Interview Questions Asked By Recruiters

Whats Your Timeline For Moving On

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Aside from your qualifications, recruiters want to understand when you would be available to start in a new role to determine whether you could fill a role within a hiring managers desired timeline.

According to Britton, candidates who are clear about their timing allow her to put out feelers for relevant opportunities that match that timing. It can be challenging if someones wishy-washy about dates because many clients have urgent needs, and it may make me question how serious they are about the job search.

Tip: Be ready to share your ideal timing for a career move including your notice period and earliest potential start date.

Interview Questions To Ask A Recruiter

When you enter into a job interview process with a company for the first time, you’ll most likely encounter a recruiter in your first conversation. The internal recruiter wants to be sure that you’re worth the time and opportunity cost of someone closer to the role .

We know that the recruiter will ask you questions, but there’s also time allotted for you to ask questions. Whether this is a phone interview or over Zoom, it’s crucial to ask the right questions.

At the end of the interview, you’re almost always asked if you have questions to ask. You don’t want to say that you don’t have any questions! You may think that you’re just respectful of the interviewer’s time, but companies often view it as a red flag to not come prepared with questions.

You want these questions to signal that you’ve done your research and that you’re ecstatic to work in this new role. Asking questions is also a fantastic opportunity to better understand the company, the hiring process, and your interviewer.

Moreover, it’s a pivotal moment to show you’re thinking carefully and are enthusiastic. The questions you ask can make or break your shot at, causing it to the next round and ultimately getting a new job.

Don’t worry, job seeker, we’ve got a great list of 37 high-quality, essential questions that will help you breeze past the first conversation with a recruiter and on to the next round of interviews for any job search.

Recruiter Interview Questions To Ask

Recruiters are typically the ones interviewing job applicants, so they have plenty of experience developing interview questions. If you’re looking to hire a recruiter, however, you might be wondering what questions you can ask them to determine whether they’re the right candidate for the position. While some general questions may be appropriate, focusing on more in-depth and situational questions about their work experience can be useful. In this article, we share a wide variety of questions that can help you prepare to interview recruiter candidates and provide example answers so you know what to look for.

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What Do You Do When A Qualified Candidate’s Salary Expectations Don’t Match What You Can Offer

Sometimes the most qualified candidate asks for a salary that your company can’t match, so the hiring manager wants to know how you would handle that situation. An excellent answer would be to explain how you would be completely honest while using a different angle to convince them to take the position.

Example answer:”Transparency is paramount, so I would be completely forthright about a salary counter-offer that’s over the maximum amount. I would also emphasize the features that balance out the lower pay, such as our comprehensive benefits package and skill training workshops. Of course, this still might not be enough to convince them and they may still fixate on the starting salary. Even if I know that there’s no way we can offer more, I’ll also add that I can speak to the hiring manager about negotiating their salary, and reinforce our interest in their professional experience and skill set.”

Good Questions To Ask A Recruiter

Learn what questions to ask to empower you to make the best decision about a potential job when speaking with a recruiter.

Whether a recruiter found you on a job site or this is the first interview youâve set up after applying to a job, a conversation with a recruiter can help you fill in crucial details about a potential position.

A recruiter will typically give you time to ask questions towards the end of a call. Take the opportunity to clarify the salary range, job details, culture, and other information to broaden your understanding of the position.

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Tell Me About The Last Two Times You Used Data To Help You Recruit

Data is becoming an increasingly integral part of recruiting. Its also a way for recruiters to swim upstream and become more strategic partners with their hiring managers, providing them with strong talent pool data on where to recruit and what to expect.

A top-tier candidate should have no trouble listing off the last two times they used data to recruit, like leveraging a Talent Pool Report from . Conversely, candidates who have a tough time citing examples of how they use data to recruit are the ones who are not using all the tools necessary to be successful.

Where Do You See Yourself In Five Years

A job candidate who has professional drive and lofty career aspirations is valuable. Look for someone who is engaged in their career and has clear goals, and consider mentioning how your organization can help them achieve those objectives. Finding a prospect who is interested in career advancement and sees opportunity with your company increases the chances that theyll be happy in the long run.

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Why Are You Looking For A New Job

If the candidate is unemployed, of course, this question is irrelevant to why she is looking for a new job. But for the employed candidates leaving their current job, this a good question to assess what the candidate is really looking forand if your company can fulfill that objective.

