Why Are You Interviewing me Over the Phone?

Rachel Kidd • May 13, 2018

Having joined the recruitment industry in January 2017, I have become quite familiar with the process of spotting an applicant’s details and the excitement of calling them immediately for more details. It may be that they have applied for a role I am advertising, or perhaps they have popped up in an online search. They may even have reached out to me regarding opportunities out of the blue and sent me their resume.

The main reason I grab the phone and call that person immediately is as follows:

  • It saves everyone time. I recruit in the legal support sector. If the applicant is someone who is currently working in legal support and wants to leave this market sector, I can then direct them to the correct recruitment specialist. If however, they want to hear about legal opportunities, we can arrange to meet to discuss their career in a confidential setting and we’re already on the same track before we’ve even met.
  • A job seeker may have applied to a role which isn’t suitable for them, but I still want to talk to them anyway. They may be applying for a role that requires extensive experience in a certain type of software of which they haven’t experienced, but this is not the only opportunity I ( or will ever) have available. So let’s talk!
  • We can test each others’ telephone manner and built an instant rapport. Both the job seeker and the recruitment specialist can feel confident that each party will represent each other well.
  • You could be an expert at your job, but you ‘sell yourself’ short in your resume. A good recruitment consultant will spot this and want to speak to you, to find out your achievements so that we can work together on your resume and find you your dream job.

In short, it’s the very first step of the process but an important one. We are ‘phone interviewing’ each other and you never know; it could be the start of a long and fulfilling professional relationship.

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In business since 2002 in Australia, NZ, and the United Kingdom, people2people is an award-winning recruitment agency with people at our heart. With over 12 offices, we specialise in accounting and finance, business support, education, executive, government, HR, legal, marketing and digital, property, sales, supply chain, and technology sectors. As the proud recipients of the 2024 Outstanding Large Agency and Excellence in Candidate Care Awards, we are dedicated to helping businesses achieve success through a people-first approach.

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