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Phone Interviews Should be used for First Round Interviews

Phone Interviews

HR

Phone Interviews Should be used for First Round Interviews

Research company Future Workplace, in conjunction with career network Beyond, conducted a sweeping survey of workers and HR pros that yielded some unexpected findings: Phone interviews

Phone interviews, was the top choice for first-round interviews. Phone Interviews was the preferred method for about 60% of responding HR managers, with roughly a quarter preferring one-on-one, in-person interviews.

In Ghana, only a few interviews are conducted via phone calls or messaging apps like Skype. I do not think Phone Interviews is a case of unreliable telecommunication service. It is a practice that is yet to be widely adopted in corporate Ghana. On numerous occasions, you would see job-seekers travel far and near, sometimes on a short notice, to appear in the corporate head office of a prospective employer for a 5-minute interview.

Interviews are very necessary before a hire, in most cases. Face-to-face interviews are even more effective. But for recruitments that that would have about three stages of interviews, it is fair to both employer and job candidates to conduct the first via calls – video or audio calls.

This saves time and the trouble of travelling long distances for the first round interview of say, a fresh entrant position, lasting only 5 minutes. I have waited for more than 2 hours after my allocated time, at the office of the prospective employer before being called into the Phone Interviews room. The interview lasted about 12mins only.

The disadvantage with having in-person interviews at the first round of interviews is that certain biases such as preference for physical looks, may play in the selection process, which could be eliminated or lessened if interviews were conducted via audio calls. In subsequent stages, of the recruitment process, face-to-face interviews can be adopted, but at the initial stages where interviews are almost familiarization exercises, phone calls could be adopted, as it is in other countries.

Accordingly, job-seekers might want to finesse their interpersonal skills and delivery, since HR managers said good communication is the top skill they value, followed by the ability to adapt to new situations or challenges and having a goal-oriented outlook.

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