The vast majority of our content is focused on helping recruiters, hiring managers, and HR professionals identify, qualify, and hire A-players. But today, we're shifting our focus to interview prep for recruiting positions. The reason for this is that workforce shortages in many fields have increased demand for recruiters; that is, in seemingly every industry but tech. According to WSJ, (as of Q1, 2024) while many tech sectors saw a 10- 20% reduction in force, recruiting titles took the brunt of the hit, decreasing by almost 50%. However, in non-tech industries, demand for skilled talent has increased to the point that recruiters are flooded with resumes. Job boards like Indeed.com estimate that the average open role gets 250+ applications- which is overwhelming for any hiring professional. If current job reports are accurate, despite a slowing in the economy, companies are still gobbling up great talent.

If you're looking for a recruiting role at the moment, this article will set you up for success in the interview. Whether you're just getting started as an entry-level recruiter, you're a technical recruiter, or you're just looking to polish your skills before an interview- you're in the right place.

Common Recruiter Interview Questions to be familiar with going into a screening or first interview revolve around what attracted you to recruiting, why you think you're a great fit for the role, and how your skills, education, and experience make you uniquely qualified for the role. You'll probably also be asked how you stay up to date on recruiting trends and tools, what HR associations or forums you're part of, and what changes you've implemented in previous roles that have brought positive results to your team.

Don't be overwhelmed by any of these questions, they're simply a way to grasp how your experience fits into their team mission and culture. A great way to prepare for these questions is to research the company ahead of time. Being familiar with their culture, values, and current job openings will give you a better idea of what they're looking for in a recruiter.

Interview questions for recruiter positions in the mid-stages of the interview process will probably cover frameworks, data-driven decision-making, and tools that will help you be more effective in your role. Don't be surprised if you're asked about certain applicant tracking systems (ATS), interview intelligence software, AI tools, and other hiring resources.

Recruiter interview questions will also cover soft skills like communication and interpersonal skills (what we'd call "people skills"), unconscious bias training, fair and objective hiring best practices, and candidate engagement. Don't be surprised if some of these questions focus on your ability to handle various aspects of the recruitment process, from initial outreach to final offer negotiations, ensuring they can manage the role's responsibilities effectively.

Finally, you'll want to be prepared for the different phases of the interview. Common recruiter phone interview questions are used to screen candidates quickly, focusing on background, experience, motivation for the role, and basic qualifications before moving to more detailed in-person interviews. Note that you're probably talking to someone who's also a recruiter- so relax and be yourself.

Entry-Level Recruiter Interview Questions

If you've recently graduated and you're preparing for your first interview, you're probably feeling a bit nervous - that's perfectly normal. Preparing for an entry-level recruiter interview is the first step to putting your education and experience to work in recruitment. Entry-level recruiter interview questions should be quite easy and if you can demonstrate a solid understanding of the fundamentals, strong interpersonal skills, and a hunger to learn, you'll go far.

Here's what you can expect from basic recruiter interview questions:

• Basic HR Knowledge: Basic knowledge of human resources (HR) processes, such as employee lifecycle management or performance evaluation systems, can also demonstrate your ability to understand the larger context of recruitment within an organization.
• Understanding Job Descriptions: One of the basic recruiter interview questions might involve how you interpret job descriptions to find suitable candidates, demonstrating your ability to match candidates with job requirements.
• Initial Screening Techniques: Interviewers may ask about your methods for initial candidate screening, including what criteria you would prioritize to shortlist candidates effectively.
• Experience with Recruitment Processes: Interviewers often ask about your understanding of the recruitment lifecycle and any related experiences, even if they are internships or academic projects.
• Handling Candidate Interactions: Questions may focus on how you would handle interactions with candidates, including communication methods and maintaining a positive candidate experience.
• Tools and Systems: You may be asked about your familiarity with common recruitment tools and systems, such as applicant tracking systems (ATS), job boards, unconscious bias tools, or interview intelligence software.
• Understanding Diversity & Inclusion: Companies are often focused on building a diverse and inclusive workforce, so be prepared to discuss your understanding of diversity and inclusion principles in the context of recruitment.

