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Best Phone Interview Format for Hiring Managers and Recruiters Posted: 28 Jan 2021 09:58 AM PST A phone interview is a screening interview conducted between a hiring manager and candidate in anticipation of a regular job interview. It ensures that the candidate and employer are on the same page, whereas the job interview ensures that the candidate is qualified for the job.  Here's what you should know about phone interviews and how to conduct more detailed interviews that lead to higher quality candidates and less turnover during the recruiting stage. What should a phone interview ensure? Here's what both the employer (interviewer) and the candidate should know at the end of a phone interview: A mutual interest in the job opportunity. The hiring manager should confirm that the candidate has a passion for both the company and the role. No questions about the company and the business. The candidate should have a solid understanding of what the team, company and customer are looking for. Alignment on compensation. It's perfectly alright to speak about compensation and salary expectations early. In contrast, many employers wait until the job-offer stage to see if the candidate is on the same page in terms of salary expectations. How the interviewer should organize the interview To achieve the above outcomes, the interviewer should conduct a 30-minute interview. And you want to structure the interview into small stages. Here's how it should be structured: First five to 10 minutes It's vital that the interviewer represent the company in a positive manner. The hiring manager should start the interview with a casual conversation. Ask questions about the candidate. Learn who they are. Start the conversation on a positive note. If the hiring manager doesn't know anything about the candidate; for example, if the candidate doesn't have a LinkedIn profile or public Twitter profile where they can learn more about them, you may want to start the meeting with these icebreaker questions. The 10- to 15-minute mark Once you and the candidate are able to establish a connection, the interviewer should then inform the candidate about the job. After the informal discussion at the beginning of the interview, focus on explaining the job requirements. Don't read the job description. Talk about the requirements of the team, what projects are being worked on, what role the team plays within the company, and then describe the organization's goals for that quarter and that fiscal year. When you've finished describing the company's goals, ask the candidate if they have any questions. This ensures the candidate is aware of what they're interviewing for and the complete requirements of the position. The 15- to 20-minute mark Once you've covered the requirements of the role in minutes 10 through 15, the next phase is to ask questions about the candidate. For example, if you are hiring for a software engineer and the role required extensive database knowledge, you could say, "This role is heavily dependent on NoSQL database work. Do you have experience with that, such as with Cassandra or CouchDB?" This qualifies the candidate and allows the hiring manager to hear about their general passions. Listen to how the candidate responds to your questions, and pull passion from that. Structure a few questions to qualify the candidate. The 20- to 25-minute mark Covering salary and compensation is critical. If the candidate isn't aware of the salary range for the role, they might successfully complete all interviews and get a job offer. Once they learn the salary range, however, they may reject it, which can frustrate them and you because of the company resources and time spent finding the right candidate. As a hiring manager, it's critical to be transparent. During this phase of the phone interview, you can suggest a budget range that the company has in mind for the role. If the candidate is outstanding, you can inform them that the budget can be adjusted. At this early stage, you aren't necessarily interested that the candidate accept the position – you only want to ensure that the candidate is comfortable with the range and that it meets their financial needs. Informing candidates early on about the salary range is one of the best ways to ensure candidates move forward in the hiring process are both qualified and willing to accept a job offer, if it's provided. It also ensures the hours you and others spend reviewing and refining the list of candidates isn't wasted. The remaining 25 to 30 minutes The final minutes in the interview should be available for the candidate to ask questions. They will most likely have more questions than can be answered in five minutes. That's OK. It can spark additional conversation for future job interviews later in the process. The candidate can also ask those questions in the post-interview thank-you note they send. Throughout the interview, aside from the discussion in the 10- to 15-minute mark, the interview should be a discussion. If the hiring manager is the only one speaking, it's hard to gauge the true interest of the candidate and their verbal communication skills. The last five minutes of the interview should be entirely for the candidate, though. It should be an open forum where they can ask questions. If the question requires more time to respond to than the time you have