Article Summary
🚀 The Screening Interview is A Quick and Efficient First Filter.
⏰ It helps save time and keeps top candidates engaged.
📝 Preparation is key—have a well-structured call script ready.
❓ Ask about experience, motivation, availability, and salary expectations.
🙅 Avoid being too vague or unstructured.
✅ Make a swift decision after the call and inform the candidate.
🏁 Conclusion: An effective screening process quickly confirms key details and keeps the best talent motivated.
What is a Screening Interview?
A screening interview is a short exchange that serves as an initial screening of applications. Also called a “screening call” or “pre-selection interview,” it is usually conducted by phone or via videoconference to avoid the time constraints of in-person meetings. Unlike the full job interview that comes right after, this phase is less in-depth: its purpose is to check a few essential criteria, such as availability, level of technical expertise, and alignment with the company’s values.
📌 Example
Let’s say you’re recruiting a web developer. During the phone screening interview, you want to quickly confirm their mastery of a specific programming language (JavaScript, Python, etc.), their ability to work in a team, and their salary expectations. If these key points don’t align, you can end the process before investing more resources.
Major Characteristics of the Screening Interview
- Short duration: 10 to 20 minutes, focusing on the essentials.
- Flexible contact method: Phone or videoconference. Personally, we prefer phone calls to make the candidate feel at ease.
- Targeted objective: Quickly verify alignment between the position and the candidate’s profile (minimum skills, interest in the tasks, location, availability, etc.).
- Fast selection: Allows you to eliminate clearly unsuitable candidates without dedicating long hours to in-person interviews or in-depth technical tests.
The pre-selection interview is held with all candidates who have shown interest in the position: those who responded to your job description as well as those who accepted an initial conversation following your outreach or network referral.
Why Conduct a Screening Interview?
Save Time for Both Parties
You quickly identify the most interesting profiles and rule out those who do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of motivation, essential skills from your recruitment scorecard, and availability. You spend only 10 minutes with unsuitable candidates instead of an hour booked in advance.
The same goes for the candidate. It’s an opportunity for them to prepare questions about the job, your company culture, and to see if there’s a mutual fit.
Improve the Quality of Your Interviews
By already having done an initial screening, you reserve in-depth interviews for truly promising and motivated candidates. Subsequent interviews will feel more like real, detailed discussions rather than interrogations aimed at verifying simple criteria like availability.
Put the Candidate at Ease
A phone interview is a more informal first contact, which puts the candidate at ease and allows you to gauge their soft skills. Ideally, we recommend using the phone to make them feel even more comfortable during this phase.
Motivate Top Candidates to Join You
Finally, this is also a key time to motivate the best candidates. At this stage, they’ve only read your job ad, so it’s a prime moment for “selling” them on the opportunity. Remember that recruitment goes both ways. Be convincing and answer their questions honestly.
How to Prepare for Your Screening Interview?
List the 2 or 3 Mandatory Skills for the Position
Extract from your scorecard the two or three essential skills for the position that you absolutely need to check.
Prepare Questions to Test These Skills
You can refer to our guide about the interview questions to ask candidates to prepare your checklist of questions.
Anticipate Potential Roadblocks
Prepare answers for possible questions about salary level, location, start date, or remote work policy.
Prepare Your Call Script
In 10 to 20 minutes, you need to cover the essentials. So it’s important to have a structured call script. Here’s a suggested outline:
🔹 Part 0: Context
“Hello [Candidate], thank you for your interest in the position/for taking this call. I propose we start with a brief presentation of the job and the company. Then I’ll let you introduce yourself succinctly, highlighting experiences relevant to the role. Afterward, I’ll ask you a few questions and, most importantly, answer yours. If at the end of this call we confirm our mutual interest, we’ll move on to the next step, which involves meeting my colleague [Name]. Is that okay with you?”
🔹 Part 1: Present Your Company and the Position
Make sure your introduction is engaging and sparks interest. You’re essentially “selling” your company. The more concise you are, the more impact you’ll have. Good candidates like working with good recruiters—remember, you represent the company.
🔹 Part 2: Candidate Introduction
Use this section to evaluate their summarizing ability, analytical thinking, or any other criteria that may be relevant for you, using active listening.
🔹 Part 3: Test the Candidate’s Motivation
After the candidate’s introduction, it’s a natural transition to test their motivation. For example, “What makes you want to change jobs?” or “Why did you accept this call?” If at this point they aren’t motivated, don’t waste your time; politely end the call.
🔹 Part 4: Test the Mandatory Skills from the Scorecard
Ask the questions you prepared beforehand. If at this stage the candidate doesn’t meet the criteria, you can shorten the interview and quickly wrap up, while remaining respectful.
🔹 Part 5: Check Availability, Location, and Salary
“When are you available to start?” “What is your ideal remote-work arrangement?” “In which geographical area do you prefer to work?” “What are your salary expectations?”
