30 Internal Recruiter Interview Questions & Answers
Behavioral
1. How do you react when you and your leadership team disagree on the quality of a candidate?
How to Answer
There will be times when you think you've hit the jackpot and found the best candidate possible for the role. You excitedly present the candidate to your leadership team and unfortunately, they don't feel the magic. The interviewer wants to know that you would handle the disappointment professionally rather than becoming visibly upset or deflated. Describe how you react when this type of situation arises, and discuss the action steps you take to ensure that all decision-makers and stakeholders agree on a candidate before a job offer is made.
Answer Example
"This scenario can be especially challenging when working on a role with a department manager or other stakeholder who has a particular personality type. In my current role, there are times that the decision-makers need deeper information regarding the landscape of available talent. If a leader disagrees with the quality of my shortlisted candidate, I am sure to remove any emotion from the equation and come back to them with factual data from my talent marketplace analytics and other forms of benchmarking. When a leader can look at the full picture, they are much more likely to take an open-minded approach. Sometimes this scenario means that I go back to my search and find a new candidate for consideration. Other times this situation means that we compromise by interviewing the candidate one more time to try and uncover any reasons the leader feels hesitant to make a job offer."
Communication
2. How do you treat candidates not selected for the job? Walk me through your process.
How to Answer
Internal Recruiters speak to many candidates in a day and often interview dozens of people for one role. Show the interviewer that you treat your candidates with respect and that you are unafraid to be forthright with them when they are not selected for the job. The hiring authority may also want to see that you have excellent coaching skills and that you are comfortable giving helpful and actionable feedback. They also want to see that your actions and communication with the public will positively reflect the company.
Answer Example
"Part of being a successful recruiter is to gain and keep the respect of your talent pool. When I find out that a candidate was not selected, I will pick up the phone and call them. I tell them the news and ask them if they would like feedback. If the person is open to feedback, I will be honest with them about why they were not selected. Then, I document everything that has happened. It's important to me that each candidate walks away with an admiration for our company, our culture, and our interview process. This means showing them the respect they deserve after investing their time and energy into our interview process."
Compatibility
3. When entering a new job, describe how you build relationships with your new coworkers and supervisors.
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to know how you plan to start relationships with your new co-workers and leaders. Due to a wide variety of personalities, coworker connections can take time to form. Discuss the action steps you take to ensure that you have an active communication line with your co-workers, team, and management right from the start.
Here are some ideas for getting started on the right foot:
- Be willing to accept feedback and help
- Offer to join a committee or volunteer assistance in some way
- Do not have an air of entitlement or act as though you know the ins and outs immediately
- Avoid all company gossip at all cost
- Ask meaningful questions as a way to make connections
- Be early on your first day (and every day after that!)
- Come to work dressed appropriately
Answer Example
"As a people-focused professional, I understand that some relationships come quickly and others take time to nurture. When starting a new job, I am my true self and let my personality, integrity, and reliability speak for themselves. I also understand that people like to talk about their lives. I can create new relationships with others by asking them about their life, interests, and accomplishments. From there, we can find common ground and make a lasting connection."
Compatibility
4. Recruitment can be highly frustrating at times. How do you cope with the fact that you are always putting out fires?
How to Answer
Internal Recruiters are always solving problems, and often these issues occur with no warning. Discuss with the interviewer how you cope with working in a highly reactive job, where anything can happen in a day.
Answer Example
"Most days, my phone is ringing off the hook and I am constantly fielding emails. Often times it's a candidate letting me know that they changed their mind about attending their interview or it's a department manager expressing a panicked need because one of our employees quit without notice. In my current position, many of the roles I am filling are temporary warehousing roles, which traditionally show higher turnover rates. These events can be frustrating, but so long as I remain organized, and have a pool of other temp workers in the pipeline, I can handle the issues swiftly."
