AI Prompts for Phone Screen Guides

A phone screen has one job: decide, on evidence, whether it is worth both sides investing in a full interview loop. It does that by testing the must-haves that a resume cannot show, checking the practical fit (compensation, location, timing, motivation) early enough to avoid wasted loops, and giving the candidate an honest picture of the role. It is not a mini-interview and not a sales call.

These prompts build the guide, prepare the candidate-facing side, and structure the scoring and the next-step rule. The same evidence discipline as the screening rubric applies, and the same guardrail: the screener decides, on job-related evidence, and records why.

Before you use these

Have these ready to replace the highlighted [variables]:

• Must-haves and the evidence that satisfies each
• Practical fit factors: compensation range, location/working model, start date, level
• What candidates most often misunderstand about this role
• Time available per screen

The prompts

• 1. Build the phone screen guide
• 2. Write the candidate-facing agenda and expectation-setting
• 3. Score the screen and apply the next-step rule

1. Build the phone screen guide

Act as a recruiter designing a [minutes]-minute phone screen guide for [role].

Must-haves and evidence: [from intake]
Practical fit: [compensation range, location/working model, start date, level, travel]
Role realities candidates often misjudge: [list]

Build the guide with timings:
1. Opening (1 min): purpose of the call, structure, that it is a two-way check.
2. Role reality (2 min): the honest description including the parts people find hard; then 'does that match what you expected?'
3. Must-have questions (one per must-have, with two probes each): open, past-behavior or work-sample based ('tell me about a time you…', 'walk me through how you…'); what strong, acceptable and weak evidence sounds like for each.
4. Practical fit (3 min): compensation expectations against the range (stated openly), location/working model, notice period, other processes — asked plainly.
5. Motivation (2 min): why this move, why now — without leading.
6. Candidate questions and close: what happens next and when.
7. Questions not to ask (personal circumstances, protected characteristics, anything not job-related) — as a reminder on the guide.

2. Write the candidate-facing agenda and expectation-setting

You are writing the candidate-facing side of a phone screen for [role] at [company].

Guide: [structure and timing]
Process ahead: [stages, typical timeline]
Tone: [company voice]

1. Invitation message (under 150 words): purpose, duration, who they will speak to, what will be covered (in plain terms — must-haves, the role, practical questions), what to have in mind, and how to reschedule.
2. Spoken opening (30 seconds): sets the two-way frame, mentions that compensation and practicalities will be discussed openly, invites questions at any point.
3. Honest role paragraph to say aloud: what the role is, what is hard about it, what is good about it — no selling adjectives.
4. Close (30 seconds): what happens next, when they will hear either way, and who to contact.
5. Follow-up message after the screen (both outcomes): advance (next step, date), not advancing (decision in the first two sentences, thanks specifically, honest door).
6. Accessibility: the line offering adjustments or an alternative format.

Keep everything plain and truthful. Candidates decide too.

3. Score the screen and apply the next-step rule

Act as a recruiting analyst scoring a phone screen for [role].

Guide and anchors: [must-haves with strong/acceptable/weak evidence]
Advance rule: [e.g. all must-haves at acceptable or better and practical fit confirmed; holds for one weak must-have with strong others]
Screener notes: [paste — what the candidate said per question, practical fit answers]

1. For each must-have: the evidence quoted from the notes, the score against the anchors, and any gap where the question was not asked or the answer was not probed.
2. Practical fit: confirmed / mismatch / unknown for each factor, with the note.
3. Rule outcome as a recommendation (advance / hold / pass) with the reason — to be confirmed by the screener.
4. Consistency check: anything in the notes that is not job-related and should not influence the score (personal circumstances, communication style unrelated to the role, assumptions about the candidate).
5. Note to the hiring manager (under 100 words): evidence highlights, open questions for the interview loop, practical constraints.
6. Feedback to the candidate if not advancing: one specific, honest, job-related point.

The screener decides. Present the outcome as a recommendation with evidence, never as a verdict.

Related prompts

• Resume Screening Rubrics
• Structured Interview Design
• Interview Question Banks
• Candidate Outreach Messages
• Offer and Rejection Communications

Logical next step

After this, most HR teams move on to Resume Screening Rubrics.

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