🔹 Part 6: Answer the Candidate’s Questions
If the candidate checks all the boxes, keep putting your best foot forward to motivate and convince them.
🔹 Part 7: Bonus
I often like to ask a question about the candidate’s ambitions: “Do you have a long-term career plan?” This helps me understand the candidate’s mindset and current direction—are they there by chance, for an opportunity, or do they have a long-term career strategy?
🔹 Part 8: Conclude
To wrap up, some recruiters make their decision after the call, while others do it at the end of the call. It’s your choice, whichever makes you most comfortable. We prefer being honest and direct with a rejected candidate at the end of the call. The same goes if the candidate is selected: it allows you to explain the entire process verbally. In this second case, always ask the candidate to confirm their motivation and desire to proceed (especially if it’s someone you reached out to directly).
“Thank you for your time. At this point, you meet our criteria, and I’d like to continue the process with you. Here’s what happens next. Meanwhile, please confirm via email that you’d like to move forward.”
Configure Your Tools
Set up your CRM, ATS, call recording—be ready to document everything. Data is king.
Which Questions Should You Ask During the Phone Interview ?
At this stage, the questions should focus on these five areas: experience, motivation, availability, salary, and any specific constraints.
Could you briefly introduce yourself?
A concise overview of the candidate’s background—this is an opportunity to test their ability to summarize.
What is your level of familiarity with our company and its products/services?
Ideal for seeing if the candidate researched the company before the call. If you initiated the contact (headhunting), it still helps you see whether they did some homework before agreeing to speak.
From what date are you available for the position?
Timing is crucial; make sure they can join you within your required timeframe.
Why are you open to new opportunities?
Useful for understanding the candidate’s reasons for job hunting.
What are your salary expectations?
Can you meet them? It’s rare for a candidate to accept a pay cut when changing jobs—unless your company is extremely appealing or offers other perks. If multiple candidates are out of your budget, you may need to reevaluate your search criteria or consider whether your proposed salary is below market value.
In one sentence, how would you describe your main strength for this position?
This question assesses the candidate’s ability to highlight a key strength concisely.
What types of contracts do you prefer?
Permanent (CDI), fixed-term (CDD), remote options, etc. Check if the candidate’s preferences match what you’re offering.
What is your ideal remote/on-site ratio?
Nowadays, this is a must-have question for candidates. Ensure their expectations align with what you can provide. If not, move on.
What do you ideally expect from your future employer in terms of work environment or company culture?
This will give you insight into whether the candidate’s preferred management style matches what your company offers.
Do you have any geographical constraints?
Location can be a critical factor for work-life balance, and it can indeed be a deal-breaker.
Are you in discussions with other companies?
You need to gauge how much time you have to continue the hiring process before the candidate might accept another offer. If they’re already advanced with other companies, you’ll need to ramp up your efforts to convince them.
What questions do you have about the position or the company?
At this stage, the questions asked by the candidate reveal their level of interest and preparation. The relevance and type of questions can also give you a good indication of the candidate’s motivations.
Mistakes to Avoid
🚫 Asking overly broad questions
You only have about 20 minutes to evaluate candidates, so be precise and focus on what matters most. Choose your questions wisely.
🚫 Lack of structure
Without a clear framework and preparation, it’s easy to veer off-topic and waste precious time. Preparing for the interview is key to successful recruitment. The STAR method is a good way to structure your interview.
🚫 Cutting off or rushing the conclusion
If you’ve decided the candidate isn’t the right fit, let them finish speaking. You can shorten the screening interview while staying respectful and open to any final questions. A rejected candidate can still be a good brand ambassador. Always protect your employer branding.
🚫 Being swayed by a great communicator
Remain objective; you have specific criteria to check. One pitfall is being charmed by a smooth talker who doesn’t actually meet the requirements of the job.
What Happens After the Phone Interview?
Debrief
Store your summary of the call in your CRM, ATS, or note-taking tool.
Analyze the Answers
Revisit the candidate’s responses and compare them against your criteria. Do they meet them?
🟢 Yes: Move them on to the next stage.
🔴 No: Stop the process and inform the candidate by phone or rejection email after interview.
🟠 Not sure: If you couldn’t verify everything due to time constraints or lack of preparation, don’t panic. You can note points to clarify in the next interview or potentially call them back for more information.
Candidate Follow-up
Send out rejection emails, acceptance emails, or invites for the next appointment. Don’t forget to follow up promptly. A quick, thorough follow-up improves your employer brand.
Internal Communication
Update your team about the progress of the phone interview phase. Brief the relevant manager on the upcoming interview with the candidate. Be careful not to create bias in your briefing by saying things like, “This candidate is amazing!”—stay factual and stick to the scorecard.
The screening interview is essential for saving time and starting to entice top candidates to join you. It enables you to check key selection criteria in a limited amount of time. Preparing it well ensures you kick off the hiring process effectively.
🎁 To help you prepare your phone script, we’ve put together an interview question generator. The questions are personalized based on your candidate’s resume and your job listing.