Compatibility
5. You will face very senior professionals in this role. How do you embody poise and professionalism?
How to Answer
Internal Recruiters often work alongside their company's executive team. The interviewer needs assurance that you can fit in with your leadership team, be influential, confident, and persuasive. The first thing you can do to make a professional first impression shows up to your interview dress appropriately, highly prepared, and well researched. Discuss the ways you ensure to embody professionalism every day on the job.
Answer Example
"I make sure to embody utmost professionalism in a few different ways. First, I dress the part. You will never find me outside of a suit, regardless of casual Friday. I am sure to be knowledgeable and well researched before entering any meeting. I am respectful, never interrupting my leaders, and I use the time they give me with utmost efficiency."
Competency
6. When pre-screening a candidate, what is the most important question you could ask?
How to Answer
There are a plethora of essential interview questions that you could ask a candidate. The most crucial first step is to ensure that the opportunity you are presenting is a fit for them and their career goals. If you do not qualify your candidate correctly, they could flop their interview and be a big disappointment to your leadership team, making you appear unprofessional and inexperienced. Show the interviewer that you are capable of digging deep in your candidate pre-screen interviews.
Answer Example
"One question that I always ask, no matter the role, is 'Describe for me in detail your ideal opportunity.' This question puts the responsibility on them to tell me, very specifically, what they seek in a job. I ask them to include the workplace environment, team size, location, industry type, and more. If their response feels like a solid match, only then will I submit their resume and pre-screen details for further review from the leadership team."
Competency
7. How is your recruitment performance measured in your current role?
How to Answer
Recruitment is a fast-moving job function, and your role as an Internal Recruiter is similar to that of a sales professional. Some of your performance metrics may include the number of open jobs you help fill, how quickly you find suitable candidates and your interview-to-hire ratio. Discuss with the interviewer how your performance is measured in your current position, and talk about how you stack up compared to others on your talent acquisition team.
Answer Example
"The most important metrics in my role are the speed at which I find suitable candidates for an open position. I am a top performer in my talent acquisition team and I believe this is because my research skills are well-honed. For the year, my average is 15 candidate interviews per job opening and I am in the top place for assisting in successful placements. You can see that I am a high performer, and I look forward to bringing this winning attitude to your company."
Competency
8. In an interview, how do you evaluate the performance of an executive candidate who is under a non-disclosure agreement with their current employer?
How to Answer
As an Internal Recruiter, you will be interviewing for all role levels within your company. You will find that many high-level candidates are under a non-disclosure agreement, disallowing them to put specific numbers, percentages, goals, targets, and achievements on their resumes. A non-disclosure agreement also stops candidates from speaking as freely as they would like when you are interviewing them. Talk to the interviewer about other evaluation methods you can use when working with candidates under a non-disclosure agreement with their current employer.
Answer Example
"In my current company, the industry is very competitive, and many of the candidates I interview are under an NDA. To get around this, I utilize personality tests and other skills testing tools. These resources help me assess where a candidate truly stands in skill, knowledge level, and even ethics. Particular behavioral questions can be asked, such as, 'How do you believe you rank in performance compared to your counterparts?' These types of questions often provide me with an idea of where the candidates self-ranks."
Competency
9. How do you quickly learn industry terminology for roles that are new to you?
How to Answer
As an Internal Recruiter, you will learn about jobs and skillsets that you may not have even known existed! It can be a challenge to keep up with all industry terminology, which is why a strong recruiter will have a genuine appreciation for research and gathering new knowledge. Show the interviewer that you have an attitude of receptiveness, and you are ready to learn. Discuss with the interviewer how you go about learning industry terminology for roles that are new to you. If you have a specific example of when you encountered this situation, this question presents a good opportunity to give a real-life example.
Answer Example
"In my current recruiter role, we hire a lot of professionals with a background in healthcare and medical. I am often asked to start searching for a role where I have no clue what the job title means! For instance, last month, one of the department managers asked me to find a Perfusionist. I took the job details, conducted research on Google, and I read a few medical resources online. It turns out that Perfusionists are the people who operate the heart and lung machines while patients are in surgery. I began by researching schools that offered the Certified Clinical Perfusionist (CCP) credential, and started making phone calls from that starting point."
