The recruitment world is competitive and intense with a seemingly endless race to find and hire top talent. As technology continues to increase the efficiency of the recruitment process, there may be a shift toward more data-driven decisions. However, the best recruiters will continue to focus on building relationships with candidates as computers can’t replace the value of human interaction in making good hiring decisions.
Candidates should be able to discuss how to best use technology and big data in the recruitment process without losing sight of the human factor. Equally important will be the ability to convey success stories that highlight the top traits of successful recruiters: resilience, strong communication skills, persuasiveness, self-motivation, enthusiasm, sales orientation, and self-confidence.
Sample List of Possible Interview Questions for Recruiters:
Why do you want to work in recruitment?
Give an example of how you’re competitive.
Do you believe recruitment is a sales job or HR job?
What are the most effective staffing and selection methods?
Do you have experience working in business-to-business sales?
How would you handle a candidate who was clearly unqualified?
How would you handle a candidate you wouldn’t want to refer to any of your clients?
How would you handle a situation where an employer wants to hire a candidate you believe would be a poor fit?
Discuss your experience with recruiting passive talent.
What is meant by competency mapping?
What questions would you ask to find out if a candidate is qualified for a position?
Give an example of a time when you demonstrated resilience.
On a scale of one to ten, rate your self-confidence.
What are the top three personality traits that you think it’s important for a recruiter to have? Do you have them?
What steps do you take to determine a candidate’s qualifications?
What methods do you use to find the best candidates for a position?
What are the elements of an effective recruitment strategy?
Do you think recruiters should be involved in company branding efforts? Why or what not?
Have you ever been involved in using current company employees as talent brand ambassadors, online and off?
Should the mobile platform dominate every area of recruiting?
How do you combat counter offers from a candidate’s current manager?
Have you ever hired to retain top talent even if there wasn’t a current job opening?
If a candidate has a weak resume, do you look for other representations of their capability? How?
Do you believe that you should tailor your recruiting approach to each candidate?
Discuss any advantage or disadvantage to accepting a LinkedIn profile as an initial application rather than a resume.
How much time do you spend on marketing calls?
How do you get past the gatekeeper in a cold call?