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What is a phone screen interview?
How are phone screen interviews different from phone interviews?
How to nail a phone screen interview
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What is a phone screen interview?
How are phone screen interviews different from phone interviews?
How to nail a phone screen interview
Great news — you received a call back about a job application. The recruiter wants to schedule a phone screen interview with you.
A phone screen isn’t necessarily a job interview. It’s a pre-interview step recruiters take to ensure you check some boxes. It's often the first step you need to accomplish to make it to the next round of interviews in the hiring process.
Before you hop on your phone call, you might have some basic questions. Are phone interview questions different from face-to-face interviews? Do you still need to follow up after the call's ended?
Don’t worry — we have answers for you. We'll help you prepare for a successful, professional phone screen interview.
So what is a phone screening for a job? A phone screen interview is a brief phone call between you and a recruiter or member of a company's talent acquisition team.
They’ll ask about your basic skills and past experience and offer some details about the job opportunity. These calls usually take between 15–30 minutes and include some straightforward information about things the salary range, job responsibilities, and your availability.
The purpose of these screening interviews is to weed out the job candidates who have glaring red flags. It's to narrow down the pool of people for detailed job interviews. And with the Great Resignation well underway, hiring teams need to save their energy for strong applicants.
As of 2022, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported just over 10.5 million job openings in the United States.
The hiring process takes lots of time, and companies don't want to waste time or money on job candidates who don’t match the position.
Phone screenings, formal interviews, and other evaluations take lots of time and energy. Some industries take longer than others, but don’t expect to start working a new job in two weeks.
LinkedIn studied the hiring timelines of 400,000 people who applied for new jobs between 2020 and 2021. They found the median number of days it takes for people to get hired in a variety of industries:
Remember to congratulate yourself on getting a phone screen interview in the first place. It means that your cover letter and resume stood out to the recruiter, and they want to learn more about you. It's a great first step. Now you just need to nail the phone screening.
So are phone screen interviews the same as regular phone interviews? Not exactly. Think of them as more of a general introduction.
Phone interview questions are more based around open-ended questions like "Tell me about a time when…" or "Tell me about yourself…" that ask you to explain your experience in more detail. Expect more behavioral and basic informational questions for the phone screening.
Phone interviews also last longer than screenings, so while you might expect a screening call to last 15–30 minutes, a phone interview usually lasts from 30–60 minutes.
This is because the recruiter is more serious about you in the interview stage. They want to get a feel of how you'd fit the company culture, how passionate you are about the work, and if you’d fit in with their work environment.
A screening interview involves a lot of listening on your part, too. You learn more than just what the job description says, which can help you realize if you want to pursue this job. IA phone screening might help you decide this role isn’t for you.
Whether it's a screening interview or a phone interview, you want to speak confidently and comfortably. At BetterUp, our coaches will provide the guidance you need to sharpen your communication skills for any type of interview you encounter and make a great first impression.
Interviews are stressful, and phone screenings are no exception. Your social anxiety disorder may cause you to become stressed and nervous about talking to new people, and phone anxiety is no exception.
If this is you, just know that you're not alone. Consider meeting with a mental health professional if your phone anxiety, or general anxiety, is overwhelming.
One way to handle your worries is to devise an action plan that tells you what to do before, during, and after your phone call. It'll help guide you through the process and make you feel more comfortable.
Here are some phone interview tips for before, during, and after your call:
Interview questions come in all shapes and forms. Phone screen questions might be long or short. But whatever questions you're asked, the recruiter has something particular that they're looking for. They want to hear your soft skills, past experiences, and attitude. Recruiters also listen for transferable skills, which play a big role in the hiring process and selecting which candidates move forward to the next round of interviews.
To give you a better idea of what you might be asked, here are six phone screen interview questions to review:
What's your availability like?
What are your salary expectations?
What's your level of experience with X?
What was your previous job like, and what were your responsibilities?
What drew you to (company's name) in the first place?
Why are you leaving your current job?
A phone screen interview is a great sign. It means you've grabbed a recruiter's attention, and they're curious about you. But they still require some preparation if you want to make a great first impression and move on to the next round of interviews.
Now you've learned what to do before, during, and after your phone call. You know to do research ahead of time and not to rush your words while on your call. You'll be ready to follow up with a thank you email. When it’s time for the next interview, you’ll feel like a pro.
You can move to the next interview knowing what to expect — and you’ll better show the recruiter you’re the best candidate for the job.
Explore effective job search techniques, interview strategies, and ways to overcome job-related challenges. Our coaches specialize in helping you land your dream job.
Explore effective job search techniques, interview strategies, and ways to overcome job-related challenges. Our coaches specialize in helping you land your dream job.
Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships.
With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.
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