As you move into senior levels, you'll need to begin incorporating leadership, mentoring, hiring and firing, and many other technical skills. In addition to the questions above, senior-level recruiter interview questions could also include:

• Advanced Recruitment Strategies: While entry-level candidates may not face these directly, understanding that senior-level recruiter interview questions often delve into strategic planning and high-level decision-making can help you appreciate the career trajectory.
• Team Leadership and Mentorship: Insight into senior-level questions about leading recruitment teams and mentoring junior recruiters can highlight the skills you'll need to develop as you advance.

Preparing for these interviews involves more than just understanding the questions. It’s about showcasing your ability to learn quickly, adapt to new situations, and communicate effectively. Thorough preparation will not only help you answer these questions confidently but also demonstrate your commitment to a career in recruitment. Consider walking through these topics and questions with a friend or colleague before your next interview and try to master the basics- this will set you up for success!

Technical Recruiter Interview Questions

As we move from general recruiting topics and sample recruiter interview questions at different levels to technical recruiter interview questions, we must emphasize that the entry-level recruiter interview questions are still highly relevant to every phase of interviews. However, technical recruiting can be more challenging than general recruiting since it often requires specific knowledge of different industries, technologies, and technical roles.

Technical recruiters may face a higher volume of specialized recruiting interview questions involving specialized knowledge, tools, or software to assess candidate skills and experience effectively. Questions may also focus on understanding how you prioritize different technical qualifications or how you would handle challenging scenarios.

Here are some top recruiter interview questions for technical hires: We'll use software developers as our example:

Experience with Technical Recruiting Tools and Platforms:

GitHub Experience:

Q: Can you describe your experience using GitHub to assess candidate contributions and code quality? How do you interpret a candidate's activity and repositories on GitHub?

Stack Overflow Experience:

Q: How do you leverage Stack Overflow when recruiting technical candidates? Can you provide an example of how you have assessed a candidate's expertise based on their Stack Overflow profile and activity?

HackerRank Experience:

Q: Describe your familiarity with HackerRank. How do you use HackerRank assessments to screen candidates, and what criteria do you consider to ensure a good match for technical roles?

Codility Experience:

Q: What is your experience using Codility for technical hiring? Can you explain how you configure and interpret Codility tests to identify top candidates, and how you balance technical results with other aspects of a candidate's profile?

Experience with HackerRank, Codility, and Stack Overflow not only showcases your ability to manage the technical side of recruiting but also demonstrates your commitment to finding top-tier talent in the field of software development - but these technical platforms will be unique to each role and industry.

Technical Terminology and Knowledge:

Q: What programming languages, frameworks, or databases have you recruited for? How do they compare to similar technologies and where do you see the market moving in the next 5 years?

Understand Tech Roles & Responsibilities:

Q: Can you explain the differences between a front-end developer vs. back-end developer? What skills and experience would you prioritize for each role?

Evaluating Technical Skills:

Q: How do you assess technical competency in a candidate? Walk me through your process for evaluating a candidate's coding ability.

Handling Challenging Scenarios:

Q: Can you describe a time when you encountered a difficult hiring challenge, such as finding a rare technical skill set or managing a high volume of technical roles? How did you handle the situation, and what strategies did you use to overcome it?

In conclusion, by fully preparing for these technical recruiter interview questions, you can demonstrate your expertise in recruiting top technical talent even if you're new to the field. Additionally, showcasing your learning agility, adaptability, and problem-solving skills through examples of challenging scenarios can help you carve out a niche in technical recruiting and propel your career forward.

Remember- preparation is key! So do your research, practice with a friend or colleague, and showcase your passion for technical recruitment to ace your next interview. And, once you get settled into your new role, give Pillar's interview intelligence a try. Book a demo to learn more! Good luck!