Interview Success Starts with the Screening

It’s easy to take screening interviews for granted, especially if you’ve experienced a lot of them. However, if you’re not giving these conversations some close attention, you may be missing opportunities.

Depending on the type of job, a full interview process could involve any number of interviews. It usually starts with a screening interview, followed by one or more in-depth interviews.

Employers use the screening interview, sometimes known as the “phone screen,” to narrow down the field so they can spend more time on the most likely candidates. This is also your chance to discover any reasons for crossing an opportunity off your list early, and possibly save yourself some future effort as well.

A successful screening interview could have everything to do with how well your in-depth interviews go – if you use it as a preparation tool. But to get that advantage, you’ll need to prepare for the screening interview itself.

These are the kinds of things screeners are looking for:

• Your ability to meet the basic general needs for the position, such as location, when you’re available to start, legal authorization to work, etc.
• Your salary or wage expectations
• How motivated you are to take the position if it’s offered
• Your basic knowledge of the company
• Any gaps or anomalies in your resume, such as empty periods in the employment history or periods of rapid employment change or changes in industry
• Any discrepancies between what you say in the interview and what’s in your resume
• Attitude and behavior, such as signs of arrogance, poor listening, or lack of interest

To get past the screening, you should help the screener succeed in finding someone who looks like they can discuss the role in depth – you.

Prepare

Research. Review your target company research for that company. At a minimum, you’ll only need general information for this interview, but one or two carefully chosen pieces of inside information can help you stand out.

Distraction-free environment. If your screening interview is on the phone, as most are, you should have your call environment set up in advance. As much as possible, it should be free of distractions like background noise. Make sure you can turn off all computer notification sounds. Have your resume and company research in front of you. Have paper and pen on hand for notes - you should avoid the sound of your computer keyboard during calls. Have on hand anything that gives comfort and is silent - a glass of water, an inspiring personal object.

Salary. Prepare three levels of salary disclosure: your range, your target amount, your past salary. You’ll be deciding in each case how much you want to reveal.

Work history. Have your employment dates clearly available to you, even if they’re not on your resume. Be prepared to describe the circumstances for each job transition or employment gap. What was in your control should have well-considered reasons. For changes outside your control, you should provide evidence of strong performance. Don’t manipulate the facts; even an impression of doing so could take you out of the running.

Your Value Checklist. Have your elevator speech ready for why you’re drawn to this job as a way of making a positive contribution. Highlight key skills and accomplishments that you can mention to illustrate that.

Questions. Have a set of questions ready in advance. These can be about what success or high performance look like, about logistics, such as when they hope to have the position filled, or about culture, such as dress code or company traditions.

Readiness. Screening interviews can come up on short notice, so it’s good to have a “screening readiness” checklist, either in your head or on screen or paper, to help you stay oriented if you’re caught off guard. Of course, you shouldn’t be expected to take any interview cold; you can always request a scheduled time.

Perform

Relaxed, friendly, alert. Screening interviews are often given by recruiters. On a busy day your interview may be one of many tasks. For you there may be a lot riding on this one interview. Try to replace a mindset of “I better get this right” with a mindset of “how can I help.”

Listen, think, take notes, speak. You should not waste the interviewer’s time, but you should never feel rushed. Listen carefully and take notes first. This will make your answers more effective.

Mind your checklist. As you listen and take notes, look to your question list and your Value Checklist to help anchor the conversation. Adapt them to the conversation, introducing them as you ask and answer questions. As you do, actually check them off. This will help you assess the interview after it’s over.

Other opportunities. Be ready to talk about other opportunities at the company. Your screener may know more about related openings than your later interviewers will. If it can come up naturally as you discuss your possible fit, ask whether there are other opportunities where you might be a fit.

Notes. Immediately after every interview, you should capture anything significant before you forget. Focus on two things: - Possible improvements for future interviews - Valuable insights about the company, the job, or the hiring manager.

Follow-up. Send a short thank-you email later on the same day. Confirm your interest and your ability to fill the role. If there’s no response, follow up on a weekly basis two more times. If there’s still no response, send a final message referencing the position, saying how much you enjoyed talking, and reaffirming your interest.

It’s possible that you won’t be called back for a number of your screening calls, especially in the beginning of your search, even if they go well.

Assume up front that you may perform very well in a screening interview and still not advance. But also assume that, at the very least, each interview will build your interviewing skills and your intelligence about the role you’re seeking, and you’ll be better-positioned for the next opportunity.