Struggling with No-Shows? What to Share with Candidates During Phone Interviews

Hi Everyone,

Please help me. What should I talk to candidates about while arranging interviews over the phone? I usually only discuss the job vacancy, interview date and timing, and try to schedule interviews based on the candidates' availability. However, the results have been poor, with very few people attending the interviews. I suspect this may be due to my limited communication with the candidates.

Therefore, my next strategy is to provide a detailed company profile during the conversation. This approach can help candidates form a better understanding of the company and the role.

I would appreciate suggestions on this matter. Please advise me on what information I should share about the company profile with the candidates.

Regards,
Gayatri

Hello Gayatri,

It's not WHAT you talk but HOW you talk to them--in fact, this applies to everyone to whom you speak. Choose your words carefully & talk in a pleasing tone.

One of my favourite quotes is this: In all people interactions, it's NOT what or how you think you spoke, but it's how the other person takes it. So even if you think you spoke well, finally at the end of the session, if the other person thinks you spoke rudely, THIS is what will decide his/her response. And needless to mention, you will be surprised/angry at the response/reaction, without realizing it's YOU who caused it in the first place.

Your idea of talking about the Company is good, but suggest giving them the URL of the Company. They will get much more info than you can explain over the phone that way.

Also, please remember that today most candidates have multiple opportunities--with the recession over. So you can't blame yourself 100% for this situation.

Just do your best in the best way you can & things should improve--to what extent depends, like I mentioned, on factors that aren't in your control too. What's in your control--give your best to it.

All the Best.

Rgds,

TS

You need to sell your company to them. Tell them what they would benefit from and the profile and compensation wise. You also need to talk to them at length to find out what they are looking for and match their expectations with what you have to offer.

It is also very important to stress that they are giving their time, and somebody, an HOD, is taking time out of his hectic schedule to meet them.

All the best!

Greetings,

In addition to the points made by Satheesh, please find my suggestion below:

- Start the call with a description of the company and the role, and then switch to seeking their understanding of the information shared by you. By doing this, you would be breaking the ice and assessing how interested they are and their level of knowledge.

- Post this, probe with questions to find out where their interest lies. Identify the location, vertical, role, brand, and cultural preference during this phase. You would find that many talents are more inclined to work in a stable organization, whereas others would want to work in entrepreneurial setups with more options rather than getting pigeonholed.

- When you have assessed the wish-list of the talent, you may position the role accordingly. A word of caution, please refrain from any bloated representation of the company. It doesn't take too long for talents to figure out the loopholes and vanish without a trace.

- Finally, stay as real and positive as you can. Aim to build rapport as a talent nurturer with them. You may create a LinkedIn group for your company and put up all the company details there. Make sure the employees and senior management team members join in. Request the candidate to follow your company there. That way, you are offering more options to find out about your company. Interested ones will probe in. This would give them visibility even before they have appeared for the interview. Post regular interesting updates about your company there. It would send them notifications and keep them engaged even long after they had interacted. Even if they don't qualify for the role, you would still want them to spread positive word of mouth about your company. So connecting within the social network platform will help you get more references out of them.

Wish you all the best!

Regards,
(Cite Contribution)

"Hi Everyone, please help me. What to talk to candidates while arranging interviews on call. I usually talk only about the vacancy, interview date, and timing, and I also try to arrange interviews based on the candidates' availability. However, the results are very poor, with very few people attending the interviews. I have been told that this may be due to my lack of communication with the candidates. Therefore, my next strategy is to discuss the company profile in detail to help create a bigger picture in the minds of the candidates. Please give suggestions on this and advise me on what I should tell the candidates about the company profile.

Regards, Gayatri"

Hello Gayatri,

After reading (Cite Contribution)'s posting, that reminds me to add one VERY IMPORTANT thing. NEVER EVER LIE OR BLUFF. It's very easy to get carried away while you speak into giving wrong or incomplete or lop-sided information to candidates [in your anxiety to get him/her interested]. But it is bound to return and backfire on you badly--especially since you are a part of the Employer Company. That's where giving the URL helps.

Rgds, TS