Identifying Trouble Candidates During a Phone Interview
Hiring is really an elaborate art form. You can hedge your bets with better organization. You can apply statistics and analytics to help read the tea leaves, but, ultimately, the process is very human-centric. Any process that deals with people is bound to include all the intricacies that come with being an individual. In fact, there are not many things more personal than hiring. A candidate may look perfect on paper, but upon talking to the individual you may be awestruck at how mismatched they are with your corporate culture. Unfortunately, in the pyramid of a recruiting funnel, an organization spends much of its time in the interview process. Hiring managers, juggling their main job with being an organizational gatekeeper to new candidates, have a limited amount of time to dedicate to the interview process. Time investment is more intensive for each candidate that makes it further up the recruiting ladder. How can companies protect the productivity of their hiring managers and still dedicate enough attention to hand pick only the best individuals? The phone screen is a much overlooked opportunity to help weed out trouble candidates before they make it to the next level. Here are some candidate stereotypes to watch out for.
The Inflator
At some point, everybody has run into an inflator in the work force. You know the type, a candidate who can take what would be a bullet point on a standard resume and stretch it into Vice President level experience. During the phone interview process be on the lookout for an inflator. If you get that used car salesman, infomercial pitchman feeling in the pit of your stomach, then you should probably close the door. An inflator is the type of candidate that is bound to ask for more money and deliver less goods.
The Throwback
If you happened to work in the tech industry during the web 2.0 boom you will remember the good old days. Offices with built in kegerators, video game lounges and foosball tables sprung up all across Silicon Valley. Many employees spent more time designing the corporate sock puppet than plugging holes in the corporate business model. During a phone interview, consider the word "foosball " as a tripwire for passing on the next interview cycle. A little fun and games is a great way to spruce up interoffice relations, but you should be able to spot a throwback from a mile away.
The Poker Face
Caginess may be a virtue in Vegas, but during a phone screen it is about as useful as a bicycle to a fish. If a candidate comes into the screen process tossing around non answers like a politician in an election year, than the onsite interview is not likely to go any better. The interview process is about getting to know a candidate, learning their talents and measuring them for goodness of fit within your organization. If they give you nothing, don't give them an appointment for an onsite interview.
The Shocker
Sensationalism is a good approach for show business, but it will probably kill a candidate's chances during the phone screening process. As a hiring manager, if you come out of a phone interview asking yourself how the conversation devolved into questions about bringing a pet lizard to work, then you know the candidate is not a good fit for the job.
The World Traveler
Asking about vacation time is a normal part of taking a new job. However, kicking off the initial phone call with an inquiry about vacation days is not a great way to get things off on the right foot. Try and screen out candidates that are more interested in potential perks than the job they are applying for.
The Lost
Sometimes people need time to figure out their lives. Unfortunately, a phone interview for a specific job is not the right place to waiver. If a candidate appears flip floppy during the phone interview, they are likely to have a short-term presence even if they do get the job. Use the phone call to help measure a person's dedication to their profession.
The Disgruntled
Any candidate who uses a phone screen to soap box about how awful their old corporate culture was or how useless their old boss was is likely to maintain that same outlook going into a new company. Truly disgruntled people can carry a negative attitude with them from job to job. Make sure to filter out candidates who spend a disproportionate amount of time grinding their axe.
The Uninspired
Having a stake in your work is critical to delivering a top notch performance. If a candidate can't find specific examples of things that inspire them about their career or life in general, then they might not be the best person for the job. During the phone screen be careful not to confuse a quiet technical person for someone who doesn't care about their profession.
The Opinionated
Be on the lookout for any candidate willing to wax eloquently about how your company should change its direction or adjust its strategy. Unless the person is up for a position in upper management, having strong opinions that completely disagree with your corporate direction is a recipe for disaster. During the phone interview process keep an eye out for strong opinions that run against requirements for the job opening.
