How to Answer: Google's Recruiters know how to prioritize business needs and confidently push back on stakeholders. Talk about a time you influenced hiring practices while remaining respectful of business leaders.
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Google job interview.
2. Google's Recruiters know how to prioritize business needs and confidently push back on stakeholders. Talk about a time you influenced hiring practices while remaining respectful of business leaders.
The Goal
The interviewer wants to know that you have the confidence to join the company and begin to impact hiring practices positively. The goal of your response is to provide evidence that you have the confidence to push back and contribute while remaining respectful to others.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 21st, 2022
Pro Tip
When asked a behavioral question like this one, be prepared to support your response with a real-life story example. A reply based on a story of 'a time when...' can be crafted using the STAR method. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 21st, 2022
How to Answer
Possessing the skills to change or improve a hiring practice in the workplace is a valuable asset for any Recruiter. When working at Google, it will be essential for you to have the confidence to push back with stakeholders and leaders - when appropriate - to ensure the company's best interests and uphold the integrity of the recruitment process. However, your approach must be collaborative.
Talk to the interviewer about a time you recognized a need to change or enhance a hiring practice. Touch on the steps you took to implement the change and how you measured the success of this initiative. At the end of your response, explain how your influence will benefit Google should they hire you for this recruitment position.
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 21st, 2022
Answer Example
"(Situation & Task) When I started as a Recruiter for Company XYZ, the standard interview practices were not consistent among department managers. Too often, when new hires arrived, we found they lacked the behaviors that would enable them to succeed within our work environment. I knew immediately that this process needed improvements if the company was going to have a successful talent acquisition plan. (Action) I took the initiative to implement more behavioral interview questions in the interview process. I also introduced online skills testing for most roles. To achieve this, I gained buy-in from our leadership team by including them in creating the interview questions and determining the set benchmarks for each role. We all worked together to create a system that would equip our leaders and department managers with the skills to effectively and consistently interview candidates. Then, we measured our success by monitoring turnover, retention, and time-to-hire metrics. (Result) We changed the process and improved our turnover rate by 15% in the first three months. When I join Google as a Recruiter, I will make decisions and take actions that prioritize business needs. I will apply my experience with candidate care and balancing processes to ensure positive candidate experiences. I will continue to exude confidence and speak openly with my team, leaders, stakeholders, and other decision-makers while remaining respectful and interacting in a kind and professional manner."
Written by Rachelle Enns on April 21st, 2022