Using AI to Automate Candidate Phone Screenings

Posted by

Dave Anderson

on

February 5, 2025

But screenings are a time-intensive activity and one of the biggest bottlenecks in the hiring process. Sense surveyed 250+ recruiting professionals and nearly 80% said they devote anywhere from 5-20 hours per week to screening candidates. That means recruiters are spending the majority of their days on the task at best. At worst, it’s accounting for more than half of their workweeks.

While technological advancements have brought time-savings to different recruiting activities, screening has always required a human touch. Candidates expect to have a call with a recruiter before formally interviewing to 1). Make a pitch about why they’re right for the job and 2). Learn more about the opportunity and decide if it’s worth proceeding with.

With the emergence of Conversational Voice AI, hiring organizations can automate candidate phone screenings while still delivering the engaging and one-to-one experience candidates expect.

How do automated candidate phone screenings work?

AI has significantly enhanced recruiting efficiency in recent years. Innovative talent teams are using it to generate compelling and on-brand content, from job descriptions that attract curious candidates to recruiting text messages optimized for engagement and deliverability. Many organizations have even implemented AI chatbots to communicate with candidates in real-time, whether on their website or via text message.

Conversational Voice AI represents the next major advancement in recruiting AI.

Voice AI technology automatically calls candidates under consideration for a role, explains the purpose of the call, and conducts a pre-screening conversation—just as a human recruiter would. Pre-screening questions can be provided by the recruiting team or simply generated by AI based on the job description.

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During the call, automated phone screenings collect key candidate details, such as skills, qualifications, availability, work history, and education—and analyze responses in real-time to determine if the candidate fits the role.

Conversational Voice AI adapts to the needs of specific positions and industries. In the case of healthcare recruiting, it can verify certifications, licenses, and availability for night shifts, ensuring candidates meet highly specific requirements. For a software engineering role, it can assess experience with different coding languages to determine if the candidate has the specific skills that are needed.

With the power of Conversational Voice AI, recruiters can conduct thousands of phone screenings in a fraction of the time it would take manually, allowing them to focus on more impactful tasks while scaling their recruiting efforts.

Can automated phone screenings answer candidate questions?

Automated candidate phone screenings aren't just for evaluating qualifications—AI will also share information about the role and company, address concerns, and get the candidate excited about the opportunity. This high level of engagement is especially important when recruiting in-demand candidates who are likely considering multiple roles during their job search.

Conversational Voice AI seamlessly provides candidates with answers to the questions that are top-of-mind. All the recruiting team needs to do is upload answers to frequently asked questions—like “What does the job pay?” or “What are the work hours?”—and Voice AI will deliver this information in a natural, conversational manner. Instead of waiting for a recruiter to follow up, candidates receive immediate answers, helping them learn if the job opportunity aligns with what they’re looking for.

Can automated phone screenings schedule interviews with qualified candidates?

After asking screening questions, Conversational Voice AI will instantly schedule interviews with the candidates it determines are qualified. It will present them with dates/times for an interview based on the hiring team’s availability and ask them to select the option that works best. This level of automation eliminates the back-and-forth email exchanges or phone calls that typically prolong the hiring process, ensuring that high-priority candidates move quickly through the funnel.

For industries that require high-volume hiring, such as retail or logistics, automated phone screenings help talent teams meet demand without sacrificing quality. Instead of relying on manual coordination, AI handles everything from initial outreach to interview scheduling. The result? Organizations hiring for seasonal spikes or urgent staffing needs can fill positions up to 3X faster.

How do automated phone screenings help recruiters make smarter hiring decisions?

Automated phone screenings provide data-rich insights that keep recruiters informed and help them prioritize the right candidates. Transcripts and summaries of every candidate conversation are automatically imported into the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) platform. Even more, candidates are assigned an engagement score that quantifies their interest in the opportunity.

These insights allow recruiters to use data to make smarter, faster decisions. Engagement scores help them identify which candidates are most interested in the role—enabling them to move forward with qualified talent that is likely to accept an offer. Additionally, conversation summaries inform them on what to focus on in future conversations with the candidate, whether it be digging into a certain skill or work experience or addressing a concern that was voiced during the automated screening call.