Telephone Screening Guide

‘Top 5 tips you must be doing when phone screening candidates.’

Calling a candidate who has applied to work for your care company is an honour and you should always feel privileged.

In the Care industry, we would be unbelievably naive to think that candidates who have applied for one role at a care company, haven’t also applied for another 10 Care providers in your area.

Most candidates are looking to work for a reputable Care provider as they need 1 or 2 of the following;

A care job to suit their lifestyle and the hours work around the family
A care job where they can progress and gain qualifications and hopefully be promoted internally.
Care is in their blood and they genuinely love working with people and making a difference to people’s lives.

More so now than ever with the recent Covid-19 ongoings, we need to be calling candidates on the day they have applied for a role, or face losing out to a competitor.

Below are the ‘Top 5 tips you must be doing when phone screening candidates.’

1. Have a conversation with the person

Too many times have I’ve heard recruiters, admin staff and even registered managers conduct a phone interview with questions from the offset such as;

‘Why have you applied for this role?’
‘Do you drive?’
‘Where do you live?’
‘What care experience do you have?’

A candidate is not going to be engaged with your company if you ask robotic questions like these. Yes, you may need to know those relevant details, but by having a conversation with the candidate you can easily extract this information.

Instead, why not start by not having a fluent, basic conversation that feels natural, relaxed and professional.

2. Be confident to talk about the person’s hobbies and interests

A candidate isn’t going to take offence if you ask them what they’ve been doing at the weekend, if they have any plans for Summer or if they have any pets.

You’re creating a bond with this person, a trust and a potential professional relationship. If we are working in care and want our carers to be approachable, warm and friendly individuals, we need to be able to have a conversation. After all, this person will potentially be looking after someone’s Mum, Dad, Son or Daughter.

A candidate will take great satisfaction if the potential employer on the other end of the phone is taking an interest in them as a person. Avoid asking the same generic questions, as this will never tell you if they’re potentially an excellent Carer or not.

3. Don’t be afraid to talk about yourself

Candidates, especially in care, need to feel comfortable, confident and enthusiastic about the role they have applied for. You are the face of the company and the first person the candidate has contact with, so you need to make a lasting impression.

To make sure the candidate remembers you and the company, use the phone call to find out if you have similarities. These could include care backgrounds, what High School you attended, perhaps you both have children or pets. Whatever the discussion, don’t be afraid to talk about yourself and your experiences. The candidate will respect you for your honesty and will instantly feel a warm bond towards you. Remember, you only have one chance to leave a first impression.

4. Sell the company

Use this first phone call to really sell the company. Focus on the other amazing staff you have, the support the new starters receive, including a thorough induction programme and ongoing training and development.

Do you have progression opportunities, ongoing staff appraisals and regular contact with your manager? If you have a CQC rating you’re proud of, then let the candidate know. Do you have staff parties, refer a friend bonus and employee of the month awards? You can never sell your care company enough, be proud of who you work for and remember, the candidate will be comparing you to other employers they may have already been to meet or are planning on meeting.

5. If the candidate is great, arrange the next steps to hiring them

If the candidate meets all the requirements for the role they’ve applied for, they were pleasant over the phone, enthusiastic and you can really see them being a success in the care role, why wait any longer? You need to be proactive in arranging the next steps, so all candidate’s are working for your company in good time. Showing the candidate this level of enthusiasm to hire them will increase the chances of them choosing to work for you.

The candidate needs to feel wanted and liked. I still don’t think to this day I’ve met a care worker who doesn’t like being told they’re doing a great job.

Ending a phone call with, “Right, well I’ll be in touch if we’re going to process your application any further”, is lazy, looks unprofessional and is delaying the process. Have confidence in hiring excellent staff. You’ll appreciate this in the long term.

I hope this information has been of value to you. We use the above 5 techniques in all of our phone interviews. To download our free e-book with further tips and advice please click here or you can Request a call back.

If you’d like to hear more about implementing these techniques into your care company, please let us know.

Stephen Forster

Recruitment Account Manager