The Initial Phone Screen - A Guide
How to survive, and excel and initial phone screen.
In any interview process, the first time you speak with someone is usually called a Vetting or Screening call. Depending on the company, it can be with a recruiter, HR Manager, Hiring Manager or team member.
While the focus can differ slightly around the edges, the foundation of the call is to assess if;
you have the basic skills or experience needed to do the role.
you know what the company does
you can have a human conversation…
As one of my mentors (and recruiting savant) Doug Tetzner used to tell me; it’s to make sure you’re not a complete buffoon.
All joking aside, vetting calls can be super nerve-wrecking and hard to prep for.
You receive a vague invitation to “book time and chat about the role in more detail”, then you hop on a call and are blitzed with questions about this, that and another thing for 15-20 minutes.
It’s over before you know it.
What the hell did you say? What the hell did they ask?
If you’re lucky, you get a follow up email invitation to meet the team for the next round.
If you’re not, may get a nicely worded, rather vague rejection email or no email at all.
But fear not! With a small amount of preparation you’ll be in position to ace most vetting calls, improving your chances in later rounds at the same time.
Let’s get into it.
Brush Up on the Role “Must Haves”
Typically, these initial calls are for doing an initial check to make sure you have the bare minimum requirements needed for the role. This means you should re-read the job posting, paying specific attention to the responsibilities and requirements that are listed.
Try to have a tangible example (where possible) for each. Doing a bit of prep on this area can really help make that all important first impression.
Review The Culture Values
After the requirements, the next thing to research is the culture values of the company. Not all companies may have them listed online, but the majority nowadays will (as part of their employer brand strategy).
You can use this information to your advantage in three ways:
Prepare answers for why those values connect with you personally.
Have tangible examples of ways you have showcased the values in the past.
Keep them in mind when crafting your “must have” examples in step one.
Questions, Questions, Questions
Steps one and two will get you in the top percentage of candidates the recruitment team will speak with. However…
If you don’t ask any questions you might tank your chances.
I’ve had so many great calls that turned not-so-great because the candidate had zero questions on the initial conversation.
It can come across as a lack of enthusiasm or interest in the role and company, and is considered an early flag for many interviewers.
An easy solution to this is to have some prepared questions you can ask to anyone in the process. Some examples include:
What’s your favourite thing about working here?
What’s the most challenging thing?
What is the most exciting thing you’re working on currently?
What is the team culture like?
Getting insights from questions like this can also help you as you navigate the interview process generally, so never pass up the opportunity to ask a question!
Understand Product / Service
Congratulations! You’ve nailed one, two and three and you are better prepared than 80% of candidates I generally speak with!
The final 20% can be gained by doing a deep dive on the companies product or service. Checking reviews, news articles, podcasts etc. can give you a good sense of the health of the company, as well as an insight into how senior leadership thinks about culture.
The other great thing; you’ll be able to come up with some pretty unique questions by doing that little extra research. Which can help you stand out even further.
Obviously this step is even more time-consuming. If you are applying and interviewing for various companies, only deep dive on your top choices.
Remember, there are many factors that go into passing an interview. Some are outside of your control (strength of other candidates, inefficient recruitment processes, under-trained interviewers etc…) but preparation is something you can control.
Focus on the basics, add in your personal touch and you’ll find these initial interviews can be enjoyable and informative.
You’ve got this!