Tips For A Successful Screening Interview (Aka Phone Interview)

Usually conducted by phone (though lately they are more commonly being done via video call), a screening interview is essentially a pre-interview call, the goal of which is to receive an invitation for an actual interview.

These screening interviews are short by nature, typically lasting between 10 to 30 minutes and are usually conducted by HR rather than the actual hiring manager themself. Their purpose is to determine if an applicant meets the criteria and is qualified for the job, while also getting an idea of their personality. Candidates who don't pass this screening stage are eliminated from consideration.

In most cases, a screening interview includes a brief review of your background and a few questions. Typical questions include:

• Tell me about yourself (to get an idea of your personality)
• Resume fact checking questions about your work experience & qualifications
• Salary requirements & availability inquiries
• Why you want the position (to get an idea of your motivation)
• Skill-based questions

To stay in the running, you need to demonstrate that you are a qualified, passionate candidate who can further the goals of the company.

Take the time to prepare for your screening interview by doing the following: 

Review the job description: Consider the job description as your cheat sheet for the company's wants and needs in a candidate. Review the desired qualifications and main responsibilities involved in the role.

Research the company: While you don't need to do a deep dive at this stage, it’s helpful to know ahead of time what the company does and to understand something about their needs and culture.

Prepare your environment: Whether your interview is on the phone or by video call, find a quiet place to talk with the interviewer and minimize distractions so that you can focus on the conversation rather than what's happening around you.

Know your resume: Be prepared with brief descriptions of your previous jobs and stories that prove your abilities.

Additional tips for a successful screening interview:     

Smile and stand/sit up straight: Be mindful of the fact that 93% of communication is non-verbal (even by phone when you cannot be seen), so smile and pull up your posture, as these gestures can affect your energy level and the delivery of your words.

Be patient: It may seem as though the interviewer hasn’t even read your resume, so be prepared to go through all the details of your work experience, qualifications and skill set. Often the interviewer has many applicants to contact and a standard list of qualifying questions to get through.

Be brief: Remember this is just a short screening process to establish if you are qualified enough to move onto the next stage, so answer each question as succinctly as possible by providing exactly the information the interviewer needs and nothing more. Making a personal connection is not important at this time. 

Don’t ask lots of questions: Let the interviewer take the lead in asking all the questions; you will have your opportunity to ask yours in the next round. The only questions you should be asking at this stage is about the next steps in the process and how you can follow up with them regarding your candidacy because this shows that you care and want to move forward. 

Be ready to take their call at any time: If you get taken by surprise and caught off guard with this type of screening call (because sometimes they are not scheduled and will happen spontaneously), don’t be too tempted to tell them it’s a bad time because you may not get a call back! With so many applicants in this current climate they may just mark you off and move on. So be prepared at all times and make sure you have already done your homework on the companies you have applied for so that you can be ready for them if they call. On that note, however, if it really is a bad time, there is nothing wrong with asking for a few minutes to gather yourself together and remove any distractions you may have around you. 

Follow up with an email thank-you note: As with any point of contact between you and a company, you want to acknowledge your appreciation for their time and consideration. As always, you should aim to do so as soon as possible, but especially in this round when eliminations tend to be made at a much faster pace.  

If you want additional guidance on how to prepare for an interview or any other aspect of the job seeking process, please feel free to:

• Connect with me on LinkedIn & DM me for a free 30 minute consultation,
• Follow my business page and/or join my FB community for more tips & resources on how to get hired and find a fulfilling job,

• Download my Interview Preparation Toolkit, which includes a list of example questions, questions by category, tips and a workbook,
• Sign up for my 2 week interview preparation program.

You may also want to read:

• Why you're not making it past the first interview
• Take control of your interview by understanding why recruiters love to ask the question "tell me about yourself"
• Video interview top tips
• Behavioural questions. What are they and how should you answer them?
• How to talk about getting fired in a job interview