives that can be spread over one or more contacts with a candidate:

Establish interest- Briefly describe the job and the key experiences or competencies required for success. The point is to weed out those who are not qualified or interested immediately.

Set the agenda - Tell the prospect what you want to accomplish: you're going to ask questions about their background and experiences, that you're going to give them a chance to ask questions as well, and that based on the information you gather you'll make a recommendation about next steps.

Conduct the interview- Use the same set of questions for each candidate to ensure that you can subsequently compare the quality and content of each response. Unless you like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see if it sticks, you'll need to compare and rank your candidates for presentation to the hiring manager. There are lots of excellent "first interview" templates out there; one in particular is the 5&5 (attached). It covers all of the basics, and the transition of each question to the next is an easy place to end the interview early if you need to. You're welcome to use it and share it with others.

Answer the candidate's questions - Questions can tell you a lot about someone. The kinds of questions asked by candidates offer insights into how s/he listens and processes information, and may help you better understand that person's potential match with a company's work environment.

State your recommendations - Make sure you end the conversation by telling the candidate what will happen next. Your choices are simple: close them off ("Other candidates are stronger for the following reasons..."), put them on hold ("Yours was the first of several interviews scheduled for this position, and I'd like to get back to you on (day) with my recommendations if you're agreeable."), or move them forward ("I like what I've heard, and I'm going to recommend you strongly to the hiring manager for futher interview.").

Follow through on your commitments - This is crucial. You'll undo every ounce of your credibility with a candidate (and their sphere of influence/referrasl) if you don't.

cheers,

Claudia

Attachments:

• 5 and 5 Interview Training White Paper.pdf, 181 KB

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