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Competency
10. Talk to me about your level of proficiency with LinkedIn Recruiter.
How to Answer
LinkedIn Recruiter is a widely used online talent solution that many Internal Recruiters utilize. To have a subscription is not a small cost for an employer, so the interviewer would like to know if you can fully utilize the platform, making it worthwhile. With LinkedIn Recruiter, you can easily search, connect with, and reach out to excellent candidates who appear qualified for your open roles. The platform also acts as a candidate relationship management system, allowing you to prioritize better and track conversations.
Answer Example
"I have used LinkedIn Recruiter for about four years now, and I log into it every day. I appreciate the features such as candidate spotlights, allowing me to see the best matches for my job postings much faster. Also, I can identify candidates who have not completed their application which is a great new feature. I am very proficient in LinkedIn Recruiter and could even train other people on your recruitment team if needed."
Competency
11. Which recruitment-related technology and tools you do lean on most often during your day?
How to Answer
Internal Recruiters have a plethora of tools at their disposal, and many of them can make your job much easier, streamlining tasks and organizing your output. The interviewer would like to know which tools you take advantage of daily. Some of the most common tech and tools used by an Internal Recruiter include:
- Candidate relationship management software such as SmartRecruiters
- Headhunting tools like LinkedIn Navigator
- Premium subscriptions to job seeker boards such as Indeed or ZipRecruiter
- Applicant tracking systems such as Taleo, Zoho, or Bullhorn.
Speak about the technology and tools that you use most often in your recruitment work. If the tools used by the hiring company are mention in their job description, be sure to bring up your experience with those!
Answer Example
"I understand that you use Taleo ATS here at Company XYZ. I was thrilled to read this information in your job posting since I have spent the past four years using Taleo. The other tools that I use regularly include ZipRecruiter, Indeed, and JobScan."
Creative Thinking
12. How do you use social media and other online tools in your recruitment process?
How to Answer
A great Internal Recruiter will have many tools at their fingertips, allowing them more speed in their research. Job openings often need to be filled fast, so it's important to the interviewer that you know which tools are available to you, helping you to succeed.
List a few of the top resources that you use in your recruitment process. If you'd like, you can also ask for recommendations on tools. Show that you are eager to learn and that you lean on resources other than yourself, to reach the finish line.
Answer Example
"I am still shocked to hear that not every recruiter utilizes social media in their company's talent attraction strategy. I begin with LinkedIn, using their Recruiter platform. From there, I will also search for potential people to poach from Facebook and even Twitter. Other tools that I lean on regularly include our company's applicant tracking system. I will also ask for referrals quite often, from our highest performing employees."
Diligence
13. When hiring, is it important for you to contact a candidate's professional references?
How to Answer
Prospective employers will be interested in your diligence around the interview process, including reference checking. Proper reference checking shows your ability to be thorough in the hiring process. As an Internal Recruiter, it's essential to collect valid references, document these conversations, and share them with the hiring managers or decision-makers. Be prepared to walk the interviewer through your reference checking process, highlighting how diligent you are with this step of the hiring process.
Answer Example
"When interviewing candidates, I believe a critical step in the process is checking their employment references. This step gives the interview team a deeper view of the candidate from an outside professional source. If the hiring manager has uncertainty about any aspect of the candidate's qualifications, contacting their references provides beneficial insight. This information becomes highly useful when coming to a hiring decision, especially when two candidates seem equally equipped for the role. A solid reference can be the difference between rejection and a job offer. For these reasons, I am sure to check employment references for every candidate after their second interview. This action ensures that I have a well-rounded view of their strengths and reputation before moving them into the final interview stage with our hiring manager."
