Business Diaries

You applied, and now the recruiter wants to schedule a “quick chat” to discuss the job posting. Congratulations! If you’re in this boat, you’ve made it to the first step toward a new job.

I decided to write this post because I recently found myself in a similar situation. Is it an interview? Well… not really. But then how should I be preparing myself? You may argue that in these circumstances, you should prepare like you would for a traditional interview. But I disagree.

For the purpose of this post, I’m referring to scheduled calls – not those unexpected calls you get out of the blue. Indeed’s Jennifer Herrity refers to these calls as ‘phone screens.’ ⁶

Getting on the books for a phone screen typically looks something like this:

I came across your resume and felt you’d be a good fit for our XYZ role. If you are interested, I’d love to set up a 30 min zoom call to better understand your background and interest.

Thank you for applying to our XYZ role. Please schedule a convenient time to meet via my Calendly link: https:/calendly.com/

Thank you for applying to our XYZ Position, I would like to speak with you via phone at the time scheduled. Please let me know if this will work for you. If it doesn’t, please give me a couple of times and days that will.

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So now you may be wondering to yourself… is this an interview? Well, kind of. But kind of not.

Here’s what you can expect during this call.

You can expect to have a collaborative discussion on the job details.

It’s totally normal for a recruiter to want to feel you out before inviting you to a formal interview, and there’s several reasons for this.

• They want to make sure you’re actually interested.
• They want to make sure that you fully understand what the job entails.
• They genuinely want to learn more about your background.

You can expect to be asked about your current situation.

Just like any hiring manager, the recruiter is vetting you. They want to know that you have the knowledge, skills, and experience to perform the job. They also want to know that they aren’t going down a rabbit hole with someone who is going to want to move on too soon. Expect to explain your current role, or why you’ve not been in a role for however long, as well as why you might be considering leaving.

You can expect it to last for about 20 to 30 minutes.

This is a little different than traditional interviews which take more like 45 minutes, depending on the role you’ve applied for.

You can expect the recruiter to evaluate whether or not you will fit within the company’s culture.

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What you should prepare.

Re-read the job description. Really soak it in. I once had a recruiter reach out to me about a job I’d applied for weeks previously. Of course, the position was listed in their email when they asked to schedule a phone screen. At first glance, I thought, ‘Oh, great! They want to talk to me!’ I immediately got myself on the books for a call.

A few days later, as I approached the date we’d scheduled to meet, I re-read the job description and discovered that it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. It was almost identical to the job I was currently at, and I was truly looking to advance my skillset.

When this happens, (and I know I’m not the only one who’s been in this awkward situation), you need to be up front with the recruiter. They put a LOT of time and effort into vetting applicants. Why waste their time? Of course, some might say that it’s worth it to still go through with the call. But honestly, if you’ve read the description more carefully and discovered it isn’t exactly what you initially envisioned, it’s pretty unlikely that a recruiter is going to magically change your mind.

But aside from that, I stress this preparation point also because I have (several times now) applied for positions, been asked to meet with a recruiter via phone call or Teams and only later discovered that the job posting actually changed. Yes, I’m not kidding.

The first was for an Assisted Living Manager. *Actual message from the recruiter:

“Hi Molly, I reviewed your application for our Assisted Living Manager job and I would love to chat! What do the next few days look like for you? Thank you!”

I set up a time/date for the call. Later the next day, I re-read the job posting and was surprised to see that one of the requirements for the position was a valid nurse license. Knowing that I had no such license, I opted out.

Another time, I had applied for an Events Manager position. Again, I was asked to meet with the recruiter via Teams. I later re-read the job posting and noticed that the position had entirely changed to a Life Enrichment Coordinator – this wasn’t what I’d applied for.

Just like you shouldn’t waste the recruiters valuable time,

don’t waste your own valuable time, either.

Research the company. “Review the company’s website, social media and recent activity to learn more about its values, goals and company culture.” ⁶ While the recruiter is vetting you for cultural fit, you should equally be vetting them for cultural fit.

