35 Questions You Can Expect to Be Asked at an HR Recruiter Job Interview
It’s important to be ready for a job interview so that you can make a good first impression. As an HR recruiter, interviews can be especially hard because you’re doing the same thing you’re paid to do. If you know ahead of time what kinds of questions you might be asked and what kinds of answers are more likely to get you the job, you might feel more prepared. This article gives you some examples of HR recruiter interview questions and answers that can help you prepare your own answers.
General questions
When interviewing for a job as a recruiter, you should be ready for the hiring manager to ask you a general question about yourself. Since the job is in Human Resources, the person who interviews you will probably also be your boss. People may be trying to figure out what it would be like to work with you, so it’s especially important to make a good first impression. Here are some general questions that a hiring manager or HR recruiter might ask:
- Tell me about yourself.
- How did you hear about this job opening?
- How long have you been a recruiter?
- What do you like best about being a human resources professional?
- Tell me some of the best things about you.
- As a recruiter, what’s the best thing you’ve done?
- Why are you interested in working for us?
- When you’re not working, what do you like to do?
- As a recruiter, what are some of the most common problems you’ve had to solve?
- Do you have questions for us?
Experience and background questions
The hiring manager will probably ask you about your experience with recruiting so that they can be sure they’re getting the best person. They want to know where you went to school, how long you have been a recruiter, and what you think about the job. Before you go to the interview, check the original job posting to make sure you know how to answer these kinds of questions in a way that fits their needs. The interviewer probably has your resume in front of them as you talk, so when you answer these kinds of questions, make sure to give more information than what’s on your resume.
- Why did you start to look for people?
- Where did you go to school?
- Besides a college degree, do you have any other qualifications or certifications that HR would value?
- Do you know what’s happening with jobs? What’s the most interesting trend you’ve read about recently?
- How would you describe how you choose people to work for you?
- What information or tools do you like to use at work the most?
- What kinds of jobs have you hired people for in the past?
- How do you think hiring has changed since you first started?
- What do you think will change in the next five years about how people are hired?
- How do you know if things are going well?
In-depth questions
The person interviewing you also wants to know what you can do for them in the real world. Don’t forget that the interviewer is probably someone you’ll be working with often, so try to be as honest as you can. They often ask these in-depth questions to see how you handle tough situations, so make sure your answers sound good and have solutions when they’re needed. Don’t be afraid to plan your answers to the following types of questions slowly:
- How would you suggest we find better people?
- How do you meet people who want to work for you?
- Tell me about the parts that are hardest for you to play and why.
- How would you feel if a former candidate got in touch with you about a new job?
- How many people have you hired well during your time as a recruiter?
- What do you say to people who didn’t get the job?
- Explain why a candidate might not take an offer. Tell us what you would do to make sure this doesn’t happen.
- How did you get the job you had before? Talk about what went well and what could be done to make it even better.
- Do you think it’s important to let job applicants know what’s going on with their applications, or do you wait until they ask?
- How would you describe our company to a potential candidate based on what you know about us?
Sample interview questions and answers with an HR recruiter
When preparing for an interview, it’s a good idea to think about how you’ll answer the most likely questions. Here are some common questions that HR recruiters are asked and some examples of how to answer them:
Tell me how you choose who to hire.
A hiring manager might ask you about your approach to recruiting to see how well you would fit in with the company and the HR team. Be as brief as you can and focus on what you think instead of what you think is best or making general statements.
Here’s what I mean: “I like to hire the right number of good people for the job. So, even if I have a quota to fill, I know that hiring someone who isn’t the best choice may hurt the company more in the long run. I have sometimes said that no one should be hired for a role, but I always back up my claims with performance data and hiring trends. As a recruiter, it’s not just my job to find the right person; it’s also my job to hire them in the right way.”
Tell me about a time when you had to work with a hiring manager who wasn’t easy to please.
The interviewer may ask you this to see if you can work well with a group and get people to work together. Keep in mind that they are probably a hiring manager themselves, so try to be as general as possible and stay positive in your answer.
Here’s what I mean: “I’ve worked with hiring managers who were very picky, but that was usually because they did things differently. I stayed focused on getting things done by saying what I thought and showing facts that backed up my point of view. I cared more about whether we were working for our own good than about whether I was sure I had the right answer. Most of the time, hiring is done as a group, so I think it’s important to be nice to everyone.”
How do you make sure you can work well with the people who apply for jobs?
Your potential employer wants to know if you can be nice and professional when hiring new people, so they may ask about your relationships with candidates. In your answer, try to emphasize how important it is to see job seekers as real people and treat them with respect.
Here’s what I mean: “I know how hard it can be to find work, so I try to be around as much as possible and answer their questions carefully. As a recruiter, I want candidates to feel confident when they meet with me, so I try not to make the process last longer than it needs to. The hardest part of my job is having to turn down applicants. I always tell the candidate why we didn’t choose them and how they can improve in different ways.”
What do you do if a qualified candidate wants a higher salary than you can offer?
The person in charge of hiring wants to know what you would do if the best candidate asked for a salary that your company couldn’t match. A good answer would be to tell them how you would be completely honest while coming at it from a different angle to get them to hire you.
Here’s what I mean: “Transparency is very important, so I would be completely honest if I made a counter-offer for a higher salary than the maximum. I also want to talk about how our full benefits package and skill-building workshops make up for the lower pay. Even so, this might not be enough to convince them, and they might still be stuck on the starting salary. Even if I know we can’t offer more, I’ll add that I can talk to the hiring manager about negotiating their salary and stress how interested we are in their work experience and skills.”
How do you keep track of all the applicants?
This question can tell the interviewer more about who you are as a person than just how good you are at recruiting. It’s best to give a detailed answer that explains your process and how you sort important documents like resumes.
Here’s what I mean: “I use a system where each candidate’s email address is linked to a folder in my inbox, and each role has a folder on my desktop with subfolders that hold documents for each candidate. I use a color-coding system to mark their inbox folder once I’ve seen their resume and cover letter. This helps me remember if someone is a definite yes, maybe, or definite no for pre-screening or interview, depending on how soon I need to fill the role. I only save resumes that say “definite yes” or “maybe” to my desktop.”
Like what an HR recruiter does
If you want to work in human resources, you have a lot of options. Here are ten jobs that HR professionals may want to look into:
1. HR administrative assistant
2. An expert in dealing with workers
3. A person who knows a lot about training and growth
4. HR analyst
5. HR consultant
6. Recruiting coordinator
7. Compliance officer
8. Corporate recruiter
9. The person in charge of benefits and pay
10. The boss of jobs