Diligence
14. What new hiring or human resources topic is piquing your interest the most right now?
How to Answer
The interviewer wants to see that you are in-the-know when it comes to trends in the hiring and HR sector. Every year there are new, hot topics that come to light, which results in changing patterns for companies and new opportunities for Internal Recruiters to learn. Talk to the interviewer about one topic related to hiring or HR that has caught your attention recently.
Answer Example
"As an Internal Recruiter and key hiring partner to my employer, remaining on the leading edge of HR practices is critical. Keeping on top of industry news helps me bring fun and modern practices to my work and talent attraction strategies. Learning about the business and its industry supports me as a recruiter, and often, I will help leaders think through problems with creative solutions. Lately, one topic that has caught my eye is the 'gig economy' and how the landscape of full-time employees has changed significantly. I plan to attend an HR conference in February, where I will learn more about this trend. From the research I have conducted, I know that the gig economy will see much of the workforce shift from full-time jobs into freelance workers. A recent study I read estimates that by 2025, 60% of USA-based workers will be independent contractors."
Experience
15. Tell me how you find qualified candidates. Share an experience in which one of these methods helped you find a great employee.
How to Answer
The interviewer would like you to demonstrate the various internal recruiting and interviewing methods you use in your talent attractions and engagement practices. Take the time to walk the hiring authority through your process, including the tools you lean on to make successful job matches. Through your answer, the interviewer should be able to picture you performing well in this role, working nicely with their existing processes, and meeting overall expectations.
Answer Example
"I have found there is no one magic bullet when it comes to finding talent but rather a variety of targeted efforts. In my current role, I utilize online recruiting methods through job boards such as Indeed and ZipRecruiter. I also utilize many of the LinkedIn premium features for candidate matching and messaging. Offline avenues include career fairs and referral programs. Recognizing that great talent typically knows great talent, I recently implemented an employee referral rewards program at my company. The purpose of this program is to attract top talent by encouraging recommendations from existing employees. Through this program, we have now hired five exceptional new teammates."
Experience
16. Do you have experience coordinating interviews, and documenting the candidate journey?
How to Answer
A significant part of working as an Internal Recruiter is coordinating the movement of numerous talent acquisition projects. The interviewer would like to understand your experience when it comes to managing the interview process, taking care of candidate documentation, and handling action steps critical to successful onboarding. Take the interviewer through your process, and be sure to include details of any software, tips, tricks, and tools that you utilize to ensure you remain on track and organized.
Answer Example
"In my current position I am responsible for the talent acquisition of approximately 60 new hires every year. This volume means that I require complete organization, and every step needs immediate documenting. I lean on Sage People, a cloud-based HR system that allows me to track every action we take with a candidate. I book interviews and track them in Outlook, which everyone on our team uses. I have excellent follow-up habits, which is a must to staying organized and well-coordinated as a busy Internal Recruiter."
Experience
17. Do you have experience guiding candidates through job offers and negotiations?
How to Answer
One exciting part of your job as an Internal Recruiter might be making an initial job offer to an excited candidate. As rewarding as this part of your job can be, you must use caution in the process. Many factors can arise between a job proposal to its acceptance, and it's up to you to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible. This task includes controlling the conversations regarding salary, negotiation, and counteroffers. If you have had exposure to leading job offers and compensation negotiations, discuss the depth of your experience.
Answer Example
"I keep my department managers, company directors, and candidates in close conversation throughout the entire interview and offer process. I ensure that proposals do not go sideways due to bad communication or unrealistic expectations from either party. This year, I have facilitated 18 job offers so far, managing negotiations from salary to start date and even benefits. I keep up to date on market trends and what our company competitors are offering. I know what employees are earning based on their location, education level, and years of experience. I am 100% comfortable taking full control during job offer negotiations."
