Updated October 29, 2026 5 min read
What AI voice screening does
When you configure AI voice screening calls in ATS Mako, an AI voice agent places outbound phone calls to candidates and runs the screen you define. Each call is turned into a structured result and pushed into your hiring pipeline. No recruiter has to be on the line, and no one has to retype notes. Your team still owns every hiring decision. For the full feature overview, see AI voice calls and call screening. New to the concept? Read what a phone screen is.
Before you start: prerequisites and calling permissions
- Plan: the AI Voice Agent is listed in the Great White Shark plan. Compare options on the pricing page.
- Clean phone numbers: make sure each candidate record has a current, correct phone number. Bad numbers are the most common reason a call never connects.
- Consent to be called: confirm candidates have agreed to be contacted by phone before you add them to a screen.
- Opt-outs: candidates can opt out at any time. Plan for it, and do not re-add candidates who have opted out.
- Your own obligations: rules on calling candidates vary. Check your requirements with your own counsel. This guide is not legal advice.
Set up the screen
- 1 Write the screening questions Decide what the first call must cover. Common topics are availability, role interest, location and basic qualifications. The agent asks them the same way every time, so every candidate gets the same conversation. Keep questions short and answerable in a sentence. Need a starting point? Use the phone screening script template.
- 2 Choose who gets called Screen one candidate at a time, or pick a whole candidate segment and run screens across the group at once with AI call campaigns. Campaigns are built for high-volume phone roles.
- 3 Set when calls go out You stay in control of which segments get called and when. Calls only go out during permitted calling hours, never before 8:00 AM or after 9:00 PM on the candidate's own clock, and the default window is 9 AM to 9 PM, Monday to Friday. Pick times when your candidates are likely to answer. For shift workers, evenings and weekends often work better; see after-hours candidate screening.
- 4 Plan follow-up for unreached candidates Decide how you want candidates handled when they do not pick up. The agent takes dialing and follow-up off your recruiters' plates. Set the attempt limits for the campaign (6 in total and 3 per day by default). Once attempts run out, the applicant is marked Unreached.
- 5 Map results to your pipeline stages Screened candidates land in your pipeline ready for the next step. Before you launch a campaign, agree which stage each type of outcome should lead to, and who acts on it. Many teams pair screening with AI-powered candidate ranking to decide who to call back first.
- 6 Test with a small group Run the screen on a handful of candidates or internal testers first. Check the questions sound natural and the results land where you expect. Then widen the segment.
How to confirm it worked
- Each call outcome is tied to the right candidate record, so you can see who was reached and what happened.
- A structured result appears in your pipeline without anyone retyping notes.
- Candidates move toward the next stage you planned for their outcome.
- Your recruiters open their list to processed results instead of a queue of calls to make.
Troubleshooting missed or incomplete calls
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate was never called | Not in the selected segment, or opted out | Confirm the candidate is in the segment you launched and has not opted out |
| Call placed but not answered | Wrong number, or a poor time of day | Verify the phone number; move calls to a window when candidates are free |
| Screen ended early | Too many questions, or questions that are hard to answer by phone | Cut the screen to essentials and rewrite long questions as simple ones |
| Result not where expected | Stage plan unclear or not agreed | Revisit which stage each outcome should lead to |
| Answers seem off for some candidates | Accents or language differences | Read guidance on screening multilingual candidates |
When to contact support
All plans include free support and guided onboarding. Reach out if call outcomes are not appearing on candidate records, if a test run behaves differently from what you planned, or if you need help mapping results to your stages. Need help getting set up? Book a demo and the team will walk you through setup.
See AI voice screening in action
Book a demo to see how AI screening calls feed your pipeline under your own brand.