First Contact: Dialing Your Future Employees (and Weeding Out Others)You need to hire a new employee soon, and it can't be just any warm body, but wading through the sea of hopefuls seems daunting. A telephone screen is a pivotal step in the recruitment process. This is where you can gauge the depth of the candidate's experience while getting a feel for his or her personality and overall character. Because phone screens are less formal, the candidate is more at ease and can better reveal his or her true communication style. It is your first real contact with the candidate; therefore, it is a crucial part of developing a relationship with the candidate. Follow these six steps, and you'll be on your way to narrowing the pool and saving yourself a little sanity. Step One: Introduction Provide a brief, detailed introduction where you quickly take charge of the conversation while laying out facts up front. For example, "This is Kelly Smith, recruiter, with Company X. I noticed that you applied to our certified orthotist position opening. Do you have 10 to 15 minutes to speak with me right now? Great. Thank you. First, I will tell you a little bit about what you may or may not know about Company X. Then I will refresh your memory about the position that you applied for by providing you with a big-picture description of the position. Finally, I will ask you some basic questions designed to get to know you better." Step Two: Provide a Brief Company Commercial Don't forget to... Take your time. Candidates can tell if you are in a hurry. Take notes and type them up afterward so that those assisting in the hiring process will be able to easily read your information. Write complete thoughts. Be careful what you write. A seemingly innocent remark recorded on the phone screen form may be seen as discriminatory. Rather than writing, "Candidate was argumentative and used poor grammar," write, "Poor verbal communication skills." Treat everyone the same. Do not commit to a follow-up interview right away. Sometimes your hiring needs change. Before setting up a face-to-face interview, check all appropriate calendars to make sure all hiring authorities will be present when the candidate comes in. Make sure another candidate has not risen to the top and that this candidate is indeed a strong candidate for the vacancy. Provide the candidate with a summary, or commercial, about your company. "Company X is rated number 162 on the Fortune 200 list of companies. We are in an aggressive growth mode and doing extremely well financially. Company X promotes heavily from within. We have a business casual environment. Company X offers some of the best benefits in the nation with three weeks paid vacation as well as over a week of holiday pay, so you get at least a month of paid time off your first year with us. We offer a full benefits package beginning with your first day of employment." Your commercial should be tailored to attract the attention of the candidate that you are interested in. Step Three: Provide a Brief Job Description Here is a sample job description: "The certified orthotist will be responsible for all stages of design, fabrication, fitting, and maintenance of orthotic devices related to patients. The certified orthotist will assist physicians with the evaluation and analysis of the patients' need for orthotic services. Responsibilities include identifying and reconciling issues/problems to ensure patient satisfaction with devices provided. There will be approximately 20 percent travel required for this position. The majority of the travel will be by air going to our vendor sites primarily located in Arizona, Florida, and Colorado." Step Four: Get the Facts First Verify the candidate's current place of employment, title, and current income package. For some positions you will need to make sure that the candidate clarifies what his or her base salary is and what his or her bonus and/or commissions amount to yearly. It is also important to record any auto allowances, expense accounts, or other financial incentives being provided to the candidate at this time. If the conversation is flowing freely, now might be a good time to ask what income the candidate is seeking in his or her next position of employment. Step Five: Ask Basic Questions While each industry has unique questions that should be asked to properly screen for qualified candidates, there are a few questions that should be asked for every profession. The following is a list of questions that should be included in every phone screen: Name the computer skills with which you are most proficient. What aspects of your skill set do you consider most crucial in a work environment? Why did you apply to this position? What do you think are the key skills and characteristics of a successful (fill in with the title of the open position)? What do you like best about your current position of employment? What is the most frustrating thing you've encountered on the job this week/month? Step Six: Conclusion Wrap up your conversation by thanking the candidate and saying, "I will pass this information that you have provided, along with your resume, on to the hiring manager. The hiring manager will let me know if he [or she] would like to proceed with an interview or if he thinks that there are stronger candidates for the role. You will be provided with follow-up information relating to our conversation within two to five business days." Kelly Ann Smith is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) with more than 20 years of staffing industry experience. She can be reached at kellystaffingexpert@yahoo.com
