AI recruitment screening calls: notice period and CTC in three minutes
AI recruitment screening runs a short outbound voice call with five fixed questions — current CTC, expected CTC, notice period, location preference and relevant experience — then scores the answers to a shared sheet automatically. Qualified candidates are offered an interview slot on the same call, with a WhatsApp confirmation sent right after, cutting the time recruiters spend on repetitive first-round calls.
- A fixed five-question script keeps every screening call consistent, regardless of who — or what — is calling.
- Scoring answers straight to a shared sheet means recruiters review a ranked list, not raw call notes.
- Booking the interview slot on the same call, while the candidate is engaged, improves show-up rates.
- AI screening works best for high-volume roles — it should not replace a human conversation for senior hires.
Where recruiter time actually goes
For high-volume hiring, BPO agents, sales executives, delivery staff, recruiters in cities like Gurugram or Bengaluru often spend most of a day on first-round calls that ask the same five questions over and over: current CTC, expected CTC, notice period, location, and relevant experience.
This is exactly the kind of structured, repeatable conversation an AI voice call can run consistently, at whatever volume the day's applicant list needs.
The real cost is not just recruiter hours: it is the applicants who never get called back at all because the list was too long for the day. A hundred fresh applications for a bulk hiring drive often means the last twenty on the list wait days for a first call, by which point many have already accepted another offer. Calling every applicant the same day the application comes in, regardless of list size, is the actual benefit worth measuring.
The five-question script
- Current CTC and last drawn salary
- Expected CTC
- Notice period or immediate availability
- Preferred work location
- Years of relevant experience for this specific role
The AI agent asks each question conversationally, not as a rigid form-read, and can handle a candidate asking to repeat or clarify a question naturally.
Order matters slightly. Opening with notice period and location rather than salary numbers tends to feel less transactional to candidates, saving the compensation questions for once the conversation has settled into a natural back-and-forth rather than leading with money in the very first exchange.
Scoring and interview booking
Each answer is captured with a Set Variable block during the call and written to a Google Sheets block at the end, so recruiters see a live, ranked list rather than sifting through call recordings. Candidates who meet the basic criteria are offered an interview slot on the same call using a DTMF menu, and a WhatsApp confirmation follows immediately after the call ends.
A simple scoring table, applied consistently by a Condition block, keeps ranking objective rather than left to whoever reviews the sheet first:
| Criterion | Meets bar | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Expected CTC vs budget | Within range | Proceed to next question |
| Notice period | Within role's hiring window | Proceed to interview offer |
| Relevant experience | Matches minimum stated | Score as qualified in sheet |
Building it on Convo360
- Create a voice flow triggered via the API from your applicant tracking system, passing the candidate's number and role.
- Script the five questions as sequential gather voice blocks, storing each answer with Set Variable.
- Add a Condition block to score the candidate against your role's minimum criteria.
- For qualifying candidates, use a DTMF menu to offer 2-3 interview slots.
- End the call and trigger a Send Template WhatsApp message confirming the booked slot, plus a Google Sheets row with all captured answers.
See voice docs and integrations docs.
Set the call to trigger within minutes of a new application coming in, not on a batch schedule run once a day. The whole advantage of AI screening for high-volume roles is reaching candidates while their application is still fresh in their mind, before they've moved on to applying elsewhere.
Handling common call situations
Some situations come up often enough to script explicitly rather than leaving to the AI's judgement. A candidate who doesn't pick up should get one retry attempt after a short gap, not repeated same-minute redials that feel like harassment. A candidate who asks to reschedule the call itself should be offered 2-3 alternate times rather than simply being told to call back.
Language mismatch is another common case: if a candidate responds in a language different from the one the call started in, the flow should be able to switch rather than continuing to ask questions the candidate is struggling to follow, which is where the multilingual voice capability genuinely earns its place in a screening flow rather than being a nice-to-have.
Where AI screening should stop
This works well for high-volume, entry to mid-level roles where the first round is genuinely a filter on basic facts. For senior or specialised hires, a human recruiter's judgement in the first conversation matters more than speed, so AI screening is best reserved for roles with high applicant volume and clear, factual qualifying criteria.
A useful test before switching a role to AI screening: if your current first-round call script could be written down as a fixed checklist with almost no room for judgement calls, it's a good candidate for automation. If a recruiter regularly deviates from the script based on subtle cues in the conversation, that role probably still needs a human on the first call.
What it costs and what to review
AI voice screening needs the Pro plan (₹2,999/month, ex-GST) plus a connected telephony account such as Exotel or Plivo. You pay call minutes to your telephony provider and AI usage to your model provider directly, and Convo360 adds no markup on either.
Review the sheet weekly for two signals: the ratio of candidates who booked an interview slot to those who qualified but didn't book (a gap here often means the DTMF slot options offered weren't convenient), and how many booked interviews actually show up versus a plain phone-confirmed booking. If show-up rates are similar, the automated flow is working as intended.
Example conversation
Industry guide: AI agents for Recruitment & HR — Screen candidates, schedule interviews & follow up.
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Frequently asked questions
Do candidates know they're speaking with an AI?
Best practice, and often a legal expectation, is that the call opens by stating it's an automated screening call from your company, so candidates are never misled about who they're speaking with.
Can the AI handle candidates who ask questions back?
It can answer simple, factual questions about the role from its knowledge base, but complex questions about culture or compensation negotiation should route to a recruiter.
What happens to candidates who don't meet the criteria?
They can still be thanked and informed politely that the profile doesn't match current requirements, with their details saved to the sheet for future roles if relevant, so a candidate who is not right today is not simply left wondering why nobody called back.
Can this run in Hindi or other regional languages?
Yes, the voice agent can run the entire screening script in Hindi and other major Indian languages depending on the candidate pool and role location, and it can switch languages mid-call if a candidate answers more comfortably in a different one.
Related reading
Available across India — see WhatsApp & AI calling automation by state and city.