Erin Scruggs, LinkedIn Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition asked a pertinent question: “How do recruiters efficiently find the candidates who have the skills, knowledge, and motivations that match their company’s needs?” ⁵

By researching the company, you can make note of certain details and mention them when the opportunity arises. ⁶ This will not only help you stand out among a crowd of applicants, but also allows you to identify whether the company’s values parallel with your own. And according to LinkedIn’s 2016 Global Recruiting Trends, 46% agree that their biggest challenge is in finding the right person in areas where the talent in saturated. ⁴ On the other end, 69% of job seekers report that they would refuse to work for a company with a negative reputation. ³

Prepare your elevator pitch. Most interviews, phone screens, and introductions are started off by telling the audience about yourself. According to CFI Team, this should be a brief and concise speech that describes about who you are, what you do, and what you want to achieve. ¹ Ideally, an elevator pitch should be about 30-45 seconds in length, or 75-100 words. ⁷

Example:

“I’m Kristen Doe, and it’s so nice to meet you! After graduating with my bachelor’s degree in business administration, I’ve spent the last three years building professional experience as an Executive Assistant for XYZ Company. Throughout my experience, I have often been told that I am a very detail-oriented and innovative employee, which I’d love to apply in my next role. I know my unique skills can make a big impact at your company because I’ve proven my results with a few key projects.”

“To understand an elevator pitch, think about a ride in an elevator with an important business executive you’ve wanted to talk to. You only have about 30 to 60 seconds to share your information …”

Coursera ²

Wordstream offers several templates you can use to build your perfect elevator pitch if you need some guidance.

Be prepared to discuss why you’re looking to leave your current job. This one is an important one. The phone screen is often the first step in the employee vetting process, and the recruiter will most likely ask you about this. My advice is to have your answer prepared ahead of time. While this isn’t a formal interview so-to-speak… your answer to this question can be a big factor in whether the hiring manager decides to move further with your application.

My two rules of thumb are:

• Don’t talk bad about your current employer.
• Be honest but be honest tactfully.

Be camera-ready. The fifth and final prep-tip includes everything from a well-lit room to an ironed shirt to testing your video conference tool. Be. Camera. Ready.

The first time I did a phone screen, I have to be honest: I flunked. Simply because I did not test my Teams app on my phone. As a result, I ended up spending 5 minutes trying to figure out the set up and was late! I don’t think I need to tell you that I wasn’t invited to a formal interview.

But aside from that messy mishap… you should certainly present yourself as well-kept. That includes your background. Unless you’re good at background filters, make sure that whatever will appear on camera looks good. Including you. Make sure you look good. Hang a nice picture behind you, put the laundry basket in the other room, position your camera facing the window for a view of your garden… whatever you have to do, keep your surroundings looking clean and inviting.

Ever heard how someone’s car says a lot about a person? Well, someone’s home says a lot about a person, too.

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References:

1 – CFI Team. (2024, February 8). Elevator pitch. Corporate Finance Institute. https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/career/elevator-pitch/

2 – Coursera Staff. (2024, February 12). What is an elevator pitch? Tips and examples. Coursera. https://www.coursera.org/articles/elevator-pitch

3 – Crail, C. (2022, November 30). 2023 Hiring & Recruiting Trends. Forbes Advisor. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/2023-hiring-trends/?trk=organization_guest_main-feed-card_feed-article-content

4 – Global Recruiting Trends. (2016). LinkedIn. https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/business/talent-solutions/global/en_us/c/pdfs/GRT16_GlobalRecruiting_100815.pdf

5 – Global Talent Trends. (2023, October). LinkedIn. https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/global-talent-trends?trk=bl-po&veh=Global-talent-trends-2022-launch-post

6 – Herrity, J. (2023, August 31). 25 Phone Interview Tips To Get You to the Next Round. Indeed. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/phone-interview-tips-to-get-you-to-the-next-round

7 – McCormick, K. (2024, February 20). 13 (Really) good elevator pitch examples & templates (+How to write yours). WordStream. https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2022/08/16/elevator-pitch-examples-templates