left in the call, you can say to the candidate, "That's a great question to ask in your next interview. I would keep that written down and ask the next interviewer." Common mistakes with phone interviews Here are the most common mistakes made when conducting a phone interview as a recruiter or hiring manager: Not letting the candidate speak It might not be intentional, or it could be out of sheer excitement for the job opportunity or for the company, but speaking the entire 30 minutes about the role, company, and the team is too much – or even speaking a majority of the time during the phone interview. It's important to "information gather" during this session. Let the interviewee interrupt you if necessary. They might feel passionate about what's being discussed. If you're speaking the entire time, then getting to know the candidate better isn't possible. Allowing the candidate to stay in an active-listening mode Shy candidates might stay quiet during the interview. It's important to ask questions that get them involved in the conversation. For someone who has a high caliber of accolades and accomplishments, we can overlook what their speech is telling us. A candidate who chooses not to engage in the conversation needs to be nudged. Ask open-ended questions like "What do you think of that?" or "Does that sound like something you'd be passionate about?" If the candidate answers with "yes," then ask why they would. Doing this can ensure the job applicant is passionate about the position, and it can save your company time, dollars and effort if you find out they aren't passionate about the job. Final thoughts This format is the absolute best way to structure your phone interview. It provides ample time to inform candidates, qualify them and ensure that they're prepared for the next steps with the company. If the applicant isn't qualified for the position, the hiring manager should follow up by email and explain the reasons why; for example, they lack the required skills or experience. A phone interview is a screening interview. Not all of the questions will be answered from both sides, but it provides a great way to get on the same page and ensure that neither side is wasting the other's time.  Play with the format; see what works best. Happy hiring!

Employer's Guide to Disability Leave Posted: 28 Jan 2021 04:30 AM PST If one of your employees has a chronic illness or is unable to perform their job functions as a result of injury or illness, that employee may need to take disability leave until they are able to work again. As an employer, you need to understand what disability leave is, how it differs from other leave policies, and what your obligations are concerning disability leave for your employees. What is disability leave? Disability leave is a leave of absence granted to employees who have become unable to perform the functions of their job as a result of a physical or medical condition, or temporary disability, with or without reasonable accommodation. The Americans with Disabilities Act ensures that any employee who cannot perform their job functions has the right to take disability leave or to a reasonable accommodation. The ADA applies to any employer with at least 15 employees. It's important to note that any injuries or illnesses that occur on the job are typically covered by workers' compensation, not disability. Disability leave does not count as paid time off (PTO), but rather as an approved absence provided as an accommodation. Generally, short-term disability leave is provided as part of a private insurance program. Employees must be covered by a short-term disability policy to make use of the benefits. As an employer, you can offer short-term disability plans to your employees, or they can choose to purchase one elsewhere. "Disability leave is not a required form of leave to offer employees," said Peter Horne, content lead at Geoff McDonald & Associates. "It's an insurance policy that employers may offer to employees or which employees can pay for themselves if need be, whereby they're compensated for a portion of their income while they're out on FMLA leave." What is the difference between FMLA and disability leave? The Family and Medical Leave Act, or FMLA, is a labor law that requires employers to provide employees with unpaid leave for family issues, such as adoption, pregnancy, family or personal illness, or military leave. It also ensures the continuation of health insurance coverage and job protection while the employee is away from work. "FMLA broadens protections and coverage across a range of situations preventing the employee from working," said Jim Pendergast, senior vice president and general manager at altLINE. "That could be medical, but it might also be because of a family emergency, an adoption, or because of situations related to military deployments, for instance." FMLA guarantees any employee who has been working for at least a year for an employer with 50 or more workers the right to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to recover from a serious health condition or injury, as well as the ability to return to the same job or a job that is equivalent in pay and benefits after their leave. "The main difference between FMLA and a disability leave is the compensation," said Lewis Mayhew, CEO and founder of South Scaffolding. "FMLA-eligible employees are not paid [during the