Experience
18. Do you have experience preparing or leading new hire orientation?
How to Answer
New hire orientation is how an organization welcomes a new employee into their company. The purpose of this orientation is for your new hire to feel comfortable and to adjust quickly. The better your onboarding process, the less likely the employee will quit. New hire orientation could include safety training, walk-throughs of various departments, job shadowing opportunities, employee benefits reviews, introductions to multiple stakeholders and co-workers, an overview of the company culture and history, and any other information required for a new employee to succeed. Talk to the interviewer about your experience putting together new hire orientation programs or leading them.
Answer Example
"In my recruitment career, I have led the new hire orientation for at least 200 new employees, alongside my HR Manager. I strongly believe that a flawless orientation and onboarding process will greatly increase an employees' desire to stay with their new employer long-term. At my current company, when I first joined, their process was pretty weak. I took about a month to dive into the orientation and revamped the program entirely. I have included more information on the organizational structure, what to expect, and more on the company culture. Now that the new hires feel more comfortable and welcome, it has increased our tenure rate by about 18%."
Experience
19. Tell me about your experience in terminations.
How to Answer
As an Internal Recruiter, there will be times when a candidate does not do their job well, and your employer may ask you to let them go and replace them. Other circumstances may arise where a temp employee's performance is excellent, but their assignment ends earlier than expected due to a change in work volume. Show the interviewer that you can confidently approach difficult conversations around termination or unexpected dismissal. Depending on the size of your company, this task may be left with an HR Manager. If you do not have experience with terminations, discuss how you believe they should be handled.
Answer Example
"In my six years as an Internal Recruiter, I have had to assist in the termination of dozens of people. The reasons may vary, but my approach is always the same: showing gratitude and appreciation for their time with our company. In my current role, I help the HR Manager facilitate exit interviews where we discuss what went well, what they could have done differently, and then we coach them if they are open to feedback. Nobody should be left hanging or wondering what went wrong when they are terminated or their temporary assignment comes to an end. I am sure to handle these situations with complete professionalism."
Experience
20. Why would your employer prefer to hire a temp over a permanent employee?
How to Answer
There are a few primary reasons why a company would lean towards temporary placements over permanent hires. It may seem more expensive to have a temp, but the math will often make more sense to an organization. Some of the reasons include:
- Temp employees fill the gaps while your company leaders analyze hiring needs
- Your company can maintain ideal staffing levels without a permanent commitment
- Temp employees may not require paid vacation days, workers' compensation, or health insurance
- A staffing agency handles payroll, truancy, and other matters, saving your team a lot of time
- When a temp employee does well, your company can hire them down the road, after they have proven themselves through excellent performance!
Discuss with the interviewer the reasons why you believe a company may prefer temp hires over permanent employees. The more you know about this topic the brighter your recruitment expertise will shine!
Answer Example
"From discussions with my current leaders, they prefer hiring temp employees when they have an increase in projects and work, but there is an end in sight. My current employer is in the logistics industry and we just landed a 1-year contract with Kraft. When the contract is over, it may not be renewed. For this reason, we need the human resources to serve our clients' needs; however, we do not need a long term employee commitment. We staff about 60% of our warehouse with permanent employees and 40% are temps."
Experience
21. Do you have experience guiding candidates through job offer negotiations?
How to Answer
One of the most exciting parts of your job as an Internal Recruiter is when your company is ready to make a job offer to a talented candidate! Congratulations - you did it! Now, it's job offer time.
Many things can get in the way between a proposal to its acceptance, and it may be up to you to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible. This task includes controlling the conversations regarding salary offerings and counteroffers. Discuss any experience you have with job offer negotiations, giving a real-life example if possible.
Answer Example
"I keep my department managers and candidates close, to ensure that proposals do not go sideways due to sticky offers, or unrealistic expectations from the job seeker. Just this year, I have worked on 18 different offers, helping both my company and the candidate come to an equally beneficial agreement. I keep up to date on market trends, what our competitors are offering, and what employees are earning based on their location, education level, and years of experience. I am 100% comfortable taking full control during job offer negotiations."
