What is the purpose of a phone interview?

Question

If you mail/fax your resume in, why the phone interview?

After the 'phone interview' she informed me that she would send my resume to both of their branchs who are presently hiring...

Answer 1

We use them to see how the person communicates and to get interactive information. Sometimes you have questions about the resume, and when the person responds, you might have a follow up question based on their response. So its more efficient than a lot of email back and forth.

Answer 2

it's a good way to screen candidates before taking all the time of a face-to-face interview. with the ease of the internet, they get hundreds of resumes for every position, and a lot of those resumes are very similar. there may be 10 or more people from that they want to pursue, but bringing all of them in for interviews can be incredibly time-consuming. so the phone interview helps them narrow it down.

Answer 3

After the 'phone interview' she informed me that she would send my resume to both of their branchs who are presently hiring...

Answer 4

Phone interviews are usually unexpected...so it doesn't give you time to prepare yourself, thus at this time the interviewer would see if the stuff on your resume checks with what you are saying on the phone, they also see how well you articulate and the clarity of your speech, usually if the phone interview goes well they call you back for a face-to-face interview.

Answer 5

It is the course of todays hiring market. Usually a phone interview then a face to face. In my case it is usually the phone interview, then you interview with your pending sup. and then a three way interview with her boss. The hiring process seems to get more complicated as you go up the ladder from my experience as the interviewee and the interviewer. The phone interview weeds out the folks that they deem not worthy.

Answer 6

Phone Interview has been added in selection process, to access a person for interpersonal skill.
Moreover, talking to person and knowing is different than just reading a hand written or printed, application and resume.

Phone Interview, eliminate your one visit to the Interviewer.
Phone Interview has come to practice, very recently and is becoming popular.

Answer 7

Many people use professional resume writers who are prone to ... ummm... embelish a little on certain key points. By calling you and chatting with you in a protracted way a prospective employer can gain an assessment of the honesty of your resume.

Answer 8

Probably to shortlist the applications. To check out your fluency, how confident you are, but also to probe on some of the questions they have from your CV/resume. But the main reason is to sift applications and ensure only suitable candidates get to interview stage.
Good luck!

Answer 9

Usually it is the big shot of the company asking you questions. They do it over the phone because most the time this "Big Shot" is too busy to sit down and have an actual interview with you. It works to your advantage, because you dint have to dress up or worry about your non-verbal communications skills. Most of the time it is required that a particular manager or something does a second interview and basically it is because they are too lazy or busy to come meet with you.

Answer 10

It's a quick way to get a few questions answered and screen out the people who are an obvious no for the job.

Many people look great on paper, but when you delve deeper into their experience, you may find that they don't have quite as much as you first thought.