Screening Call
A Screening Call, also known as an initial interview or phone screen, is the first step in the hiring process where recruiters have a brief conversation with job candidates. This helps save time by checking basic qualifications, salary expectations, and job fit before moving forward with more detailed interviews. It's like a friendly preliminary chat that helps both the company and the candidate decide if they want to continue with the full interview process. Other terms for this include "preliminary interview," "initial phone interview," or "pre-screening interview."
Examples in Resumes
Conducted over 500 Screening Calls monthly to assess candidate qualifications
Improved hiring efficiency by implementing structured Phone Screen evaluation criteria
Managed end-to-end recruitment process including Initial Screening Calls and final interviews
Typical job title: "Recruitment Coordinators"
Also try searching for:
Where to Find Recruitment Coordinators
Professional Networks
Online Communities
Industry Resources
Example Interview Questions
Senior Level Questions
Q: How do you design an effective screening call process for different roles?
Expected Answer: Should discuss creating role-specific questions, developing evaluation criteria, and implementing consistent scoring systems. Should mention ways to train other recruiters and measure screening effectiveness.
Q: How do you handle high-volume screening calls while maintaining quality?
Expected Answer: Should explain time management strategies, use of scheduling tools, documentation methods, and ways to maintain consistency while handling multiple positions and candidates.
Mid Level Questions
Q: What are your essential screening call questions and why?
Expected Answer: Should discuss key questions about experience, availability, salary expectations, and role alignment. Should explain how these questions help qualify or disqualify candidates.
Q: How do you handle difficult conversations during screening calls?
Expected Answer: Should explain approaches to discussing salary mismatches, lacking qualifications, or unavailability, while maintaining professionalism and candidate experience.
Junior Level Questions
Q: What information do you typically collect during a screening call?
Expected Answer: Should mention basic candidate information, current situation, career goals, salary expectations, and availability for next steps.
Q: How do you prepare for a screening call?
Expected Answer: Should discuss reviewing the job description, preparing standard questions, having the candidate's resume ready, and understanding basic role requirements.
Experience Level Indicators
Junior (0-2 years)
- Basic phone interview techniques
- Calendar management
- Note-taking during calls
- Following structured interview guides
Mid (2-4 years)
- Candidate evaluation
- Handling multiple positions
- Creating screening questions
- Managing candidate pipeline
Senior (4+ years)
- Developing screening processes
- Training other recruiters
- Strategic candidate assessment
- Process improvement
Red Flags to Watch For
- Poor communication skills or inability to build rapport
- Lack of organization in scheduling and follow-up
- Unable to ask appropriate qualifying questions
- No experience with applicant tracking systems
- Poor documentation of screening call outcomes
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