No matter how you approach a phone interview it all comes down to judgment. Make sure you frontload the candidate screening so that most of the candidates that hit the phone screen stage have the required qualifications. Recruitment software offers an organizational advantage to help take some of the headaches out of the interview process. Regardless of how well you weed out the unqualified people, you will need to effectively leverage the phone interview stage to get the most out of your recruiting program. Treat each candidate fairly, but identify red flags up front. Ultimately your hiring managers will do a better job if the candidates they spend time with have been more stringently selected during a phone interview.
The Inflator
At some point, everybody has run into an inflator in the work force. You know the type, a candidate who can take what would be a bullet point on a standard resume and stretch it into Vice President level experience. During the phone interview process be on the lookout for an inflator. If you get that used car salesman, infomercial pitchman feeling in the pit of your stomach, then you should probably close the door. An inflator is the type of candidate that is bound to ask for more money and deliver less goods.
The Throwback
If you happened to work in the tech industry during the web 2.0 boom you will remember the good old days. Offices with built in kegerators, video game lounges and foosball tables sprung up all across Silicon Valley. Many employees spent more time designing the corporate sock puppet than plugging holes in the corporate business model. During a phone interview, consider the word "foosball " as a tripwire for passing on the next interview cycle. A little fun and games is a great way to spruce up interoffice relations, but you should be able to spot a throwback from a mile away.
The Poker Face
Caginess may be a virtue in Vegas, but during a phone screen it is about as useful as a bicycle to a fish. If a candidate comes into the screen process tossing around non answers like a politician in an election year, than the onsite interview is not likely to go any better. The interview process is about getting to know a candidate, learning their talents and measuring them for goodness of fit within your organization. If they give you nothing, don't give them an appointment for an onsite interview.
The Shocker
Sensationalism is a good approach for show business, but it will probably kill a candidate's chances during the phone screening process. As a hiring manager, if you come out of a phone interview asking yourself how the conversation devolved into questions about bringing a pet lizard to work, then you know the candidate is not a good fit for the job.
The World Traveler
Asking about vacation time is a normal part of taking a new job. However, kicking off the initial phone call with an inquiry about vacation days is not a great way to get things off on the right foot. Try and screen out candidates that are more interested in potential perks than the job they are applying for.
The Lost
Sometimes people need time to figure out their lives. Unfortunately, a phone interview for a specific job is not the right place to waiver. If a candidate appears flip floppy during the phone interview, they are likely to have a short-term presence even if they do get the job. Use the phone call to help measure a person's dedication to their profession.
The Disgruntled
Any candidate who uses a phone screen to soap box about how awful their old corporate culture was or how useless their old boss was is likely to maintain that same outlook going into a new company. Truly disgruntled people can carry a negative attitude with them from job to job. Make sure to filter out candidates who spend a disproportionate amount of time grinding their axe.
The Uninspired
Having a stake in your work is critical to delivering a top notch performance. If a candidate can't find specific examples of things that inspire them about their career or life in general, then they might not be the best person for the job. During the phone screen be careful not to confuse a quiet technical person for someone who doesn't care about their profession.
The Opinionated
Be on the lookout for any candidate willing to wax eloquently about how your company should change its direction or adjust its strategy. Unless the person is up for a position in upper management, having strong opinions that completely disagree with your corporate direction is a recipe for disaster. During the phone interview process keep an eye out for strong opinions that run against requirements for the job opening.
No matter how you approach a phone interview it all comes down to judgment. Make sure you frontload the candidate screening so that most of the candidates that hit the phone screen stage have the required qualifications. Recruitment software offers an organizational advantage to help take some of the headaches out of the interview process. Regardless of how well you weed out the unqualified people, you will need to effectively leverage the phone interview stage to get the most out of your recruiting program. Treat each candidate fairly, but identify red flags up front. Ultimately your hiring managers will do a better job if the candidates they spend time with have been more stringently selected during a phone interview.
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