Prescreen differs from resume screening in that prescreening processes only incoming messages from candidates who respond to a job posting. At the same time, before sending their response, the candidate answers a number of mandatory questions that help eliminate candidates with low qualifications. Therefore, it is a popular and cost-effective screening option that meaning processing of candidate applications and rapid testing.
The purpose of prescreening is to definition that a person meets the basic requirements of the job and to check the data on their resume.
Features of the prescreening
A standard scenario is used to make calls: introduce the company, check the accuracy of the information in the resume, for example, to clarify the time of work at the last job. Depending on the job requirements, candidates are asked about their education, language skills, attitude to relocation, business trips, etc.
Prescreening should save the employment from interviewing candidates who are not suitable at all: the sooner it is possible to identify this, the less time it will take to find an employee. The pre screening interview may also include a quick survey to determine the candidate’s technical skills. The test can contain up to 25 questions that must be answered within 15 minutes.
The prescreening usually consists of superficial questions about career goals/aspirations, basic questions about skills/abilities and any work preferences. Preliminary questions can also be presented in the form of a basic skills test, which can weed out unsuitable candidates before you spend too much time interviewing them.
A preliminary interview from HR is a great way to weed out candidates who are interesting but may not be the right fit for the role. Pre-screening also helps recruiters, interviewers, and candidates get to know each other before meeting in person, increasing the candidates’ comfort level during the interview process.
Questions to ask for a general phone prescreening interview
You will find examples of preliminary interview questions below that you can use during your preliminary interview, but don’t forget to add some questions specific to your company and job.
- What makes you ideal for this position in your current and past work experience?
- What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your current or previous position? How did you overcome this challenge? What was the outcome?
- What are your professional development goals in IT? How will getting this job help you move towards your professional development goals?
- What type of work environment do you prefer? What technology platform do you intend to use?
- What characteristics of the corporate culture help you do your best work and enjoy your job? Which company’s culture has provided the most support for you and your work?
- How do you usually manage and prioritize projects?
- Have you ever managed a project with multiple deadlines on the same day or week? How did you handle the situation?
- Have you ever been in a situation where you didn’t meet a deadline? What happened? What would you do differently if you had the opportunity?
- What is the most frustrating thing about your job right now? Have you ever taken steps to try to reduce the number of frustrations?
- What does your typical work week look like in terms of responsibilities? How have these responsibilities changed over time?
- What makes programming interesting and motivating for you?
- What can your current/previous employer do to keep you from leaving your position?
- What salary level do you expect from your next role?
- What career achievements will help you do this job well?
- What career challenges have prepared you for the challenges you will face in this job?
- What work sample can you provide that best demonstrates your qualifications for this job?
- Are you currently interviewing with any other companies?
- When can you start if you are hired?
The above interview pre-screening questions contain different types of questions such as behavior-based interview questions, motivation questions, etc. to see if it is a good fit from the candidate’s perspective.
Conclusion
A preliminary interview is an important part of the hiring process. It ensures that you maximize the time of your recruiting staff and hiring managers.
Once you’ve conducted a preliminary interview, you’ll want to prepare your hiring managers with questions that will help them better understand the candidates’ skills, such as these competency-based interview questions.
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