Experience
22. What does the term attrition mean, and what are the biggest causes of employee attrition rates?
How to Answer
Attrition is the speed or rate at which something declines. As an Internal Recruiter, you may hear the term 'employee attrition rates' from your company's leaders or HR department now and again. What this means is that a company is losing staff due to natural reduction including resignation, retirement, or relocation.
Keep in mind; this term refers to natural reduction. Employee attrition rates would not include mass layoffs for instance. Discuss with the interviewer that you understand what attrition means, and what the primary causes of employee attrition are. The hiring authority is looking for your ability to recognize and understand potential staffing pain points.
Answer Example
"Employee attrition rates refer to the reduction of staff due to unforeseen or natural circumstances such as increasing retirement rates. I have helped my employer overcome the downsides of attrition by working with them on proactive workforce planning. When we can see where our employee attrition rates are going, we can act ahead and plan, rather than being reactionary."
Experience
23. Do you have experience using an ATS? Which applicant tracking systems do you know best?
How to Answer
Most companies will use an ATS or applicant tracking system. This system collects and stores job applicants' resumes, personal information, interview notes, documentation, and candidate history. When a job seeker applies online to one of your job postings, their application, documents, and notes will automatically populate into your company's ATS, allowing you to quickly see how well they match the role requirements.
Some of the most popular ATS' will enable you to email a job seeker directly from the system and even book interviews or push out bulk SMS messages. Popular ATS' include Taleo, Bullhorn, Kenexa, SAP Success Factors, and JazzHR. Discuss what you know about ATS features and which systems you have used the most.
Answer Example
"For the past three years I have used Taleo, first as an HR assistant and then as an Internal Recruiter. When I sent my application to your company online, I noticed that your talent portal is run by Taleo as well. The features I use most in this system include the quick applications overview, email templates, and social job sharing feature."
Performance
24. What are your top 3 most important activities as an Internal Recruiter?
How to Answer
The interviewer wants to see that you have a full understanding of your responsibilities as an Internal Recruiter. By discussing what you believe to be the top 3 activities in this role, you show the interviewer that you have a solid understanding of the work you will be performing if you are hired.
If you are currently working as an Internal Recruiter, discuss what you now take care of in your role, on a daily or weekly basis. If you are new to the recruitment sector, lean on what you know from research and the job description or job posting.
Answer Example
"The top three most important activities as an Internal Recruiter are to develop and maintain a solid candidate pipeline, create trusting candidate relationships through a welcoming and transparent interview process, and develop strong partnerships with department managers and other stakeholders. These three tasks will ensure that I move the needle on the company's hiring needs, have relationships with enough candidates to fill the company's positions quickly, and great cross-departmental relationships to depend on during high-volume hiring projects."
Performance
25. How do you help your company to make sound hiring decisions?
How to Answer
There are many ways that an Internal Recruiter can influence a company and help them through challenging talent acquisition projects. Skilled recruiters will act as a partner to their company and its stakeholders. They will be a listening ear, an educated hiring partner, and a person with sound judgment. Discuss how you help your current employer make the best hiring decisions.
Answer Example
"I must act as a solid hiring partner to my company. I support the management team by helping them with interview questions and candidate attraction strategies. I teach them the red flags to look out for in a job seeker and even help them through salary negotiations. Many of my leaders rely on my expertise when it comes to competitive hiring. In fact, just this year, we have managed to attract and hire three key department managers from our competitors. Since I joined Company ABC as an Internal Recruiter, our employee retention rate has increased by 25%."
Performance
26. Tell me about a time when you influenced hiring practices at your current or former employer.
How to Answer
Possessing the skills to change or improve a hiring practice in the workplace is a valuable asset to any employer. 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.
