Interview Signal for phone screens: getting the call through your computer
On this page
- Which phone setups can Interview Signal hear?
- How do I run a phone screen, step by step?
- What does choosing "Phone" change?
- How do I keep a phone transcript clean?
- What happens after the screen?
- What does Interview Signal not do for phone screens?
- Which plan fits phone screening?
- Questions people ask
Interview Signal transcribes and scores a phone screen when the call's sound runs through the recruiter's computer: a softphone or calling app on the computer, or a candidate who dials in to a Zoom, Teams or Meet meeting, plays the candidate through the computer's sound, which the app labels "Candidate". A call on a separate handset is not captured, and a mobile on speaker beside the laptop reaches only the microphone, so both voices are labeled as you, with the same limits as an in-person interview. No bot joins any call. This describes version 0.9.10, current as of October 2026.
Which phone setups can Interview Signal hear?
The app records two lanes: your microphone, labeled "You", and whatever the computer plays, labeled "Candidate". That decides what works:
| How the call is made | What the app hears | Result |
|---|---|---|
| A softphone or calling app on the computer | You on the microphone, the candidate on the computer's sound | Works fully: verified quotes, follow-ups, scoring |
| The candidate dials in to a Zoom, Teams or Meet meeting you run on the computer | The same | Works fully |
| A desk phone or mobile held to your ear | Your voice only, through the microphone | Your questions are transcribed; the candidate is not |
| A mobile on speaker beside the laptop | Both voices on the microphone, all labeled "You" | Works like an in-person interview, with its limits (below) |
With a speakerphone, quotes cannot be checked against the candidate's side, because that side is empty: areas come back "Probe further", scores above 5 are capped, and follow-ups and "Score as we go" do not start on their own. Press "Evaluate" after answers, set your own scores with "+", and press the refresh arrow for follow-ups. Choose "In person" rather than "Phone" for this setup, so "Mute me" cannot silence the only microphone carrying the candidate; the app then points you to "Pause capture" instead. The in-person guide has the full workaround.
How do I run a phone screen, step by step?
- Use a short kit. On the role, the "HR screen" interview type ("Motivation, availability, compensation, right to work. Short and decisive.") asks the model for about twenty minutes of talking, including one or two questions that establish whether the experience on the CV is really the candidate's. Must-asks for notice period, compensation expectation and right to work stay pinned until asked. See the kit from a job description.
- Start from the home screen. Pick the role, type the candidate's name, press "Start".
- Choose "Phone" under "How are you speaking?". Paste or attach the CV if you have it.
- Check both lanes. Press "Test audio" with the calling app open, or "Record 5 seconds" while it plays something; the app will not start until you have tested ("Test your audio to begin."). If the Candidate lane is silent, the app says: "Play something in your meeting app while it records. Nothing was coming out of this computer." On a Mac, the candidate's side needs the Screen Recording permission and a relaunch; see the audio check.
- Give notice. On a phone screen you often do not know where the candidate is sitting, so the consent guide recommends reading the line every time. Tick "I will read the notice aloud" to record it. Not legal advice.
- Press "Start interview", then place or answer the call in the calling app.
- End the call, then press "End interview". If a must-ask was never asked, the app lists it, says "These are the facts a client needs. End the interview anyway?", and asks you to type END.
What does choosing "Phone" change?
Nothing about capture: a phone screen through the computer is handled exactly like a video call. The choice is recorded in the interview's file, appears in the "Source" column when you use "Add CSV row", and is one of the counts sent to Interview Signal; the security page lists the field as "video, phone or in person". "Mute me" (Ctrl+M, or Cmd+M on a Mac) works as on a video call, silencing your side while the candidate is still transcribed and scored. If the computer's sound is not being captured, the app refuses to mute and points you to "Pause capture", because your microphone is then the only lane.
How do I keep a phone transcript clean?
- Wear headphones. With speakers, your microphone hears the candidate too; the app removes the duplicate and says so once, but headphones stop it at the source, and your lane is what ticks the guide.
- Silence everything else. Every sound the computer plays counts as the candidate, including a video in another tab or a notification with speech.
- Watch for the banner "System audio is not available — recording your microphone only. The candidate will not be transcribed." Fixes are in audio troubleshooting.
How the two lanes work is in how Interview Signal records without a bot.
What happens after the screen?
The review screen opens with the scorecard and the submittal in the role's template. Copy a note shaped for Bullhorn, Greenhouse, Lever or JobAdder with "Copy ATS note…" and paste it into the candidate record, or use "Copy for Slack" for a quick word to the hiring manager. A scored screen you have not exported waits on the home screen under "To finish", with "Write submittal", for seven days. A day of back-to-back screens is covered in Interview Signal for high-volume hiring.
What does Interview Signal not do for phone screens?
- It cannot hear a separate handset, and it has no dialer or phone number of its own.
- No mobile app: it runs on Windows 10 or 11 and macOS 13 or newer, so screens taken away from the desk are not covered.
- No recording. No audio file is kept; audio goes to a speech-to-text provider in short chunks and is not retained.
- No ATS integration. Notes are pasted by hand.
- It needs a connection for live transcription.
Which plan fits phone screening?
As of October 2026 the pricing page describes the 1-hour pack ($9) as "Enough for two or three short screens", 5 hours ($29) as "About ten 30-minute interviews" and 15 hours ($69) as "About thirty 30-minute interviews"; time counts only while transcribing and never expires. At about eleven hours a month or more, Solo at $49 a month costs less than even the 15-hour pack, with nothing counted. Teams of three or more fit Team at $59 per seat per month, or $49 billed yearly. For other tools built around phone calls, see the best AI tools for phone screens, and for questions to ask, phone screen questions for recruiters.
Questions people ask
Can Interview Signal transcribe a phone screen on my cell phone?
Only if the call's sound reaches the computer the app runs on. A call held to your ear on a separate handset is not captured. A cell phone on speaker next to the laptop is heard by the laptop's microphone, but then both voices are labeled as you, so it behaves like an in-person interview: quotes cannot be verified and you set the scores yourself.
Does Interview Signal need a bot or a dial-in number to capture a phone screen?
No. Interview Signal joins nothing. It captures the interviewer's microphone and the computer's own sound, so a phone screen made from a calling app on the computer, or a candidate who dials in to a Zoom, Teams or Meet meeting, is transcribed the same way as a video call.
What does choosing Phone change in Interview Signal?
Capture works exactly as on a video call. Choosing Phone under How are you speaking? records the interview's format in its file on your computer, in the Source column of the CSV export, and in the counts sent to Interview Signal, whose security page lists the format as video, phone or in person.
How many phone screens does an Interview Signal hour pack cover?
As of October 2026 Interview Signal's pricing page describes 1 hour for $9 as enough for two or three short screens, 5 hours for $29 as about ten 30-minute interviews, and 15 hours for $69 as about thirty. Time is counted by the minute only while live transcription runs, and bought hours never expire.