Question by Recruiter:
I’ve narrowed down my list of job applicants, but am still feeling overwhelmed…What phone screening tips can you recommend to help me reduce the amount of face-to-face interviews for only the most qualified candidates?

Answer by Bayt.com’s Senior HR Consultant, Suha Mardelli Haroun

Arrange a time.
Arrange a set time for you and the candidate to talk, then keep it short, 15-30 minutes at the most.

Be prepared before making the call.
Have a standardized process for all candidates ready, then review the job description and highlight the requirements or preferred qualifications to focus on in the phone interview.

Brief the candidate.
To keep you on track, briefly describe the phone screening process to the candidate, mention you expect the phone interview to last 15-30 minutes, and go over the job description and let them know you will be asking questions about their CV.

Ask descriptive questions.
Ask questions for the candidate to elaborate on areas of their CV such as objectives, skills, previous employment history, why they are interested in the position, current job responsibilities, skill set, reasons of frequent job moves if applicable, and anything unclear on the CV you feel needs more detailed description.

Conclude with a script.
Prepare a script to conclude your phone interviews by thanking the candidate for their time and interest, and provide a time frame when you will be contacting them about their application status.

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