The Most Frequently Asked Recruiter Interview Questions And Their Answers!

Recruitment is a pretty complex process. A recruiter might see over a thousand candidates in a very short period but for many of those thousand candidates, one opportunity to work can be a game-changer. Take BetterPlace‘s recruiters for instance. Their job is to make sure that the right kind of candidates are chosen for the given job description so that operations in the company run smoothly.

A recruiter’s job is to make sure that the right kind of candidates are chosen for the given job description so that operations in the company run smoothly. For that, the hiring manager puts the applicant through various selection rounds, which usually conclude with an interview.

The interview becomes an important part of the selection process of the candidates that have applied for a particular post. Very popular exams in the country call an interview a personality test and for the right reasons. Through this personal interview, the candidates are trying to display their knowledge and the recruitment board is trying to take a glance at understanding this person through how they are presenting themselves.

The recruiter of any company needs to be a clear-headed but assertive person. This person should have an idea about the company’s goals and values and should hire candidates that do not compromise on those. But at the same time, the recruiter also needs to know how to handle rejection from a different point of view. The toughest part of any organisation becomes an interview of a recruiter. Read on to understand the kind of questions that the recruiter might face during an interview.

This is a compiled list of HR recruiter interview questions for the experienced.

1. How do you deal with a situation wherein a candidate did not get the job?

By this question, the company is trying to understand if the candidate considers it important enough to get back at the applicants to let them know that they did not make it.

Answer: Informing the candidates when they do not get the job is an important practice that should be followed by a recruiter. I would inform the candidate either by calling them or by sending them an email stating the same. I would always want to mention what they can work upon in the future.

2. What motivated you to take up this profession and what keeps you going?

Among the regular recruiter interview questions, the company is trying to understand if a candidate has had healthy motives behind choosing this career.

Answer: I like networking with people. I believe that if I understand the person better, I can predict their capability on a particular task depending on their performance in the recruitment process. A few insights about these skills over the years led me to take up this field. When I see people recruited by me on certain projects and doing well, I feel a sense of satisfaction which keeps me motivated to work harder.

3. How do you find a perfect match for job recruitment?

This is the most common and popular of recruiter interview questions.

Answer: The first step towards finding a perfect candidate for a job is to understand what the job entails and what the candidate is bringing to the table. Based on that the candidate is put through various recruitment processes that provide a perfect simulation of the task that they are expected to perform on the job. That performance on these activities would be enough to find a perfect match for the job. But going further just skills would not be important, while also checking if they have the right kind of education and experience for it.

4. How do you decide if the recruiting strategies that you are using are efficient?

Through this question, the recruiters can find out if candidates are open to their shortcomings or not.

Answer: The recruiting strategies that I am trained in are well-researched and have predicted a good outcome. They have been used for quite some time and work effectively every single time. But I would agree with the fact that they would need a modification to upgrade them to changing times. Apart from that, we should also keep researching various strategies to maximize our working potential.

5. What do you think about social media practices?

This question is trying to understand a candidate’s involvement in social media.

Answer: Social media is used in different directions for different purposes. So understanding the position of the company and looking at the growing business, I would want to focus on creating an impact on social behaviour utilizing developing engaging content. Professional social media sites can also be used to check the background of candidates.

6. In case a company cannot offer a position to a skilled candidate, what can be done so that they are interested in applying the next time?

Here, a company is trying to process how the candidate being interviewed as a recruiter would want to keep the good candidates in touch. When recruiters talk to any candidate to keep them interested in the company, they are forming the face value for the company. At such times, it helps if recruiters have good communication skills.

Answer: I would speak to the candidate and explain, politely and honestly why it did not work out within this time given our requirements. Going further, I would ask them to keep in touch by adding themselves to the mailing list and by following the company on social media.

7. What do you do if the most desirable candidate does not want to take up the offer?

Answer: In that case, I would try to understand the reasons behind it if they have any feedback for the company or recruiters, specifically. This is usually a situation where the candidates have better opportunities, education or work-wise. So trying to understand what they offered in the outside world would help in drafting offers for the next candidates.

8. Please tell us how would you introduce the company to the candidate?

Answer: When I am talking about the company, I would try to understand the information they have gathered. This could be extremely subjective to each candidate. But overall it would cover the milestones that you have achieved in the last few years. I would also add how this position would prove to be beneficial to the company.

9. What should a good job advertisement have?

Answer: A good job advertisement should have details about the post and the location of the posting. It should have information like the name of the company, job description, the expected roles and responsibilities and the educational qualification required for it. It should also have a mention of any additional certification that might be required.

10. Tell us about recruiting strategies that you would use.

Answer: Depending on the profiles that I am recruiting for, the strategies will differ. But the common pattern for all would remain the same. There would be filtering of applications through basic requirements of educational qualification and experience. There would be a computer-based test to filter the candidates even more. To invite the candidate to an assessment centre to put them through simulation activities, there would be a background check from their reference. The final step would be a personal interview to understand them better.

11. Is it possible to measure your own performance?

This is one of the most insightful recruiter interview questions.
Answer: Yes. It is quite essential to measure your performance and gain perspective of how effective your work procedure and working strategies are. Informally, it could be done by taking verbal feedback from your co-workers, subordinates and managers. A formal procedure for this would be 360-degree feedback to understand your working strategies and their effectiveness. Additionally, a performance appraisal should also be performed.

12. How do you check a candidate’s references?

Answer: The candidate’s references can be checked by contacting the resource person that they have mentioned in their application. Apart from this, professional profiles can be checked for endorsement of any skills and activities by their teammates.

13. What changes have you observed in recruitment trends since you began with your career?

Answer: Although, I have not been in the field for a long time, recruitments are no more just job centric. They believe in comprehensive development for both, the company and the individual. The candidates also need to derive something productive from the job apart from the monetary gain. On-job training has been an important part of jobs now.

Apart from these questions, you should also prepare for technical questions and situational questions that would give recruiters the idea of your thinking process and decision making skills.

To hire the best team to recruit for you, contact us at BetterPlace.