Is a 1-Minute Phone Interview Enough to Judge a Candidate with 5 Years of Experience?

Hi,

I have a question for an HR professional. Can a 2-minute telephonic round be enough to judge a candidate with 5 years of experience in recruitment?

One of my friends, an MBA HR with over 5 years of experience in recruitment from the corporate sector, wants to move to a recruitment firm for a challenging job. He recently interviewed at one of the top recruitment firms in India. He cleared 3 face-to-face rounds and a psychometric round as well. The internal HR of the recruitment firm informed him that a new Head HR has joined and wants to conduct a telephonic round. The candidate was fine with that. The next day, the Head HR called and spoke to him for hardly a minute, asking why he wants to transition from corporate to consulting. He responded that he seeks a bigger platform in recruitment. The Head HR then put him on hold. The internal HR of the recruitment firm was also surprised by this feedback as they had met him in person.

I have two questions for senior HR experts:

1. Is a 1-minute telephonic round sufficient to judge a candidate with 5 years of experience?
2. After reaching a high position and gaining extensive experience, do your risk-taking capabilities diminish to zero, making every move risk-averse?

Please share your suggestions and views on this situation.

Regards,

Charu Sharma

Yes, it is possible to judge a person in a telephonic conversation. The way you present yourself can easily be assessed. Even if a person is not five years old, one year can also be sufficient for that. Experience is not a constraint for a telephonic interview.

Yes, I got selected for a company only through a telephonic interview from the US and in India. Only for the final discussion, I went to meet face to face. The reason your friend mentioned is not what he expected.

Hi,

Yes, I agree with the telephonic round of interview just for 2 minutes. HR professionals are experts in understanding the consultants' views, queries, etc. As for the comment you posted regarding the cover story, well, the consultant who worked in corporate and wants to realize the dream of pursuing a career in a recruitment firm should give a perfect matching answer. They should express themselves with dream-oriented words, not just simple statements. Always provide great solutions so that the HR will consider hiring you as a needed consultant.

Hi Charu,

It is not the 2 minutes that count; it is what you say in those two minutes that counts. Maybe the Head HR was not convinced about his reply, or maybe he was lacking conviction in his tone, or maybe he lacked the confidence or communication skills that he was expecting from a Recruiter with 5 years of experience. I agree that if you are looking for a very specific thing in a candidate, you can judge by asking one or two questions. If the candidate conforms to the prerequisite, then the interviewer will proceed for further scrutiny; otherwise, he will stop further interaction. I'll say it is a matter of expectations of an interviewer after looking at the profile. But yes, it is possible to judge very quickly with pointed questioning as to where the candidate stands.

Good HR Associate.