Screen everyone, not just a few
Send one link and every applicant interviews in parallel — no scheduling, no time-zone juggling, no candidates lost while waiting for a callback.
Criba vs Traditional Phone Screening
The recruiter phone screen is the slowest step in hiring: every candidate needs a scheduled call, every call is improvised, and no two are scored the same way. Criba replaces that first round with a 5-minute voice-first AI interview every applicant can take on their own time — and hands you a ranked Pass/Borderline/Reject shortlist with evidence quotes.
Should you replace recruiter phone screens with AI?
A traditional phone screen is a 15-30 minute call a recruiter or hiring manager makes to each candidate to check the basics before a full interview. It works, but it does not scale: calls have to be scheduled across time zones, candidates drop out waiting for them, questions vary by interviewer and mood, and notes are rarely consistent enough to compare fairly. Criba automates that first round. You define 3-5 signals for the role, candidates take a 5-minute voice-first AI interview whenever it suits them, and Criba scores each answer against your signals and returns a Pass/Borderline/Reject shortlist with the candidate quotes behind every score. You screen every applicant in parallel instead of a handful you had time to call, apply the same rubric to all of them, and spend your live time only on the people worth it. Criba interviews natively in Spanish and English, so it fits LATAM hiring out of the box, and you can start free.
Why teams replace phone screens with Criba
Same rubric for every candidate
Criba scores all answers against the same 3-5 signals, so your shortlist is consistent and comparable instead of dependent on which recruiter made the call.
Hours back every week
Replacing dozens of 20-minute calls with a ranked shortlist frees your team to spend live time only on candidates who already cleared the bar.
Evidence behind every decision
Each signal score links to what the candidate actually said, so a Pass/Borderline/Reject is explainable and defensible — not a gut call from a rushed call.
Faster for candidates too
Applicants take a 5-minute interview on their own schedule instead of waiting days for a slot, which means less drop-off and a better experience.
Built for LATAM hiring
Native Spanish and English interviews and scoring, designed for the realities of recruiting across Latin America.
Side-by-side comparison
| Capability | Criba | Manual phone screening |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Every applicant interviewed in parallel | Only the few candidates you have time to call |
| Scheduling | None — candidates take it on their own time | Every call must be booked and coordinated |
| Consistency | Same 3-5 signals scored the same way every time | Varies by interviewer, question set, and day |
| Time per candidate | Zero recruiter time until the shortlist | 15-30 minutes of recruiter time each |
| Output | Pass / Borderline / Reject with evidence quotes | Freeform notes, hard to compare |
| Languages | Native Spanish and English, built for LATAM | Limited by each interviewer's fluency |
| Cost to start | Free to start, transparent usage-based plans | Recruiter salary hours on repetitive calls |
Frequently asked questions
Can AI replace a recruiter phone screen?
Yes, for the first round. Criba runs a 5-minute voice-first AI interview that asks role-specific questions, scores each answer against your signals, and returns a Pass/Borderline/Reject shortlist with evidence quotes. It replaces the repetitive first-round phone screen so recruiters spend live time only on candidates who already cleared the bar.
How is Criba different from a phone screen?
A phone screen is a scheduled call where one recruiter improvises questions and takes freeform notes. Criba interviews every applicant in parallel with no scheduling, applies the same 3-5 signals to everyone, and returns a ranked shortlist with the candidate quotes behind each score — so screening is consistent, fast, and comparable.
Is an AI voice interview as good as talking to a person?
For first-round screening, it captures the same signals — communication, reasoning, and role-specific knowledge — more consistently than a rushed call, because every candidate gets the same questions scored against the same rubric. You still talk to your top candidates in person; Criba just makes sure the ones you talk to are worth the time.
How long does a Criba interview take?
About 5 minutes per candidate, and they take it on their own schedule. There is nothing to book, so you can screen an entire applicant pool in the time it would take to call two or three people.
Does Criba work for Spanish-language hiring in LATAM?
Yes. Criba interviews and scores natively in Spanish and English and is purpose-built for hiring across Latin America, so candidates can interview in-language without depending on each recruiter's fluency.