The 15 Minute Technical Phone Screen: 3 Top Questions to Vet Candidates Quickly

Reduce the time to fill tech roles with 3 top questions to screen candidates fast

Download the 15 Minute Technical Phone Screen eBook

You’ve reviewed the resume, CV, or LinkedIn profile and it looks like a match, so when you’re ready to perform a technical phone screen of potential candidates, zero in fast and make the most of the time. A technical phone screen’s goal is to verify and clarify a technical candidate’s background, abilities, and potential.

For example, is the candidate truly the match to the role they appear to be on paper? If you’re a tech recruiter, a technical sourcer, a hiring manager, or anyone vetting tech talent, we dive into three questions and guidance to determine the greatest chance for alignment and fit.

After all, it’s best for all parties involved to make the most of the time. This isn’t about rushing through it, it’s more about how to skip the fluff and get right to the aspects that matter.

We’ll also cover what to listen for in each answer and why the information is important. Finally, we’ll include some bonus material to make technical phone screen interviews as productive as possible for all parties.

For example, we’ll discuss why technical phone screen questions are so important, and the cost, financial and otherwise, of a bad hire. We’ll also cover what someone’s hobbies or volunteer work reveals about them, and indicate a good culture fit – or add!

Quick tip:

Be sure to align with the hiring team, especially the hiring manager, before the process starts. If you need some help with this, we can save you time with this resource.

What You’ll Learn in this eBook

• How to better align with your hiring managers
• Key questions to expedite the screening process
• What to listen for in candidates’ answers
• Ways to customize your phone screens with the role or team requirements

Updated 3/7/23