Recruiter Interview Preparation Guide

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As a recruiter, your primary role is to find new, qualified applicants. The interviewer wants to see if you do this successfully.

"Finding the right fit stems from knowing exactly what the position entails, the applicant’s strengths and what characteristics the ideal candidate would possess. Once you have a concrete understanding of those things, finding the right person for the job comes naturally. "

This is one of the more concrete questions in a recruiting interview, which means answering it should be a little more straightforward. This is the time to talk about any clubs or teams you’ve started or belonged to. Specific experience works, too.

Talk about a time when you took the reins on a group project or organized others to accomplish something. Leadership means different things in different settings, so think about your own experiences and how it applies.

Answers to these questions are very telling about candidates’ motivation, personality and potential cultural fit. If the job they least liked has similar qualities as the job they’re being interviewed for, then they’re probably not going to be a good fit and likely won’t stick around for long.

Finding out why someone left their last role tells a lot about the person’s work performance and expectations. Red flags can already begin to emerge during this conversation, and it may help lead to more probing questions.

For example, if a candidate is looking for growth opportunities but hasn’t sought project work or an increased workload in his or her current role, it may signal an unwillingness to work for a promotion while still expecting it.

Recruiting is an ever-changing industry that requires constant adoption. Top recruiters can adapt to those changes because they spend time each day staying informed about the industry they work in.

It doesn’t matter so much what publications a recruiter reads, so long as they read something. A good follow-up question here is to ask the candidate about some specific developments in the industry they are currently interested in, to both ensure they actually are reading something and to hear their perspectives on innovative new recruiting concepts.

☛ Laid off, company is moving or closing: easy to verify, typically has nothing to do with performance.
☛ More money may be a legitimate reason for leaving: ask why they’re ready for a bump up the pay scale
☛ Taken on a lot more responsibility but haven’t been compensated: a fair reason to leave
☛ Their rent went up: might want to rethink this candidate
☛ Looking for a new opportunity: might mean they’re stuck in a dead-end job in a dead-end company and they’re looking for more challenges. Or it might mean they don’t get along with others and they want out. Ask for more specifics.
☛ Management differences: could mean they work for a horrible boss (we’ve all had them) or they are being pressured to leave because of poor performance/attitude. Press for specific details.
☛ Time for a change: the catchphrase of job-jumpers. If they can’t give a legitimate reason, you might be re-filling that spot in a year when malaise sets in for them at your company.
☛ Employer bad-mouthing: Yes, there are horrid bosses out there that great employees needn’t tolerate. But there are ways to articulate the need to work for a quality company with a respectful management staff professionally. If they can’t, you may be looking at the newest constant complainer at your company.

The criticism I received in one of my previous positions was to not overextend myself. The feedback was fitting because I had the tendency to offer a helping hand to anyone in need. I have learned that you can't be everything for everybody. I was glad to receive this criticism early on so that the quality of my work didn't suffer due to spreading myself too thin. I think with all criticism it's important to assess the accuracy and see how you can learn and grow from it moving forward.

This question, while standard to most every interview, actually has a few specific right answers when it comes to recruiting.

According to Weickgenannt, there are many questions hiring managers are looking to answer. “Are you money-motivated? Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment? Can you multitask?” This question gives you an opportunity to show that you are all of those things—and more, she says.

Emphasize your ability to multitask even in a hectic setting. Talk about how you build relationships and are a quick learner. And don’t just say what you are, show them. Speak eloquently and confidently to prove to the recruiter that these are among your many, many strengths.

I’m looking for candidates to describe how they’ve done this in the past and how building a network helped them be successful. I’m also looking for creative or unique ways they’ve thought outside the box in order to get introduced to new contacts or reach their goals.

How they answer this question allows me to understand their communication skills, as well as their ability to build rapport and long-term relationships with others.

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.

This is a classic “there’s no right answer” question, because the top minds in the industry have no right answer yet. In fact, when surveyed, talent leaders agreed that defining and accurately measuring quality of hire is one of their biggest challenges, with no one clear solution out there yet.

That said, there’s near universal agreement that quality of hire is the most important metric in recruiting (even though no one truly knows how to define it). So a great recruiting candidate should have a perspective, or at least a theory, on how to measure it and how they’ve tried measuring it. Their answer should give insight into both their thought process and their commitment to taking on the industry’s biggest challenges.

You’re checking performance and flexibility. If they started out at the reception desk and rose through the ranks, they’re probably a good employee.

You’re checking performance and flexibility. If they started out at the reception desk and rose through the ranks, they’re probably a good employee.

For some candidates this question isn’t relevant, their duties can’t change: a bus driver isn’t going to be asked to drive a 747. But you might inquire whether they’ve mentored or trained others.

I would say the most important characteristic is maintaining a standard of professionalism. As recruiters, we must be a good representation of the company to new and prospective employees. Another characteristic that is equally important is the ability to network and build relationships successfully. It's rare that the perfect candidate comes our way through the traditional sense of submitting an application online right when we need them. The more people you know and know well, the larger the pool of talent to choose from. The last characteristic I would say is being observant. We must pay attention to small details so that we catch any red flags and screen candidates effectively.

Not always, but oftentimes, if a candidate is interviewing with your company, he or she is also interviewing elsewhere. Finding out what other positions candidates are interviewing for provides you some additional insight. Are the roles they’re applying for similar to yours or completely different?

A follow-up question asking what the candidate likes about the other positions he or she is interviewing for can be revealing as well. Candidates’ responses can help you understand more about what they’re truly looking for in a new position and may help you determine if the position you’re hiring for matches their career goals.

