I don't know about you, but every job I've held has involved telephone work: customer service, sales, managing relationships with clients, colleagues and suppliers. My business can't survive without a phone. I spend blocks of time on hiring projects, screening the applicants, responding to their questions, mentoring them through the process, staying in touch with my clients.

Once you hire, these new employees will be dealing with your clients, suppliers and contacts on the phone.

Tips for Telephone Interviews

So, why is a telephone interview so important? You need to know how you will be represented over the phone. Here are some tips on how to make the most of a telephone interview:

1. Have a plan. Know what you want to accomplish during the initial screening.
2. Share your plan. Let the candidates know how long the call will last. Coach them to be in a private place. Tell them how much time to book for your call. Fifteen or twenty minutes are enough to determine if you want to meet them in a face-to-face interview.
3. Ask for a land line instead of a cell number if possible. I'm amazed how many candidates think they can perform well on a telephone interview while driving! When that happens, I ask them to pull over and then I wait before I proceed with the call. If it means rescheduling, that's what I do.
4. Send a written confirmation of the telephone interview details including a copy of the job posting you'll be discussing. Often I call candidates who have no recollection of the specific jobs they applied for.
5. Have scripted questions to keep you on track. Use the same questions for each call. You really need to know 3 things on the screening call:
   1. Are they the right technical fit? Can they do the job?
   2. Is the job within their geographical boundaries for their job search?
   3. Is this job a good fit for their next career move?
6. Review the job description, the candidate's resume and your notes before making each call.
7. Remind the candidate of the duration of the call, and even let them know how many questions you will be asking them. This allows them to gauge the amount of time they have to answer each question.
8. Allow candidates to ask a couple of questions about the position or your company. They are evaluating you, while you're evaluating them.
9. Make sure to end the call with the next step. Let them know when your decision will be made about who is being invited to the in-person interview.
10. Follow up with all candidates. Once they have been contacted for a position, they deserve to know where they stand. If they are not moving forward, they want to know why. If they are going to be considered further, they can be contacted for the next interview.

Managing the telephone interview process well is just another way to make a mark as a professional in your industry. These candidates are all prospective clients, or competitors. It's always a good thing to make a good impression by phone.

Learn about other possible Candidate Touchpoints During the Hiring Process.