Are Telephonic Interviews Reliable? Share Your Experiences and Insights

Dear Members,

How effective are telephonic interviews? Are they reliable?

Regards,
Jeyaseelan.A
+91-9994629950
ajseelan_80@rediffmail.com

Hi Jayaseelan,

I believe a telephonic interview as the first round of the interview process is very important. It's better to speak with and assess the candidate initially rather than inconveniencing them by asking them to come for an in-person interview right away. If the candidate performs well during the telephonic interview, we can then invite them for a face-to-face meeting. Otherwise, it would be a waste of time for both the candidate and the company's representatives.

Regards,
Wricha

Dear Jeeya,

Telephonic interviews are good for judging the communication skills of a person, as well as assessing their presence of mind. In the case of technical rounds, it's even more useful when technical questions need to be asked.

Regards,
Srishti

How would you assure that you are speaking to the candidate and not with the other one? It gives room for cheating.

Regards,
Jeyaseelan.A

Hi Lalithraj,

Actually, I didn't understand. I mean, what's the use of having a telephone interview after already having a face-to-face interview? It is important to make it the first round only.

Regards,
Wricha

Hi Jayaseelan,

I don't think it will give room for cheating. Whenever you are conducting a phone interview, you should ask the candidate to walk you through their resume. This way, you can verify if they are the same person and delve a bit deeper into the details.

Regards,
Wricha

Hi Lalithaj,

Firstly, I want to commend you on your quick response.

Actually, what happened is in our organization, some individuals have already completed the personal interview and have been shortlisted for a second interview. However, the individual in question is currently working in Mumbai, while our organization is based in Hyderabad. As a result, we would like to conduct the second interview with him, but he mentioned that he is unable to attend until the end of this month. Given our urgent requirement, we have decided to proceed with a telephonic interview to expedite the selection process.

How do you suggest we proceed?

Thank you once again, and have a nice day.

Best regards

Hi Jeyaseelan,

No sensible candidate would take the risk of impersonating an interview call. Still, to avoid that possibility, you can conduct a background check based on the candidate's resume.

Regards,
Venkat

Hi! If you do think that the candidate may fit the bill, don't give up just yet. Ask him as many questions as you want, both technical and HR-related. Once you are satisfied with his/her technical and HR skills, you are free to pursue something more innovative like the one mentioned below:

If you are concerned about the presentability, body language, or demeanor of the person, one can arrange for net telephony. You can view the person on the webcam. I hope that you do like this solution.

Regards,
Shyamali

Hi Lalithraj,

In that case, I think you can conduct a telephonic interview without any issue since you have already conducted a face-to-face interview. You must be familiar with his personality, body language, and other aspects, or you can utilize a webcam as suggested by Shyamali. However, if you decide to select the candidate through a telephonic interview, please ensure to conduct a detailed interview. Assess his capabilities thoroughly and determine if he is the right fit for the position.

Regards,
Wricha.

Hi Shyamali,

I'm sorry to reach out to you again, but I have a question regarding the questionnaire for HR interviews. What kind of questions should I ask candidates on behalf of HR? I lack experience in this area and will be conducting interviews for the first time, so I'm feeling nervous. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Have a nice day :)
Lalitha

Hello sir,

I'm a student doing Masters in HR. I don't know how competent I am in answering this one, but while I was doing my internship in one of the IT companies in Bangalore, they had this practice of doing telephonic interviews. That was done once the technical round is over just before the face-to-face interview. I think once you have the resume with you, you are always at the liberty of cross-questioning the candidate on the same basis. If a person is a fraud, he/she may not withstand too many questions. From what I saw there, it was very helpful for them to have a general understanding of how to approach the candidate for the face-to-face round. It's never taken as the round for the final judgment, so there is a lot of scope for rechecking.

Regards,
Anjana R

I totally agree with Jeyaseelan on this. It is very difficult to know whether one is speaking to the right person who is supposed to be the candidate applied for the job. However, some background verifications can be done with respect to the information given in the forwarded resume. The presence of mind of the interviewee should be checked.

I will, however, believe telephonic interviews are a must these days as companies are now recruiting and selecting candidates located away from their location.

Timex.

Telephonic interviews can be both an advantage and a disadvantage.

Advantages:

- can check communication skills.
- can verify most of the educational/experience details.
- can get a sense of the candidate.
- can sometimes learn about the candidate's basic interests and whether they fit the requirements.

Disadvantages:

- You cannot be certain who is answering the interview (especially in scheduled teleconferences).
- Cannot guarantee the authenticity of the person.
- Technical skills cannot be confirmed.
- In cases where communication skills are not crucial for a tech position, it may not be assessed adequately.

In my opinion, after a telephonic interview, it is important to review the candidate's experience and educational background again during the in-person interview to ensure continuity.

I have heard of instances where a candidate's phone tech interview was excellent, but they failed during a face-to-face interview.

Ultimately, I don't believe a telephonic interview can replace a face-to-face meeting. At most, it may save time in completing initial checks, etc.

Kishwes

Dear Jeeya,

That's quite a relevant question because most of the time in a telephonic interview, you cannot really make out if he is the same person as on the CV. Therefore, another cost-effective and efficient way to interview a candidate without physically calling him down is Video Conference. The interviewer would be able to see, observe, and analyze the responses of the interviewee to assess his suitability for the position.

Regards,
Apoorva

Hi,

Telephonic interviews give an idea about the individual's capability. The individual can be shortlisted, and based on the final interviews, the person can be selected.

Regards,
Priyanka

Telephonic interviews are essential to deal with the candidate before the actual interview. As we know, the corporate world relies heavily on telecommunication, which necessitates interactions with people over the telephone. If the candidate fulfills this requirement, their communication skills could be assessed, which is a basic requirement for any job. Telephonic interviews provide efficient time management for both the candidate and the recruiting team. Many candidates can be interviewed in short time periods rather than through calling, emailing, etc., enabling better management of resources in this process.

Regards,
Rvashsit

Hi Lithiraj,

All the best for the profile you will soon be handling. However, I need to tell you that there is absolutely no need for you to get nervous. In fact, you should be excited that soon you will be handling a very responsible profile. In this role, not only will you be judging the competency of a person for a particular job, but it will also reflect your maturity for the position you are handling.

You can take some proactive steps in preparation. Consider going through some reputable websites (via Google) to identify important questions that should be asked of candidates applying for the position in question. Additionally, you can inquire about aspects of the job profile reflected in their resume. Conduct thorough research and development to ensure you are well-prepared. Soon, things will become normal and be within your control.

All the best.

Regards,
Manish Upadhyay

One can have a telephonic interview or rather call it a query for clarifying certain details in a resume. Personal interviews are better as they give a complete picture of the candidate. Still, a telephonic round can be carried out if there are locational hindrances.

Telephonic interviews, when combined with video conferencing, will be a better option.

Telephonic interviews are used for screening candidates before they are called for face-to-face interviews. This saves time for both the candidate and the company, so you have to be well prepared.

Here are a few tips to succeed in a telephonic interview. These are based on my experience interviewing candidates and also being a candidate.

Telephonic Interviews: What Employers Look For

Regards,
Santosh Puthran

It's not a good idea to have a telephonic interview if you are hiring a fresher or a person with 1-2 years of experience. If you are hiring a person with more than 4 years of experience, then a telephonic interview would do, since what you are looking at is his experience, which should be clear by looking at his resume.