by Mel Kleiman, founder, Humetrics
Below is the telephone pre-screen list one of my clients uses for frontline, hourly employees.
Now, if you were the applicant and someone called you, asked you all those questions, and then invited you to come in for a personal interview, how would you figure out if it would be worth your time and effort to go? Let’s take a look at the list.
- (If applicable) Are you of age to sell alcohol? (either 18, 19, 21 depending upon location)
- (If applicable) Are you of age to monitor the gaming room? (21…being under age 21 does not disqualify you from employment. It will depend upon how we can schedule.)
- How many hours are you available to work? (most/least)
- What shifts would you prefer to work?
- Are there any shifts that you cannot work?
- If you are offered a position, when can you start?
- Are you currently working? (If yes), Will you be leaving that job or are you wanting to work both jobs? (If leaving), Will you be giving a notice? (If currently working), Tell me about your current job. What do you like the most? What do you like the least?
- Of the jobs that you’ve had, which would you say is your favorite and why? Which would you say is your least favorite job and why?
- Tell me about the very first job that you had.
- If you are unable to work a scheduled shift, what reason might that be?
- We do check references. Can you provide three coworkers as references? (get phone numbers).
The main reason most applicants do make the appointment, but end up being no shows, is because that way they leave the door open in case they don’t find anything better in the meantime. (Surely you don’t think that, once they agree to your interview, they quit looking for a job.)
To minimize this frustration, ask them what other jobs they are considering and add a brief sales pitch for the job and the company to your question set.