leave], and [it] usually applies to an employee's family but also to the employee's own health condition as well. Disability leave is a doctor-approved personal injury or illness, and compensation is at the discretion of the employer. FMLA is also applicable to employees who have worked in an organization for at least a year, so it is ideal for long-term employees." Who is covered under disability leave? Most employees are eligible for disability leave, provided they meet the requirements of their insurance provider. In addition, many providers have eligibility requirements as to the employee's minimum earnings, how long they have been an employee, and whether they are a full-time or part-time worker. To qualify for disability leave under the ADA, the employee must have a physical or mental impairment that significantly limits one or more "major life activity" or "major bodily function." Chronic conditions, such as cancer and Crohn's disease, can also qualify as disabilities. The ADA defines major life activities as: Walking Seeing Sitting Hearing Speaking Breathing Learning Lifting Performing manual tasks Taking care of oneself These are some of the major bodily functions that may be impaired: Immune system Digestive system Cell growth Neurological system and brain Circulatory system Endocrine system Reproductive system Types of disability leave There are two main types of disability leave: short-term and long-term. Short-term disability (STD) leave is an insurance benefit that provides compensation or income replacement for non-job-related injuries or illnesses that leave an employee unable to work for a limited time. Additionally, short-term disability policies will pay for employee benefits for a limited time, such as for three months to a year. Generally, short-term plans are cheaper when purchased as part of a group plan used as a company-paid benefit. Employers in California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island are required to purchase STD insurance for their employees. Long-term disability (LTD) leave pays benefits for anywhere from two years to life, depending on the employee's condition and the policy. The premium goes up the longer the benefit period. The two types of policies are designed to work together, since STD leave is meant to cover an employee immediately following a serious injury or illness, while LTD insurance is meant to replace income if an employee is kept out of work past the end of their short-term disability benefits period. Short-term and long-term disability benefits work together by having short-term policies pay for employee benefits during the waiting period before long-term benefits (if necessary) kick in. What are an employer's responsibilities regarding disability leave? As an employer, you need to know what you are required – and not required – to provide or do regarding disability leave. Here are six of the most important things to know. 1. You are required to purchase STD insurance in certain states. If you are an employer in California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York or Rhode Island, you are required to purchase STD insurance for your employees. Depending on your state, you may be able to choose between a state and private policy. You might also have the choice of paying for the policy yourself, having employees pay it, or sharing the cost. 2. You are only required to provide disability leave by law in certain situations. As an employer, you can establish policies that apply to all employees regardless of disability status, but you cannot refuse leave to an employee with a disability if other employees are offered leave. You might also be required to provide reasonable accommodations, such as flexible hours or unpaid leave. 3. You are not required to provide disability leave for an employee's relative. Under the ADA, you are not required to modify your leave policy to allow an employee to care for a family member – employees can only use disability leave for themselves. However, the FMLA covers unpaid leave for an employee to care for a family member. 4. You are required to hold an employee's job for them while they are on leave. Under the FMLA, when the employee returns from leave, you must give them either their same job back or a job that provides the same salary and benefits as their previous position. Additionally, you must continue to provide the employee with health insurance during their leave. 5. You are not required to pay employees who are on disability leave. As an employer, you are not required to provide paid leave under the ADA or FMLA. California, Hawaii, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island, however, all require some form of paid leave. 6. You must have a certain number of employees for the FMLA and ADA to apply. The ADA and FMLA only intersect if your business has 50 or more employees. This is because the ADA applies to businesses with 15 or more employees, while the FMLA applies to businesses with 50 or more. Each law also has different parameters as to what qualifies an employee for leave. For example: If an employee is injured on the job, they are covered by workers' compensation. If an employee has a serious health condition, they are covered by the FMLA. If the employee's condition meets the definition of a disability, they are covered by the ADA.

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