Answer Example
"When I first started as the Internal Recruiter for ABC Company, the standard interview practices were not consistent between department managers. Too often, when new hires arrived, we found they lacked the behaviors that would enable them to be successful within our culture. I took the initiative to implement more behavioral interview questions in the interview process. I also introduced online skills testing for most roles. To implement, I gained buy-in from our leadership team by including them in the process of 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. We changed the process and, therefore, improved our turnover rate by 15% in the first 3 months."
Problem Solving
27. How do you use data and analytics in your HR process?
How to Answer
As an Internal Recruiter, the stakeholders in your organization will respond best to your recommendations if they can link your findings to data. Show the interviewer that you understand how to use analytics in your talent attraction processes. If possible, give a specific example of a time when the use of data and analytics led to a competitive hire, valuable market assessment, or a successful talent acquisition campaign.
Answer Example
"Many recruitment professionals rely on the existing processes of their organization, which is an important factor; however, it should not be 100% of the work. I analyze data from our company's previous hires, successes, and failures of the past, employee attrition data, and more. Then, I make hiring recommendations based on what I see to be working for our organization in the future. Most recently, I helped to reduce our unnecessary workforce spend by replacing four low-performing employees with one full-time employee and one part-time staff member. My director was thankful that I took the time to analyze the issues before recommending a new-hire solution that was not as budget-friendly or effective."
Scenario Based
28. Tell me about a recruitment mistake you made. Were there any details in the process you missed and realized later? How did you adjust based on what you learned?
How to Answer
The hiring authority is interested in your ability to identify areas for improvement and learn from your mistakes in a positive, constructive way. Accepting feedback and learning from mistakes aids in your professional development as a recruitment professional. Your continued growth also benefits your employer. Talk about a time you made an error in the recruitment process. Briefly discuss the situation, how you course-corrected, and what you learned in the process.
Answer Example
"People are an organization's most valuable asset. Hiring top talent derives from an effective interview and vetting process. Early in my career, I relied heavily on assessing a candidate's previous employer references and education match. This heavy focus caused me to miss an opportunity to weigh their experiences or how they executed their work. My team collaborated and made changes to the interview and qualifying process to improve our results. We learned that asking better questions would help us better assess candidates. We worked together to come up with deeper interview questions that were used to make better hiring decisions."
Tough
29. Name one thing you could improve in your process, as an Internal Recruiter.
How to Answer
This question is another way of asking, 'What is your greatest weakness as an Internal Recruiter.' Discuss an area of responsibility you could grow into. Perhaps you could further clarify a topic or attend additional training in a soft skill that you would like to improve. Avoid bringing up a point that would be detrimental to your candidacy. For instance, an Internal Recruiter should never say that they could work on their desire to make phone calls. This is because a recruiter spends most of their day 'smiling and dialing!' Discuss an area where you could improve your performance and respond with a solution to that weakness. The interviewer will want to know, in detail, how you are approaching improvements in this area of weakness.
Answer Example
"I often speak too quickly on the phone. Of course, it's out of complete excitement, but sometimes it's challenging for candidates to keep up and fully understand all of the job details. I am working on slowing down a bit. Recently, I started sending a follow-up email with the specifics of the position so that the candidate knows exact details before committing to an interview."
Tough
30. What do you believe to be the most significant change in the recruitment process this year?
How to Answer
As an Internal Recruiter, your job is fast-paced and ever-changing. Your approach to recruiting employees will change with economic ebbs and flows, workforce legislation, global happenings, and other trends related to human resources. Show the interviewer that you remain up to date on trends and changes in the recruitment world. Name the resources you utilize for your news and updates. If you would like the interview to have a more conversational tone, feel free to ask the interviewer, in return, what they believe to be the most significant recent change in recruitment processes.
Answer Example
"I believe that the rise of asynchronous job interview platforms is a game-changer for the recruitment process, especially when it comes to managing a high volume of open roles. It isn't easy to always align interview schedules between a candidate and an HR manager. This technology can also take care of tasks such as skills assessments, and the analysis tools available within these platforms are highly valuable. What have you found to be the most significant change in recruitment recently?"