How To Structure An Initial Phone Interview

The first time you speak to a potential candidate, it’s often over the phone.

This initial interview — the screening interview — should be fairly structured and concise so you’re not wasting your own time or the candidate’s.

Here’s a loose framework you can use to structure the interview:

• 5 minutes: Tell the candidate a little bit about your company
• 5 minutes: Ask them to talk about themselves a bit
• 5 minutes: Talk about the team, role, projects and requirements in a little more detail — and pause to see if they have any questions
• 5 minutes: Ask pointed questions about their experience and how they’d approach the job
• 5 minutes: Cover salary and compensation ranges
• 5 minutes: Leave open for any remaining questions

When you work with a recruiter at The Source and Recruit Company, we often take care of this initial screen for you. However, depending on how involved you would like to be with the candidate search, you may opt to have this conversation yourself.