Phone Interview Mistakes
Stop Turning People Off and Start Turning Them On!
Now, more than ever, companies are doing initial screening by telephone in order to speed up their evaluation process. After all, why block out 30-60 minutes of time to meet with someone when in half the time, people can be effectively screened.
Yet, companies are misusing the process and often doing themselves harm.
Using accents and not poor oral communications as a reason for rejection. It is true that some people speak poorly and they will be in jobs that require excellent oral communications. But some jobs don’t require “perfection”. Some jobs simply require being understood (so that direction can be followed and tasks performed correctly). Sometimes, people are understandable and then held to an unnecessarily high standard. With the available choices in the US workforce changing, rejecting people for whom English is a second language or for whom American English is an acquired skill without offering inexpensive remedial speech courses is a mistake.
Failing to have clear questions that are useful when evaluating someone. Standardized questioning that fits the job, yet is flexible enough to permit exploring areas of curiousity are important in order to make sure that success criteria are measured. What difference does it make if you and the potential hire laugh and joke with one another if you don’t take the time to sincerely evaluate them?
Missing the appointment time and leaving someone waiting at the phone. It’s bad manners when a job applicant misses an interview or shows up late. Emergencies happen and appointments even need last minute re-scheduling. But it is better to stretch yourself and be on time than expect a marketable person to be forgiving of you all the time.
Everyone has friends. Don’t make the mistake of treating someone rudely and discovering (or worse not discovering) that people don’t want to interview you because of your rudeness. By selling the merits of your company or job, you may create the conditions where people want to come to work for you in the future.
Be prepared to refer someone who is not quite a fit to a colleague who could use the skills better. You will score points with a colleague and with your management by referring someone who you interview who may not be quite right for you to them. You will be thanked a million times over and help create an environment where people support one another.
By taking the time to correctly prepare to evaluate talent, you will find it more quickly. By creating a favorable impression with everyone you meet, you will help create the buzz in the community about your firm and what you’re doing. You may also create a buzz about yourself that could help opportunity knock on your door in the future.
Jeff Altman
Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com
© 2006 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, has successfully assisted many corporations identify leaders and staff in technology, accounting, finance, sales, marketing and other disciplines as employees or consultants since 1971. He is a certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
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