Most people, of course, are going to say that they are looking for something new with opportunities for growth and further career development or similar generic reasons. So, you will want to follow up with these next two questions.

Whats The Most Interesting Project Youve Worked On In A Past Position

Ask this interview question to determine if the applicant would likely enjoy the work available at your company. Do the types of tasks they find fulfilling align with the job description for your position? Making sure employees find their work professionally satisfying is one of the most important factors in retention.

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How You Would Describe Our Company To A Candidate

For this question, employers are really looking for you to get creative with your answer. They may also use this question to identify how much you have researched the company. To really impress the interviewer, demonstrate your knowledge of the company by highlighting its strengths and uniqueness.

Example:’Green Cosmetiqs is a leading organic beauty retailer, supplying thousands of products from over 200 popular and emerging brands’.

Questions About The Recruiters Process

How does the recruiter fill job orders? Learn what methods they use and whether they offer new recruiting strategies. You want a recruiter who stands out from the crowd.

8. How has your recruiting process changed since you first started? Have you incorporated new tools to streamline your operations?

9. Tell me about your recruiting process, starting with receiving a job order and ending with the new hire being onboarded.

10. How do you find new clients? When you find new clients, do you work toward developing a lasting relationship with them?

11. Tell me about your candidate sourcing strategy. What do you find has the highest success rate of job placements? What platforms bring in the most applications?

12. How do you keep track of your candidate pool? Is there anything you can do to improve how you organize and handle candidates?

13. During the recruiting process, are you organized? Was there a time that disorganization led to a lost placement? How did you learn from that?

14. What are your favorite tools to use for keeping in touch with candidates and clients? Do you use applicant tracking or recruiting CRM software?

15. What can you improve about your recruiting process? What do you think is the strongest part of your recruiting process?

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Experience And Background Questions

The hiring manager is likely to ask about your background in recruiting so they can be sure they’re hiring the most qualified candidate. They want to know about your educational background, your experiences as a recruiter and your perspective on the profession. Before you go into the interview, check the original job posting to make sure you naturally incorporate their requirements into your responses to these kinds of questions. The interviewer likely has your resume in front of them while they’re speaking to you, so make sure you’re providing context beyond that in your response to these types of questions:

• What attracted you to recruiting?

• What’s your educational background?

• Other than a college degree, do you have any additional qualifications or certifications relevant to HR?

• Do you keep up with recruiting trends? What’s the most recent interesting trend you’ve read about?

• How would you describe your recruitment process?

• What tools or data do you prefer to use as part of your job?

• What are some job titles you’ve recruited in the past?

• How do you feel the recruiting process has changed since you started?

• How do you think the recruiting process will change in the next five years?

• What types of data do you use to measure success?

What Are The Most Important Skills For The Job

Asking this question can tell you more about the qualifications, experience, and skills the employer values most. Understanding exactly what the hiring manager is looking for can help you highlight the most relevant traits in your resume and cover letter that match what the employer is looking for. Additionally, the recruiter can help you better evaluate your current skill set to determine whether your qualifications match the job requirements or if it would be more beneficial to wait for a more suitable position to open up.

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What Steps Or Techniques Do You Take To Ensure You Meet The Commitments Of Your Role

Candidates answers tell a lot about their follow-through on commitments and dedication to their jobs. Look for specifics in their responses.

Dedicated, committed employees will be able to speak to their efforts to ensure they do a good job in their roles. They will speak to prioritizing tasks and managing their time.

How Do You Treat Candidates Who Dont Get The Job

Recruiters are often incentivized based on how many reqs they close and the time in which they close them. As a result, some short-sighted recruiters often forgo providing a good candidate experience to the candidates they reject, focusing solely on the people who have moved on in the hiring process.

This approach to hiring recruiters can hurt your companys employer brand and potentially your consumer brand too.

Instead, the best recruiters should make it clear they provide a strong experience to all candidates. This might include responding to every candidate who applies, even if they dont make it to the next stage, and personally phoning every interviewee who doesnt get the job. Listen for answers that show the recruiter is committed to consistently updating candidates throughout the process, so no one is left wondering where they stand.

