Telephone interviews are hugely valuable for speeding up any interview process by minimising time-wasting. You can get an idea of the candidate’s personality, assess their communication skills and ask any questions that could immediately rule them out. The candidate can get a feel for the company and learn more about the position.

You can use them as a method of shortlisting or to learn more about the candidates who are applying for your position. One of our clients who uses us for IT Recruitment in Milton Keynes have adopted this with great success.

A telephone interview is often conducted during lunchtime or out of working hours, therefore your working day can be unaffected by this first contact.

If a candidate is not based locally or currently working away a telephone can confirm that a face to face interview is relevant rather than them making costly and timely travel arrangements only to be quickly disappointed. After a telephone conversation it will be clear if the face to face interview should go ahead.

When should I conduct a telephone interview?

Telephone interviews work best when used as the first stage of your interviewing process.

Speaking to the candidate, hearing their tone of voice and assessing their natural answers will provide an insight into their personality. You can clarify any queries raised when you read their CV, tell them more about the position or just use the time for a general chat to get to know their personality and assess their communication skills.

How long should a telephone interview last?

In general, they should last about half an hour, if a candidate manages to keep you on the phone for longer than 30 minutes with engaging conversation, that’s a very good sign.

Does location matter?

Yes, it does! Do not conduct a telephone interview on the go.

Make sure that you have enough time to conduct the interview (which may overrun) and that you are somewhere quiet, with a good signal if you’re using a mobile phone, and where you won’t get interrupted or distracted. Put a ‘Meeting in Progress’ sign on your door.

All candidates submitted by 100% IT Recruitment have been vetted by a member of our staff; they are aware that the telephone interview is a normal part of the recruitment process.

Please call us on 0844 879 4523 if you have IT staff requirements you would like us to help with.

In our next blog we look at How to Conduct a Telephone Interview