The phone interview has always been a key part of my screening process. If anyone were to ask me, I would have said that I use the phone interview to screen for the skills I'm looking for, and then use the in-person interview to screen for values and cultural fit.
And this time, things started very much on that footing. My questions were very much about skills. The job I'm hiring for requires someone who can plan meetings, write good copy, organize fundraising campaigns, etc. Can you describe specific events in your job history that would demonstrate to me that you have those capabilities? My goal is always to get the person talking. Having done most of these tasks myself, I can usually tell when someone is speaking from real experience and when they are faking it. There are tell-tale words and phrases that reassure me that, despite what it may say on a person's resume, they've actually done the kind of work I would be asking them to do in my association.
But something new happened during this series of phone interviews. As I listened to each candidate give each response, I found myself listening for more than just the magic words about their skills. I started paying attention to the way they delivered their response as well: listening to their diction, their level of confidence, their level of ease in discussing themselves and their skills.
And I realized halfway through my series of calls that I should really be taking these elements into account as well. Usually, after speaking with a candidate, I would score them in each of the skills areas that I'm hiring for, total up their numbers, and bring the top scorers in for the in-person interviews. But now it seemed that these softer skills were relevant as well, and should be taken into consideration. Maybe the person with the perfect skill set but who sounded weak and vacillating on the phone shouldn't be called in. And the person with a less than perfect skill set but who sounded confident and capable on the phone should be.
My phone interviews are purposely held to no more than 30 minutes. But even in that short amount of time, you can get clues as to the things that make a person tick, how they approach challenges, and what it might be like to work with them in the office. From now on, I'm going to be thinking about these elements as candidates respond to my questions about their skills sets. And the ones that impress me, the ones that I think I might actually want to meet in person, and much more likely to get the nod even if their skills match is less than perfect.
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This post first appeared on Eric Lanke's blog, an association executive and author. You can follow him on Twitter @ericlanke or contact him at eric.lanke@gmail.com.
Image Source
https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/how-to-ace-a-phone-interview-11-simple-tips.html
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