Contacting Applicants by Telephone

The goal by the end of the interview process is to have interviewed five strong candidates for the position you have available. Now, you might have initially more than five applicants that you’re interested in interviewing in person. Therefore, go ahead and use the resource called the Telephone Filter Questionnaire to help you pare down your list of applicants. Let’s take a look at this resource right now.

The purpose of this resource is to further filter and strengthen your applicant pool. Be sure to keep this form on record for three years. As the call progresses, take note of your impression of the applicant. Do they remember applying for your position? Are they engaged in the call? Can you visualize this person answering your phones? If there are any major red flags, you will not want to invite them to an interview. If you have doubts, get through all of your calls and you can always come back to them if your applicant pool becomes limited.

Key points to look at are their attitude, and also what they’re looking for in terms of hours, wages, benefits, and responsibility. Be sure you give each applicant a chance to ask questions before you hang up. Refer to the interview procedure document for a sample call script.