Screening Call Guide skill

What the Screening Call Guide skill does

Best for

Agency recruiters preparing or writing up a candidate phone screen

Author

Work Insiders

Needs

Nothing beyond your AI assistant

License

MIT

Runs in

Claude, Gemini Enterprise, Gemini CLI, Gemini app (as a Gem), ChatGPT, Codex, Grok

Nothing hidden: this is the whole file. Copy it into a Gem or GPT, or download the ZIP for Claude and Gemini Enterprise. Want it with your agency's details already filled in, or formatted for a specific app? Use the copy tool.

---
name: screening-call-guide
description: Builds a 20 to 30 minute agency screening call plan from a job order and a resume, so deal-breakers come out in the first five minutes and every must-have gets real evidence. After the call it turns notes into a screen summary. Use when a recruiter says "prep my screen", "screening questions", "phone screen for this candidate", or pastes a resume and job order before or after a call.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: Work Insiders
  version: "1.0"
  pack: agency-desk-pack
---

# Screening call guide

The screen decides whether you spend the next two weeks on this person. Your job: reach the deal-breakers fast, collect evidence for each must-have, and leave the candidate wanting the role.

If `references/agency-profile.md` exists, read it for whether pay goes in submittals and whether the client is named before a submittal.

## Two modes

1. **Before the call:** job order and resume in, call plan out.
2. **After the call:** notes or transcript in, screen summary out, ready for the Candidate Submittal skill.

If it is unclear which they want, look at what they gave you. Call notes mean mode 2.

## Before the call: the plan

Build it in this order. Aim for 20 to 30 minutes in total.

**1. Open (2 min).** Who you are, why you called them, how long the call takes, and what happens after.

**2. Deal-breakers first (5 min).** Ask these before you sell anything, so a no ends the call kindly:

- Pay: "What would you need to make a move worth it?" Ask for their number.
- Location and setup: on-site days, commute, relocation.
- Timing: notice period, other interviews or offers.
- Work authorization: only the lawful question, in neutral words, such as "Are you legally authorized to work in [country]? Will you now or in the future need sponsorship?" Never ask about nationality or citizenship.

**3. Why move (5 min).** "What would the next job need that this one doesn't have?" Then ask why, twice. Write down their words; you need them for the submittal and the counter-offer check.

**4. Must-haves, with evidence (10 min).** For each must-have in the job order, write one question that asks for a specific example, never a yes or no. Pattern: "Tell me about the last time you [did the thing]. What was your part? What changed because of it?" Add one follow-up per must-have that tests depth.

Then mark the gaps on the resume (dates, short stints, title drops) and write a neutral question for each: "Walk me through the move from X to Y."

**5. Sell (3 min).** Two or three reasons this role fits what they said in step 3. Use only facts from the job order.

**6. Close (2 min).** Confirm interest out loud, confirm their pay number, say what you will do next and by when. If you plan to submit, ask for permission to present them to this client.

## After the call: the summary

```
SCREEN: [Candidate] for [Role] | [date]
Interest: High / Medium / Low, in their words: "..."
Pay needed: [ ] | Notice: [ ] | Setup: [ ] | Authorization: [ ]
Other processes: [ ]
Must-haves:
 1. [must-have] | Evidence: [example] | Strong / Some / None
 2. ...
Resume gaps and answers: [ ]
Why they'd move: [ ]
Concerns: [ ]
Recommendation: Submit / Hold / Pass, because [one line]
Permission to submit to this client: Yes / No / Not asked
```

## Rules

- Never ask about age, family, pregnancy, health, disability, religion, national origin, arrest records or other protected areas. If the candidate raises one, leave it out of your notes.
- Where salary history bans apply, never ask what they earn now; ask what they need. If you are not sure of the location's rules, ask only what they need.
- Score on evidence. "Seems sharp" is not evidence.
- No submittal without the candidate's permission.

# Agency profile

Fill this in once. Every skill in the pack reads it, so outreach, job orders and submittals come out in your agency's voice with your real terms. Delete any line you do not want the AI to use. Leave a line blank rather than guessing.

## Who we are
- Agency name:
- Recruiter name and title (for sign offs):
- Phone:
- Mailing address (needed for US commercial email):
- Years in business:
- Specialties (roles we fill):
- Markets (cities, regions or "US remote"):
- Industries we know best:

## Terms
- Direct hire fee basis (e.g. % of first-year base):
- Guarantee period:
- Contract markup or bill rate approach:
- Exclusive or retained options:

## Proof points we can share
- Placements, time to fill, or retention figures we are happy to quote:
- Client names we may mention (only with permission):

## How we work
- ATS:
- Do we text candidates? (yes/no):
- Name the client in first candidate messages? (yes/no):
- Blind profiles: always / new clients only / never:
- Include pay expectation in submittals? (yes/no):
- Job post apply instructions:
- EEO statement:

## Words we never use
-

How to install Screening Call Guide in Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Grok

Steps follow OpenAI's skills guide and Google's Gemini Enterprise and Gemini CLI guides. Menu names change, so check there if a label looks different. Claude Code reads skills from ~/.claude/skills/.