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Phone Interviews with Recruiters
By Steve Gallison CPRW CFJTC GCDF

The other day during a group session of fifty-six professionals discussing the Job Acquisition Process I was asked about telephone interviews and why many companies are using them with increasing frequency. My answer was that all hiring is a highly discriminatory process designed to exclude candidates who are not good matches to the very basic requirements of knowledge, skills, abilities and salary requirements established by companies. As terrible as it sounds… it is true - recruiters (commissioned or corporate) don’t want their time wasted looking at wannabes. You need to match between 70% to 85% of the qualifications depending on where the economic cycle is heading. Now, it is about 85%+ of the requirements. In better times it is around 70% as the candidate pool thins out.

The use of phone screenings by recruiters is designed to quickly narrow the candidate pool down in order to decide on the primary candidates for interviews. According to the employers I deal with across Maryland, most recruiters/employers use a prepared list of “knock out” questions. Most frequently the first question for our customers is “what salary are you earning or were earning in your previous position.” That question is what many recruiters are using as a measuring tool or what a prominent DoD employer calls the “nuclear option”. Recruiters tell me that if your answer is too high the recruiter interprets this to mean that in all likelihood there is not going to be a “love connection.” Many indicate that they won’t discuss the salary issue unless the candidate says something to the effect of, “My income needs are such and such, however, it is negotiable for the right position, company, and in light of the entire compensation and benefits package.” Candidates need to demonstrate they are flexible and in most cases the recruiter/employer will now discuss the requirements for the position more openly.

The phone screen is a quick way (read “cheap”) to screen candidates and as fair or unfair as the person receiving the call sees it, efficiency in the recruiting world is what matters. Taking the time to “talk” someone into a salary lower than they had previously is asking for trouble, often resulting in a candidate backing out of an interview or staying with the employer a short time and suffering a seething case of buyer’s remorse, leaving the recruiter and the employer (end user) with nothing but anger.

To begin with I must make a delineation between recruiters who are not subject matter experts and Recruiters (capital R intended) who are subject matter expert professionals to a degree. Let me explain. In some instances Recruiters were in the field for which they are currently recruiting- they may have been in the recruiting business for several years meaning they are conversant with the technical jargon surrounding their area of technical expertise but are not immersed as they once were. As Recruiters they are now on a different path. For instance in my past I managed a company that had a 100,000 square foot commercial greenhouse complex, 10 acres of outdoor growing space, two retail floral shops, eight crews of landscapers, and a horticultural therapy program serving more than 60 people with disabilities. I still know a lot about horticulture operations, however if I went back to the horticultural industry today, it would take me some time to adjust to managing greenhouses etc. but as a Recruiter I would be productive in no time at all. My hours would be better, physically I’d last longer as a recruiter and in the end I would probably earn substantially more income. I just got myself thinking, hmmm!

In my experience the reason a candidate doesn’t get invited to face to face interviews is the failure to research the company and it is evidenced by the lack of relevancy on the candidate’s resume. Why waste time tele-screening if candidates don’t match the employer’s requirements?

My advice to our customers is to research the living daylights out of the company on the Internet using LinkedIn.com to check out present and past employees whom you might know or get an introduction to meet and learn about the target company’s real environment.

Practical Application on Researching the Employer

I urge all of our customers to create a simple fact collection sheet, on the top line is the full name of the company and the civision being targeted

Company’s Mission Statement - write down the Mission Statement
Division’s Mission Statement
Names of the top three - five Principals - check them out online especially LinkedIn, get their bios and study them for possible rapport building conversations later in the process
Location(s) know them all
What is the company’s Organizational Structure?
What is the number of employees at every location?
What are their major sources of revenue/major contracts/products etc.?
What is their current market position/share - domestic and international?
What is the current economic position of the company?
What are the sources of their raw materials - domestic or foreign?
What is the current and projected consumer behavior?
Consider consumer product or service line consumer acceptance (companies winners and losers products or services)
Study their catalogs, products or service descriptions
Identify competitors and research them for comparisons.
Is the company being /been targeted for a takeover or merger?
What is Wall Street saying about the company - how are the stocks doing in relationship to the market?
If the company is publicly traded, look at the past two years of performance in light of the current economy.
Call or write for their Annual Report.

Now with contextual data in hand you will be able to analyze your research. During this research you will have learned to speak in the same terms as the other company employees and sound like an insider. Arming yourself with this information now will prepare you for the upcoming face to face interview. Now you are prepared to take on whatever comes your way. The more you know… the more you will have to talk about!