Employer branding today is becoming as important as ever. It isn’t just enough to post jobs or to InMail qualified candidates; you need to start building relationships with prospects digitally, so it is easier to source positions later.

Any candidate should have a strong LinkedIn profile, considering the importance of it in recruiting. Beyond that, they should use LinkedIn as a way to share content, join groups and participate in conversations; showing they understand the importance of branding as well.

Same goes for Twitter. A recruiting candidate with little-to-no professional social media presence outside of LinkedIn should not necessarily be disqualified; but one that really gets social media should be prioritized.

☛ Describe your preferred mix of candidate sourcing methods. What has worked well for you? What do you no longer do?
☛ What was difficult about sourcing in companies you’ve previously worked for?
☛ List and describe your favorite tools for tracking and following up with candidates.
☛ Which jobs do you think are the hardest to fill and why? Steer clear of obvious answers, e.g. “developers.”
☛ How do you approach interviews? What is your game plan? What are you trying to find out?
☛ Talk about a hiring process from a previous company. What worked well? What didn’t work well? What would you change?
☛ Describe your experience with referral programs. How did rewards, technology, and engagement contribute to the overall performance of the program? Is there anything that you would change?
☛ Here’s our current time to hire, cost per hire, and success rate. What could we do to improve these? Where would you start?
☛ Describe the common challenges of working with hiring managers.
☛ What if you were asked to double the volume of your hires next year? What would you change about your process? How would you maintain the quality of your hiring?

☛ Walk me through the steps you took recently to identify and attract high-performing candidates.
☛ Here’s a blank sheet of paper. Please draw your current organization chart and your place on it.
☛ Tell me about the actions you took to recruit a high-level engineering (or sales, or marketing, or finance) executive to your organization.
☛ Tell me about a time when social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram didn’t work for you.
☛ Tell me about your experiences with LinkedIn … when it worked well for you and when it did not.
☛ Tell me about a recent time you prioritized candidates to enable the manager to make an informed hiring decision.
☛ Give me an example of a key hire you made who affected the bottom line of the business.
☛ Tell me about a time when you had to sell a candidate on the job.
☛ Describe a situation when you struggled to support a particularly demanding hiring manager.
☛ Tell me about a time you developed a workable relationship with an indecisive manager.
☛ Give me specific examples of junior recruiters who’ve grown and developed as a result of your coaching.
☛ Walk me through an experience you’ve had when your top candidate received a competing offer that was more money than yours.
☛ Describe your biggest recruiting mistake, the impact it had on the business, and what you learned from it.
☛ Walk me through the steps you take in checking candidate references.
☛ Describe the steps you’ve taken to build a pipeline of promising performers.
☛ Tell me about a time when you had to keep a promising candidate interested in your organization even when you didn’t have a specific opportunity for them.

☛ Tell me how you’ve used the strengths and skills that make you a strong candidate.
☛ Give me an example of other opportunities you are considering and where you stand in their hiring process.
☛ Give me specific examples of why this opportunity is appealing to you and your level of interest in it.
☛ Tell me about something I should know that we haven’t discussed so far.
☛ Tell about the combination of your skills, knowledge, and experience that would cause you to hire yourself.

☛ Tell me about the events that led you to the recruiting profession.
☛ Give me an example of your personal and professional goals and how recruiting fits into them.
☛ Give me an example of your most rewarding recruiting experience.
☛ Tell me about a specific recruiting assignment that was particularly challenging.
☛ Give me examples of the circumstances that cause you to consider leaving your current company.
☛ Tell me about the situations that have brought out the best in you.
☛ Give me examples of conditions in your current position that do not play to your strengths.

This helps you find what their passionate about, proudest of, what challenges them, and what they’ll complain about. “Loved caring for people” is a great fit for that home health worker. “Hated dealing with the public” ­– not a good fit for your retail spot.

Even if they’re not working in their field of choice, every candidate should be able to tell you something they do that makes them proud.

Recruiters are often incentivized on how many reqs they close and the time in which they close them. Hence, some short-sighted recruiters often forgo providing a great candidate experience to the candidates they reject, and instead focus solely on the people who are left.

Instead, the best candidates should make it clear they provide a strong experience to all candidates. For example, emailing candidates who apply, but don’t get an interview. Calling candidates who interview, but don’t get the job. And consistently updating candidates throughout the interview process, so the candidate isn’t left constantly wondering where they stand.

Very few applicants indicate their salary requirements on the front end for fear that they’ll overprice themselves and be ruled out. But, if possible, I try to at least get them to give me a salary range. This way, if they’re way over my budget, I don’t waste my time or theirs.

You can expand on this further by asking about a disagreement with a superior and/or a colleague.

I like this question because it gives hiring managers insight into how candidates handle conflict at work. Are they naturally confrontational, quiet and secretly stewing or balanced when it comes to conflict? If they cannot give you an example, they may be hiding something.

My interviewing process has several components. First, and foremost, I watch non-verbal cues such as the candidate's attire, body language, handshake, etc. Next, along with asking standard interview questions I like to ask behavioral questions. I use these questions to assess things like time and stress management and professional accomplishments. Lastly, I use open-ended, non leading questions to find out more about the candidate's personality and see if they would fit well into our company culture.

Data is increasingly becoming more and more important in recruiting. It is also a way for recruiters to “swim upstream” and become more strategic partners with their hiring managers, by providing them strong talent pool data on where to recruit and what to expect.

A great candidate should have no trouble listing off the last two times they used data to recruit, perhaps using talent pool or industry reports. Conversely, candidates who have a tough time citing examples of how they use data to recruit are ones who are not using all the tools necessary to be successful.