Voice agents for recruitment interviews: practical guide

For a role with dozens of candidates, the first interview is almost always the same: you check availability, basic experience, and a few dealbreakers. A voice agent can handle this initial chat with each candidate at a time that suits them, while you save your time for the people who truly fit.

What the Agent Does

• It introduces itself, explains how long it takes, and asks for permission to record.
• It asks your questions, in your order, and follows up when the answer is vague.
• It answers simple questions about the job (schedule, location, contract type) based on the info you provide.
• At the end, the conversation appears in Zicelo as a meeting: transcript, summary, and evaluation based on your criteria.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Choose the “Interview” template in Zicelo › Voice Agents.
2. Describe the position in a few sentences: what the person does, where, schedule, what you offer.
3. Write the mandatory questions. 5-8 are enough for 10-15 minutes.
4. List the evaluation criteria: “valid certification required; minimum one year experience; available for shifts.”
5. Select the language and voice and the maximum duration.
6. Send the link to candidates: by email, SMS, WhatsApp, or directly in the job ad.

Sample Questions (Warehouse Operator)

1. Briefly tell me about your last job: what did you do day to day?
2. Did you work with scanners or inventory management software?
3. Do you have a forklift operator license? When does it expire?
4. What work schedule suits you: shifts, only day, weekends?
5. How far do you live from the warehouse and how would you get there?
6. When could you start?
7. What questions do you have about the job?

How to Read the Results

For each candidate, you get a summary, answers to every question, and a justified evaluation. Sort by evaluation, but read the summary before rejecting anyone: the agent applies your criteria, it doesn’t have your intuition. For borderline cases, listen to the relevant snippet directly in the transcript.

What Not to Automate

• The final decision. The agent prepares, the human decides.
• Questions about personal life, health, family, religion — don’t belong in any interview, especially not an automated one.
• Senior roles, where the relationship matters from the first contact.

Transparency

The candidate must know they are talking to an automated assistant and that the conversation is recorded. The Zicelo agent page makes this clear and asks for consent before starting. Also mention it in the message with the link: “The first step is a 10-minute chat with our voice assistant, anytime that suits you within the next three days.”

Create your first voice agent.