The use of telephone screening has grown greatly as the methodology we use to generate candidates has changed. Telephone screening of candidates has become more important as a vital precursor to a face-to-face interview, but not a replacement for it.
At one time advertising positions in the national broadsheets was a major part of our work. Up until quite recently, one national advertisement would produce a healthy flow of candidates, in a predictable timescale. This allowed the recruiter to review the CVs of maybe 60-80 applicants and select perhaps 10 CVs to go straight to interview, without any intermediate screening.
“We are now in a multi-channel world when it comes to attracting candidates”, notes Managing Director, Stuart Spindler. “The national press is no longer the force it was for senior level recruitment advertising. The rise of the Internet and the lower costs of web-based advertising have diluted the dominance of the broadsheets. Better networking methods have also created an expectation by job hunters that the recruiter will come to them”.
We now have to assess applicants from various websites, across a longer timescale than previously. To these we have to add the outputs of our search activity, where our research and networking has led us to viable candidates. To deal with this, our consultants make extensive use of telephone interviewing, or ‘telescreening’ as we have dubbed it.
We are aiming for a better understanding of the candidate’s fit to the specification - and the appeal of the post to the candidate. The telephone screening call will take anything from ten to twenty minutes, assessing both aspects through a structured series of questions.
We can sort out any mismatches between the candidate and client’s expectations of remuneration and benefits. We also explore the important issue of location and whether or not the person will travel daily, commute weekly or relocate.
Importantly, candidates are given the option on when they talk, during working hours or in their own time. At the end of this telescreening session, the Spindler consultant will take a view on whether to bring the candidate forward to the next stage: the vital face-to face interview.
Stuart stresses, ”We have a hard and fast rule that we do not put candidates forward to clients without a face-to- face interview with one of our consultants. In our view there is no replacement for this, despite the dominance of electronic communications.”
Summarising, Stuart states, “I hope that clients recognise how important this telephone interview stage is - and the attention that Spindler consultants give it. Without proper processes, it is all too easy for good candidates to slip through the net.
Candidates who understand how we use telephone screening can feel confident that the conversation will happen at a time of their choice and they will be able to respond effectively. It is very time efficient for both parties and ensures that all candidates invited for interview are serious contenders for a place on the shortlist that we supply to our client.”
