Job Resource:

Maximizing Your Screening Call with a Recruiter: 8 tips to set you up for success.

Congratulations! A recruiter contacted you regarding a job you applied for. Sometimes the recruiter can email you to set up a phone call. Sometimes they just call you to see if you can talk. Regardless of how you’re contacted, you need to be prepared.

First of all… Why are screening calls even a thing?

In my past life as a recruiter, I did hundreds of screening calls with candidates. They’re fun (for the recruiter at least). They’re quick. And they’re a necessary first step to filling the job. As a recruiter, my goals in doing screening calls are:

• Identify the top 3-5 candidates to send to the hiring team

• Get clarification about something on a candidate's resume

• Understand the candidate’s motivation for applying to this job

• Ensure that the candidate meets the job parameters before having them interview, including salary range, location, working from home policy.

• Make sure that the candidate understands the job and scope of responsibilities.

• Get a sense of the candidate’s communication and interpersonal skills.

That’s a lot packed into a 20-30 minute call. Is it fair to make assessments based on such a quick call? Probably not. However, it’s a common hurdle that you can get over with the right preparation.