Randstad Mock Interview

Practice 35 Randstad interview questions covering recruitment expertise, client relationships, and HR operations.

WRITTEN BY RACHELLE ENNS
QUESTION 4 OF 35

Do you understand how Randstad makes a profit?

The interviewer wants to see that you understand the fee structure at Randstad or at least staffing agencies in general. Depending on your region, this response could vary as there are different rules and regulations surrounding staffing and recruitment around the world.

For the most part, a staffing agency makes a profit in three ways:

1. Permanent placement fees
2. Temp fees
3. Retainer based searches

Permanent placement fees are usually a set percentage based on the ideal candidate's salary. Let's say that a staffing agency is asked to headhunt a chemical engineer. The staffing agency finds the perfect candidate, and that chemical engineer comes with an asking salary of 100K per year. The hiring company would pay (in addition to the 100K salary) 18-25% of that number as a permanent placement fee. So, a one-time 18-25K fee.

Temp fees are a surcharge in addition to a temporary employee or contractors' hourly wage. Assuming the same chemical engineer is working on a 12-month contract for an oil and gas company. The OG company does not want to add this engineer to their permanent payroll or pay the engineer's employment insurance and other government-required fees. The staffing agency will take on the role of 'employer' and charge the additional costs plus a commission to the OG company. Let's say the chemical engineer is asking for 40/hour. The staffing agency will charge the OG company 55/hour, giving 40 to the contractor and taking 15 as an administration fee and commission.

A retainer is a fee that is paid in advance to secure the services of a staffing agency. Primarily retainers are only requested by high-end executive search firms who conduct long, complicated searches for talents such as surgeons, lawyers, professors, and CFOs. In this instance, the hiring company would pay a large sum upfront to the agency and then the remainder of their fee once the ideal candidate accepts a job offer.

Chances are, Randstad will be paid by perm or temp placement fees only. Speak to the interviewer briefly about fee structures, showing that you come from a place of full understanding.

"I fully understand how recruitment and staffing agencies make a profit. My educated guess is that you earn a profit through permanent placement fees and temp fees. Could you share with me what your fee percentage is? My current agency charges 20-22% depending on the difficulty of the position and the location of our search."

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35 Randstad Interview Questions & Answers

Jump to any question in the set.

01 What type of clients come to Randstad for our staffing services? KNOWLEDGE 02 What is a staffing agency? COMPETENCY 03 How does a staffing agency charge a job seeker for their services? COMPETENCY 04 Do you understand how Randstad makes a profit? COMPETENCY 05 What is the difference between temporary, temporary-to-permanent, and permanent placement? COMPETENCY 06 Name some reasons why a job seeker would want to work as a temp. COMPETENCY 07 What advice would you give to a recent grad with no work experience? SCENARIO BASED 08 How often do you check in with your candidates after placed in a permanent role with your client? PERFORMANCE BASED 09 When scanning a resume for the first time, what do you look for? COMPETENCY 10 How does artificial intelligence impact talent sourcing? COMPETENCY 11 In which categories does Randstad recruit? KNOWLEDGE 12 Of the areas where Randstad recruits, which are you most knowledgeable? EXPERIENCE 13 Have you ever worked with a staffing agency, from a job seekers' perspective? EXPERIENCE 14 If a temporary employee let you down regularly, what would you do? BEHAVIORAL 15 Tell me about the targets and goals in your current position. Do you have trouble meeting them? PERFORMANCE BASED 16 What will be your primary focus in your first 30 days with Randstad? PERFORMANCE BASED 17 When have you had to change a search due to new information from your client? PROBLEM SOLVING 18 Tell me about a time you lost a job order or placement to a competitor. How did you react? BEHAVIORAL 19 What are some professional goals you have set for yourself this year? CAREER GOALS 20 Are you willing to work outside of the regular 9-5? ADAPTABILITY 21 How do you build trust and rapport with your clients? EXPERIENCE 22 What type of office set up helps you to be the most productive? COMPATIBILITY 23 Are you a patient individual? Rate your patience level from 1-10. BEHAVIORAL 24 Recruitment often requires out-of-the-box thinking. Are you creative by nature? CREATIVE THINKING 25 Would you take a job order from a client who was acting unethically? TRUST 26 How do you determine job order priority? EXPERIENCE 27 How do you continue to educate yourself as an expert in staffing? EDUCATION 28 Why should Randstad hire you over our other candidates? COMMON 29 Is honesty the best policy? TRUST 30 How much money do you want to earn in this role? What does your ideal pay structure look like? SALARY 31 What tools or systems do you use to keep track of job candidates? EXPERIENCE 32 Tell us one way that you can improve your recruiting process PERFORMANCE BASED 33 Describe your communication skills. COMMUNICATION 34 How would your co-workers describe you? TEAMWORK 35 What do you consider the most rewarding aspect of your job? EXPERIENCE
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Rachelle Enns
Written by Rachelle Enns
35 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS · RANDSTAD
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