15 Recruiter Interview Questions to Get Your Dream Job

As you work towards advancing your career in talent acquisition, your ultimate goal should be to get in the skin of a recruiter and hit a bullseye.

Recruiters follow multiple screening and caliber assessments to hire new candidates as recruiters. As most of it comes from an abstract superiority complex, putting a wrong attitude on display may negate your chances and delay your dream of becoming a recruiter.

Companies standardly screen every candidate for recruiter positions via talent assessment software to monitor the quality of their skills. With such a rigorous interview setup, proper job role analysis and exuding confidence are imperative.

Let's look at some basic interview questions to anticipate and master before saving the date for your recruiter interview. 

15 common recruiter interview questions

These interview questions should be used to drive thinking toward your answers for an upcoming interview. Don’t overthink it. Many interviewers want you to answer authentically without scripting your responses. This allows you freedom at the moment to give thoughtful and honest answers.

Let’s dive into these fifteen questions you’ll likely be asked in an interview for a recruiter position.

Q: What areas of recruitment do you feel most and least skilled in?

Ans: Depending on your previous role, you should expect to have certain strengths and weaknesses in the realm of talent acquisition. Any employer will expect the same. Perhaps your strengths lie more in the recruitment marketing side of things. Be open with your employer about this so that each of your expectations regarding the opening is made clear.

Q: What questions would you ask me if you were the interviewer?

Ans: Many recruiters will be conducting interviews and phone screens daily. Put yourself into this situation and choose a few questions that you feel might really assess a candidate’s viability. If you’re struggling to think of any, consider these common interview questions and see if they provide any inspiration.

Q: What types of industries have you recruited for? Which do you feel strongest in?

Ans: Having recruiting experience in a specific industry could be a major benefit to your case as a candidate. Being clear about this experience will show that you have dealt with the specific challenges of an industry and understand its possibly unique talent sources.

Q: How do you go about informing candidates that they did not receive the job?

Ans: If a job offer is not made, it’s then your job as a recruiter to let the candidates know. Describe how you would complete this process with compassion and kindness so as not to hurt your employer's branding efforts. Even if a candidate does not receive an offer, they should exit the process and still feel positive about your organization.

Q: What is your recruiting process from receiving a job order to a new hire being onboarded?

Ans: Your recruiting process is very much like your fingerprint. It’s your job as a recruiter to monitor and guide qualified candidates throughout this process. Describe to the interviewer the steps you take to source candidates and get them to the employee onboarding process.

Q: What is the strongest part of your recruiting process? What can be improved?

Ans: As you detail your personal recruiting process, it’s important to identify its strengths and weaknesses. This can show that you’re very aware of your methods and constantly working to find ways to improve them.

How do you stay up to date on employment law and legislation?

Ans: Regulation and policy surrounding employment are always changing. You should have some key resources to ensure your recruitment practices are staying within corporate compliance standards. Be aware of the publications and industry leaders that you can follow in order to keep current on these constant changes to legislation.

Q: How do you keep track of your candidate pool?

Ans: An applicant tracking system is an effective tool for a number of recruitment processes. Perhaps you’re familiar with how these work and have used them in your previous roles. If not, then it would be good for you to understand how an ATS can be used to collect and organize applicant information, parse resumes, and boost the efficiency of your business’s talent acquisition.

Q: What are some qualities you look for in a new hire?

Ans: It’s vital that, as a recruiter, you are familiar with identifying the type of person who would be a good fit for your organization. Think about the values that you think make a strong employee regardless of role in order to answer this question.

Q: What does your ideal work environment look like?

Ans: A hostile work environment can be incredibly damaging to an organization, but what does a perfect work environment look like to you? As a recruiter, you’ll play a large role in crafting the work environment of your business, so consider the day-to-day behaviors and attitudes of the people around you who treat each other and communicate.

Q: How do you determine priorities in your role?

Ans: You’re going to have a lot of responsibilities on your plate as a recruiter, so it’s important you learn to prioritize them in a way that makes sense to you and those around you. Describe how you choose the important tasks and duties in your role and make those clear to your employer.

Q: What employee benefits do you believe are best at attracting applicants?

Ans: A company can offer a number of different types of employee benefits to its hires. Familiarize yourself with these benefits and determine what you believe to be the best offerings to employees. If hired, there’s a great chance that you’ll be able to make these benefits a reality and create a better life for your organization’s employees.

Q: What software or tools do you believe best help with your role?

Ans: Your answer to this question probably won’t make or break your chances of being hired, but it will show the employer how familiar you are with the tools and software that recruiters use on a daily basis. Having some knowledge of these tools or even a high skill in them can set you apart from candidates who may not be as familiar with certain applicant tracking systems, recruitment marketing software, job boards, or video interviewing tools.

Q: What are some of the latest recruiting trends you have utilized or would like to utilize in the future?

Ans: As an active recruiter, you should be well-versed in the latest recruitment trends and practices. This could include virtual reality recruitment, campus recruiting, or even recruitment chatbots.

Q: What do you consider the most rewarding aspect of being a recruiter?

Ans: If you’re applying for the role of a recruiter, you should have a fair idea of why you are, in fact, pursuing this career path. Speak openly and enthusiastically about what drew you to the profession in the first place and why you’re still interested in it.

How to prepare for the recruiter interview

Preparing for the recruiter interview means brushing out any ounce of nervousness or fear that rests in your mind. Being professional and confident is the minimum requirement. 

• Keep your documents handy: Don't get frazzled when the recruiter asks for specific documents or data from your end. Working as a recruit should have taught you how to maintain data and documents. If the recruiter wants you to share your resume or screen it in real time, be active and keep your documents handy.
• Reflect on your career as a TA professional: Most of the questions will center on your journey in the talent acquisition teams and your behavior as a human resource professional. When faced with these questions, keep your head balanced and exhibit your experience as a recruiter in the most "all-knowing" way.
• Give mock recruiter interviews: Prepare your theoretical knowledge with mock recruiter interviews and grasp basic recruitment tools and strategies that you are expected to master. These mock interviews will refine your knowledge base and polish your communication skills.
• Stay compliant with legal and judiciary terms: Be aware of all ethical, legal, and government laws and regulations in the human resource industry. Be thorough with employee laws, code of conduct, and workplace diversity-based questions so you won't be left out based on a technicality.
• Exude confidence and practicalize situations: Last but not least, don't let go of your confidence. When you meet the potential recruiter either virtually or in person, maintaining composure and a clear tone to deliver your side of the story will build an impression of a talented and experienced professional.

Get recruited

Preparing for an upcoming interview already feels daunting because the applicant goes through a hurricane of emotions. While things might be astray in your current job, leaving it to one side and giving your all to the upcoming interview requires an immense amount of strength and resilience. And you've got that. We hope that this question bank on fifteen essential recruiter interview questions helped you!

Don't just answer questions. Impress your recruiter and show your interest in the role by asking questions during the interview.

This article was originally published in 2019 and has been updated with new information.