general approach to testing products.
An alternative is to describe your product. Then ask the tester about his or her approach to testing the product or a piece of the product. If you have the time, follow up with a behavior-description question, such as "Have you ever tested a product in this way before?" Follow the story of how the tester tested the product.
Wrap Up the Phone Screen
As soon as you know the candidate isn't a good fit, say so. "You're not a good fit for this position. Thank you for your time."
But, if you have a candidate who fits, make sure you ask questions about the candidate's time frame and willingness to interview. If you're hiring someone fresh out of college, you may need to wait a while before he or she is available to start. Schedule the in-person interview at the end of the phone screen, or the next day.
Phone screens take more of the hiring manager's time, but significantly less of the interviewing team's time. Plus, you'll know before the interview that you're spending time with a candidate who is suitable for your position.
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About the author
Johanna Rothman, known as the “Pragmatic Manager,” helps organizational leaders see problems and risks in their product development. She helps them recognize potential “gotchas,” seize opportunities, and remove impediments. Johanna was the Agile 2009 conference chair. She is the technical editor for Agile Connection and the author of these books:
- Manage Your Job Search
- Hiring Geeks That Fit
- Manage Your Project Portfolio: Increase Your Capacity and Finish More Projects
- The 2008 Jolt Productivity award-winning Manage It! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management
- Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management
- Hiring the Best Knowledge Workers, Techies & Nerds: The Secrets and Science of Hiring Technical People
Johanna is working on a book about agile program management. She writes columns for Stickyminds.com and projectmanagementcom and blogs on her website, jrothman.com, as well on createadaptablelife.com.