Many folks ask “How do I do all that?” Well the first time I did it was at the main branch of the Public Library with the Reference Resource Librarian who was one of the brightest persons I’ve ever met. She knew exactly what and where I should look and in many cases interpreted what I was reading. She shaped me into a researcher and investigator. Her advice was to pass on all I learned from her. Upon her death she left an estate valued at $4.5 million, almost all of it was from using the above formula to research companies and invest in stocks. She said she would invest her time as prudently as she invested her money. I was lucky to have met her. Below is a list of websites that I suggest our clients use to conduct online research of publicly traded companies.

The Call

In many cases you won’t have the luxury of knowing when the call from the recruiter will come. You may receive a call while you are having a networking lunch and there is just no place to sit and actively participate in the telephone screening interview. In that case assess your situation and if you can get to a quiet location with a telephone that has a landline (hard wired) then do what is required to get there, as that is, in my estimation, the ideal situation. Just tell the recruiter that you are involved in a business meeting and that you will call them back in an hour or two but be specific as to the time.

Optimal

You will want to be in a location that is quiet and where you will be able to spread out your notes and have your computer available and a landline telephone is preferable. Have a writing surface available and any other resources you deem necessary.

On the Road

If you are driving just ask for the indulgence of the recruiter and find a place within the next 15 minutes to pull off the road where it is relatively quiet and return their call. Pre organize the front seat of the car with the necessary materials and return the call.

Many career coaches suggest using a hands-free headset where possible when speaking to recruiters in order to keep your hands free so that you will be able to take notes or hold the materials. I agree except it should never be on a Bluetooth™ or similar in ear device as some of the systems pick up too much background noise from the sender. Also I would never use the speaker/microphone function on a cell phone for much the same reason.

Leaving a Message for the Recruiter

If you are leaving a message for the recruiter, speak slowly and distinctly. If you have an accent, slow down your rate of speaking. Make sure that you say your name distinctly, spell it once and leave your telephone number at the very end of your brief message.

Be perky; put a smile in your voice as you deliver the information. Let the recruiter know that you will return their call within a brief period of time. Do not leave a long involved message, short and to the point is what the recruiter wants to hear.

The Connection

This is what we have been building to… the actual discussion between you and the recruiter.

The recruiter will set the agenda, it may not be your ideal agenda but the recruiter being very conscious of the time invested and return on their time investment will go through their list of questions. Many are pre-designed to be “knock out” questions and if you survive them then you are being considered for an actual face to face interview. In answering the “knock out “questions just focus on being straightforward and honest. Most of the recruiters are well aware of the tactics that “hedgers” use to skirt issues. Do not play games; remember you may not fit this position; however the recruiter may have other positions that match your experience exactly.

Recruiters Remember

Working with a recruiter is not a game, it is the development of a relationship which is mutually beneficial to both parties. You have a job to attain which will be a significant source of your income for years to come and for the commissioned recruiter it is a small portion of their income which is cobbled together by using the talents of others to earn, in some cases a sizable income. Either way you look at it you both have “skin in the game” or an investment. So make the contact a very amiable one and trust will be built on both sides.

Do You Have Any Questions

Generally near the end of the recruiters “fact finding” portion they will ask the candidate if they have any questions. This presents the candidate the opportunity to further allow the recruiter to see their professionalism and passion for the anticipated position. Candidates should always have a few questions to ask including:

What assignments will be given to me in the first six months?
How is the company growing during this period?
Who specifically will I report to - what is their management style?
What would be an additional strategy to get better prepared for the interview? Things to Keep in Mind
The recruiter needs your talent to earn his money or make her quota
The candidate need the recruiter to access the employer
The candidate’s level of preparation must become obvious to the other parties involved
The other parties involved will see the candidate’s level of preparation and will make assumptions that the candidate will always do what is necessary to obtain the desired results and goals.
Preparation and delivery will be viewed in a work context, meaning you prepared well for this interview process - evidenced by your research and presentation and the employer will expect the same level of preparation and presentation when you are on the job.
The recruiter may have you slated for this position but the hiring manager may see you as a candidate for another position, in most cases a higher level.

Always bear in mind that if a recruiter is talking with you, then they believe you are a viable candidate. Keep the relationship professional and open. The commissioned recruiter is your access to this and other employers, the recruiter has built a base of trust with the employer and they are looking for candidates that will remind the employer everyday of the quality of candidates this recruiter has available to them and the recruiter likes and lives for repeat business. However, when the candidate is not properly prepared the recruiter just moves to the next candidate and in this economic environment there are no shortages of candidates.

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