Applicant inquiries by phone: This is how you automatically pre-sort candidates

The flood of inquiries for a job posting

As an HR professional or recruiter, you know the situation: you publish an attractive position, and the applications start pouring in. In addition to the emails and portal applications, the phone keeps ringing non-stop. Many callers have only quick questions, while others want to make a first impression. Each of these calls interrupts your focused work – whether you're reviewing resumes, doing active sourcing, or in an important interview.

The biggest challenge is to quickly identify the promising candidates in this flood of contacts while simultaneously providing all others with a professional and appreciative experience.

The problem: Time-consuming filtering and the candidate experience

A considerable portion of applicants often does not meet the most basic knockout criteria for the position: the required language skills, a mandatory certification, or the necessary willingness to travel. Asking all these "hard facts" manually over the phone is a repetitive and time-consuming task.

At the same time, every contact point is crucial for your employer brand. Shutting down a caller or not being able to reach them because you are in an appointment leaves a negative impression – even among candidates who might be perfect for a future position.

The solution: An automated screening call as the first filter

Imagine an assistant who is available to you 24/7 and takes care of the very first, fact-based part of the screening for you. It’s not about replacing your judgment but about automating the time-consuming inquiry of basic prerequisites.

An AI-powered recruiting assistant, like Safina, can take over this first screening call for you. You define the key, non-negotiable criteria for each position. The process could look like this:

1. Establishing job reference: The assistant asks: "Thank you for your interest. Which of our posted positions are you referring to?"

2. Asking knockout questions: The assistant then asks your critical filter questions:

   • "This position requires fluent German and English skills. Does that apply to you?"

   • "For this field service position, a personal car is absolutely required. Is this a condition you meet?"

   • "The position is limited to one year. Is that something you can consider?"

3. Receiving structured candidate notes: Instead of dozens of call notes, you receive a clean summary with the responses of each candidate. You can see at a glance who meets the basic requirements and who does not – and you can focus your time on the most promising profiles.

This automated first step relieves you from time-consuming routine calls. You can concentrate on what your expertise really requires: the personal conversation with qualified talents, building relationships, and making informed selection decisions that secure the success of your company.

This is how a phone assistant supports your recruiting