Recruiter Skills Interview
Author:
Haya Bakour, MSc I/OA Recruiter interview assessing key skills required for success. We've also included a few motivation and values questions to help you make the best decisions about your candidates.
Focus area:
Question
1
Why are you interested in making a career move to our company as Recruiter? How do you see this opportunity within the context of your career?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate exhibits fit and motivation to join the company
Explore tips
- Is seeking an opportunity to grow by applying and developing multiple skills
- Wants to make a defined impact on others and the organization’s success
- Is motivated to add value to the company's culture and work environment
- Is passionate when discussing how this connects with their strengths/interests
- Exhibits awareness of the role expectations and the organizational context
Question
2
If you were to join our team here at our company, what strategies would you use to help us attract top talent in our industry?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to use creative strategies to attract high performers
Explore tips
- Discusses current market trends and the major challenges of sourcing
- Exhibits an understanding of candidates' needs/expectations in your industry
- Suggests various approaches for both active and passive candidates
- Discusses why specific approaches are ideal for particular talent segments
- Exhibits creative ways to brand the organization as an attractive place to work
Question
3
Who would you say our main competitors are when it comes to recruiting top talent, and how would you incorporate our company's unique differentiators into a recruitment strategy?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to tailor a recruitment strategy to differentiate a company from competitors
Explore tips
- Correctly identifies some key competitors (based on location, industry, etc.)
- Exhibits comprehensive knowledge of the candidates in the market/industry
- Identifies key factors that attract candidates and designs strategy accordingly
- Tailors recruitment strategy to emphasize unique differentiators
- Acknowledges recruitment strategies are dynamic and require continuous updating
Question
4
Describe a time you went the extra mile to gain trust and make an impression on a potential applicant. How did you develop their trust, and were your efforts effective in sourcing them?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to build trust with candidates to attract them to the organization
Explore tips
- Describes recruitment context and how they initiated contact with applicant
- Shares steps they took to build trust (e.g. anticipated candidate needs)
- Engaged them by asking questions and being attentive to their needs
- Maintained open lines of communication and responded in a timely manner
- Shares learnings and best practices for building relationships with candidates
Question
5
Creating an exceptional candidate experience is becoming increasingly important. What tactics would you use at our company to create and maintain an exceptional experience for our candidates?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to implement strategies to build relationships with job candidates
Explore tips
- Emphasizes the importance of candidate experience for standing out as a company
- Designs points of communication along every step of the hiring process
- Respect candidates time during communications and with scheduling
- Follow up with candidates promptly and solicit feedback when appropriate
- Give as much information as possible (e.g. what to expect in interviews)
Question
6
Imagine you are hiring for a new role. You have already shortlisted candidates when the hiring team tells you they have changed their desired candidate profile, but the hiring deadline is still the same. What would you do?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to manage urgent changes in recruitment plans
Explore tips
- Learns about specific update requirements for the new candidate profile
- Analyzes information to determine whether a new candidate pool is required
- Considers gaps and proposes a new plan based on the remaining timeline
- Proposes communicating with candidates (e.g. terminating/changing process)
- Discusses potential strategies for preventing this scenario in the future
Question
7
Tell me about a time you had to adjust quickly to ambiguity or changes in your role that you had no control over. What steps did you take to adjust, and how did you feel about the situation?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to effectively respond to changing circumstances
Explore tips
- Clearly explains how and why their role changed
- Viewed the change positively and identified it as a learning opportunity
- Took action to learn about new context (e.g., researched, consulted others)
- Exhibits flexibility in their approach comfort with the change/ambiguity
Question
8
Imagine a day where you have resumes to screen, phone/video interviews to conduct, reference/background checks to complete, and employee concerns around benefits to resolve. How would you manage all these tasks?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to multitask and prioritize different recruitment tasks
Explore tips
- Discusses assessing each task's importance and time-sensitivity
- Prioritizes based on business needs/objectives
- Understands the cost of switching tasks frequently on productivity
- Discusses blocking time and breaking down tasks into manageable chunks
- Delegates work among team if appropriate
Question
9
Tell me about a time you had to hire for multiple roles during a hiring surge. How did you prioritize between the roles?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to manage multiple requisitions effectively and efficiently
Explore tips
- Proposes a specific prioritization strategy
- Prioritizes based on the business need (core roles, impact on projects, etc.)
- Discusses long- and short-term objectives and how to balance them
- Discusses multiple solutions (third party, referrals, promotions, etc.)
- Discusses key learnings and best practices to manage multiple requisitions
Question
10
Tell me about a time where you were sourcing candidates for a particular role? How did you approach active versus passive candidates, and what practices did you implement to ensure your sourcing efforts were effective?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to generate high quality applicant pools by sourcing effectively
Explore tips
- Emphasizes the importance of understanding the role and the search requirements
- Uses multiple methods/platforms to reach out to potential candidates
- Discusses the pros and cons of different sourcing methods
- Discusses using specific technology/tools to manage the sourcing process
- Highlights potential issues and how to avoid them
Question
11
We regularly need to hire for Recruiter with short notice, but finding the right candidates for this role can take time. How can we make this process efficient and source the best talent?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to develop an efficient process for sourcing candidates for short-notice hires
Explore tips
- Emphasizes the importance of understanding where candidate pools are located
- Suggests an multi-channel approach to find, attract and engage candidates
- Suggests strategies to build a talent pipeline (e.g. a CTA on the careers page)
- Uses technology/tools to optimize process efficiency and effectiveness
- Identifies which method is best based on the unique company context
Question
12
Tell me about a time where you were at the offer stage with a candidate, and they notified you that they had just received an offer from another company. How did you negotiate with them, and what was the outcome?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to negotiate with candidates to secure top talent and close requisitions
Explore tips
- Focuses on understanding what the candidate wants (e.g. desires, motivations)
- Identifies candidate's key priority (i.e. salary, flexibility, etc.)
- Helps the candidate compare the pros and cons; is convincing but not pushy
- Frames value proposition to meet candidate needs and updates offer accordingly
- Discusses learnings and best practices for effective closing strategies
Question
13
Imagine a hiring manager gives you a short timeline to hire a new team member, but you know it takes time to screen and carefully review each candidate. How would you negotiate the timeline with the hiring manager?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to manage expectations and collaborate effectively with hiring managers
Explore tips
- Works to understand the hiring manager's needs and time constraints
- Discusses pros/cons of the short timeline
- Uses evidence and expertise to justify claims
- Identifies concerns such as missing out on top talent, high costs, ensuring fit
- Demonstrates a cooperative, solution-focused attitude
Question
14
Based on your past work history and professional experience, in what type of work environment were you the happiest and most productive?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate shares preferences for organizational culture and workstyle aligned with your company
Explore tips
- Discusses attributes that align with your organization
- References different organizational factors (people, place, work, etc.)
- Highlights the values that shaped the environment/culture
- Shares a story from past experience to support their claims
- Justifies why it made them happy and productive
Question
15
What is one thing you wish I had asked you in our conversation today?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate displays self-awareness of unique strengths and value-add
Explore tips
- Gives a response that is relevant to the role in question
- Justifies their suggestion by explaining their value-add
- Exhibits strengths that were not previously covered
- Further demonstrates their value-add and competitiveness as a candidate