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Would You Recommend Any Changes To My Resume Or Cover Letter

Consider asking this question to understand which aspects of your resume and cover letter you can improve. Recruiters often review many applications and carefully evaluate candidates’ resumes and cover letters before requesting a meeting. Asking for feedback can help you tailor your resume for the job and develop your resume writing skills for future applications. Additionally, the recruiter may give you specific strategies for formatting your resume in a way that gains an employer’s attention.

Are There Any Skills Or Qualifications You Think I Am Missing

Your candidacy strengths become clear during your screening interview. By asking this question, you can prepare better for the job before the actual hiring. The IT recruiter can mention the exact requirements missing from the application. With this, you can analyze your needs and even decide if you want to go ahead with this job or not. Most hiring managers are happy to identify weaknesses you can work on.

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How To Answer Recruiter Interview Questions

Alright, we know that youre looking forward to the recruiter interview questions, and we promise they are coming. But before we get there, its wise to take a quick moment and talk about something else important: interview strategy.

If you dont know how to answer recruiter interview questions, knowing what you may be asked simply isnt enough. This is especially true because of the sheer volume of potential questions you could face.

First, you have your classic job interview questions. These include options that arent job-specific, including favorites like:

• What motivates you?
• And many more

Plus, you have the recruiter-centric questions. Those focus heavily on recruitment-related skills and experience, as thats all crucial for figuring out if you can handle the challenges of the role.

Since there are hundreds of questions you might encounter, you need a strategy that can work for essentially any of them. Why? Because you cant practice them all.

With a great strategy, you can come up with great answers while youre practicing and on the fly. That way, you can handle the expected and unexpected with the same amount of poise.

So, what does a winning strategy look like? Well, to start with, you need to embrace research.

The recruiter job description is an excellent source of information. There, you can learn more about the requirements and duties, making it easier to figure out the hiring managers priorities.

MIKE’S TIP:

Do You Like Working With A Team Or Working Alone

This really depends on what opening the job seekers are applying for. Is it a desk job that only requires them to be by themselves self or is it work that demands coordination and communication with others?

If you analyze that the applicants are people who are flexible, willing to do multi-tasking, and wouldnt be bothered if at times they work alone or with a team, these could be the best professionals to hire.

This question has more importance at this time due to the current remote working environment.

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How Would You Describe The Company’s Culture

Before going into an interview, you’ll want to research a company’s culture to see if you’d be a good fit. The best way to do this is to study a company’s website and poke around social media, but it can be difficult to pick up the vibe from behind a screen.

So if you’ve got a recruiter on the phone, why not ask? A recruiter should be able to provide some additional insight and color.

What Are Your Current Responsibilities

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I ask this because I want to get a better understanding of what the candidate is currently doing and how that might compare to the job opportunity I have in mind for them, says Rob Paone who focuses on recruitment in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries as Founder & CEO of Proof of Talent. I’m visualizing the job descriptions must-haves and performing a side-by-side comparison as the candidate speaks to mentally check the boxes.

While the tell me about yourself question is about the birds-eye view of your professional history, this question drills down into your current role. Rebecca Siciliano, Managing Director of Tiger Recruitment in the UK says this question also allows recruiters to probe deeper into what candidates enjoy doing most. This gives us a good idea of the tasks theyre comfortable with and the areas in which theyre likely to perform best.

Tip: Prepare a verbal summary of your exact responsibilities in your current role that highlight specific skills most relevant to your target role.

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How Would Your Boss Describe You

This may give you a sense of the candidates relationship with previous managers. Reliable? Prompt? Efficient? Keep in mind, though, who youre asking. The answer will be simply their opinion of what the boss might have said. Thats why its still critical to check references. Request a list of contacts and give former employers a call to hear how their impressions align with the candidates.

Whats One Fact Thats Not On Your Linkedin Profile

Heres another open-ended question to ask an interviewee that can help you uncover some interesting insights. Similar to asking, What do you think I need to know that we havent discussed? it could spark some conversation about a hobby outside of their 9-to-5 life or even a compelling story that reveals more of their strengths and motivations. This question can help you understand not just what a job candidate has done, but why.

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Do You Have Any Questions For Me

The perfect final question, this gives the candidate the opportunity to assess whether the job is the right fit for them too. It can also highlight what their priorities are whether thats culture and compensation or growth potential and learning opportunities.

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