Recruiter: Questions to Ask
10 November 2009
Read by 1961 persons
A checklist of questions to ask in a job interview to avoid making mistakes.
If you are conducting recruitment interviews and you are not very comfortable with the exercise, technical questions are not a problem, but what about motivation? Demeanor? Ability to supervise? And how to approach the question of salary? Weak points?
To obtain all the useful information without making mistakes and thus, spot the rare gem, a professional recruiter from Hays shares his recipes. Here are the questions not to forget.
Did you find it easily? Have you been here before?
Even an experienced candidate is always a little stressed in front of a recruiter. If you receive a junior, this can really be a problem, stage fright preventing the candidate from answering your questions correctly. To help them relax, start the interview with a few courtesy questions.
"Today, the personal dimension is highly valued. Getting the candidate to talk and making them feel comfortable allows them to relax. The goal is for them to move beyond their prepared speech," explains Christophe Dulhoste, senior human resources consultant at Hays.
Why did you leave your last company? Why are you looking for a new job?
When you review their professional background, take an interest in their roles, their degree of autonomy, the staff they supervised, the types of companies they worked for... But don't stop there. "It's interesting to know what led them to change jobs. This helps to better understand their motivations," says Christophe Dulhoste.
Can you explain this gap in your resume? What happened in...?
In the face of a blank year or unspecified information on the CV, it is important to understand what happened: did the candidate try (unsuccessfully) to start their own company? Were they unemployed? The answer can tell you a lot about their priorities. "I ask the question directly and I come back to this period a little later in the interview if the answer seems strange to me, to verify its veracity," says the consultant. "It requires a lot of attention and remembering the exchanges." Under pressure, it is not uncommon for the candidate to quickly forget what they have answered.
In your opinion, what are the essential qualities to hold this position?
It's important to check that you are on the same wavelength as the candidate regarding the responsibilities and objectives of the position you are offering. Everyone has their own vision of what a good HR manager/quality manager should be... Before precisely describing the position, feel free to ask for their opinion and vision of the job. If you immediately agree, that's a plus. Otherwise, delve deeper by asking them to explain why they mention these qualities. Give them some information about your company that might change their mind and observe their reaction.
If I called your best friends, what would they tell me about you?
It is difficult to understand a person's personality when that person has meticulously prepared their interview and carefully defined the message they want to convey.
To vary the types of questions and lead them to adopt a more free-flowing speech, Christophe Dulhoste advises getting outside the professional framework. "When extra-professional subjects are discussed, it allows skills to emerge that the candidate would never have expressed with a more direct question," he believes.
If I gave you a magic wand, what would you do?
In the same spirit as the previous question, this question allows the candidate to get out of the scenario they have set for themselves, in order to get them to express themselves as naturally as possible. "It's a destabilizing question because it's out of the ordinary. Therefore, you shouldn't just focus on the raw answers, but rather see how they are formulated and bounce off them to engage the conversation," recommends the recruiter.
What do you need in terms of relationship with your manager to be happy in your work?
If you want to get an idea of the candidate's strengths and weaknesses, you can simply ask them the question. But now, the 3 strengths/3 weaknesses are almost systematically prepared and you will have little chance of getting a sincere answer. Talking about needs allows you to indirectly address values and flaws. You will have a better chance of the candidate opening up if you don't ask them directly about their weaknesses.
Can you give me the names of a few people I could contact at the companies you've worked for?
Given the stakes of recruitment, nothing should be left to chance. A too impressive job title, a slightly short experience: do not hesitate to clarify any information that seems suspicious to you. "To verify that a resume is not embellished, you have to ask precise questions, go into detail. You can also ask for details about the degree of autonomy to know if a job title is correct," advises Christophe Dulhoste. "To find out if the job dates are accurate, I ask for permission to contact former managers."
What difficulties and constraints did you encounter in your position?
How to get someone to talk about difficult things? By being as natural as possible and closing the question enough to force them to answer. "If the person avoids answering, I try to rephrase my question to get them to answer," explains Christophe Dulhoste. "You have to insist sometimes: 'If everything was going well, you'd still be there.'" And whatever they tell you, don't look worried but encourage them to elaborate.
What motivates you every day? And in a new challenge?
Focused on the job description to be filled, it is important not to remain too attached to its criteria and to open the interview to the candidate's motivations, which are a guarantee of success - or failure - of recruitment. "Too often, recruiters forget to take an interest in what is important for the candidate and remain too focused on their own needs. Yet, the higher you go in the hierarchy, the more motivations differ from simple daily work. What can join a brand, a personality, meet a challenge...," says the expert.
Give me the two or three adjectives that best characterize you.
Asking the candidate to describe themselves is a good exercise at the end of the interview that allows you to see if you have drawn a portrait close to what they tell you. "At the end of the interview, we have already formed an opinion on the candidate. I like to ask this question because it tells me how they see themselves. It also shows if they know how to sell themselves," specifies Christophe Dulhoste. If one of the adjectives chosen by the candidate surprises you, do not hesitate to relaunch the discussion by delving into this point: perhaps you missed a quality.
How much do you earn in your current position? What are your salary expectations?
Remuneration is an essential point not to be avoided: there is no point in continuing the process if it seems impossible to agree on this point. "I ask what the current breakdown is between their fixed and variable pay and how this second part is justified," specifies the expert.
Then, I ask them about their salary expectations. It is interesting to see the gap that the candidate wants to achieve or not.
It also allows to see if they are realistic about the market." Among the practical questions, also inquire about their availability and degree of mobility.
Nadia dref
Published on November 1, 2009
Posted online on November 10, 2009
lematin.ma
If you are conducting recruitment interviews and you are not very comfortable with the exercise, technical questions are not a problem, but what about motivation? Demeanor? Ability to supervise? And how to approach the question of salary? Weak points?
To obtain all the useful information without making mistakes and thus, spot the rare gem, a professional recruiter from Hays shares his recipes. Here are the questions not to forget.
Did you find it easily? Have you been here before?
Even an experienced candidate is always a little stressed in front of a recruiter. If you receive a junior, this can really be a problem, stage fright preventing the candidate from answering your questions correctly. To help them relax, start the interview with a few courtesy questions.
"Today, the personal dimension is highly valued. Getting the candidate to talk and making them feel comfortable allows them to relax. The goal is for them to move beyond their prepared speech," explains Christophe Dulhoste, senior human resources consultant at Hays.
Why did you leave your last company? Why are you looking for a new job?
When you review their professional background, take an interest in their roles, their degree of autonomy, the staff they supervised, the types of companies they worked for... But don't stop there. "It's interesting to know what led them to change jobs. This helps to better understand their motivations," says Christophe Dulhoste.
Can you explain this gap in your resume? What happened in...?
In the face of a blank year or unspecified information on the CV, it is important to understand what happened: did the candidate try (unsuccessfully) to start their own company? Were they unemployed? The answer can tell you a lot about their priorities. "I ask the question directly and I come back to this period a little later in the interview if the answer seems strange to me, to verify its veracity," says the consultant. "It requires a lot of attention and remembering the exchanges." Under pressure, it is not uncommon for the candidate to quickly forget what they have answered.
In your opinion, what are the essential qualities to hold this position?
It's important to check that you are on the same wavelength as the candidate regarding the responsibilities and objectives of the position you are offering. Everyone has their own vision of what a good HR manager/quality manager should be... Before precisely describing the position, feel free to ask for their opinion and vision of the job. If you immediately agree, that's a plus. Otherwise, delve deeper by asking them to explain why they mention these qualities. Give them some information about your company that might change their mind and observe their reaction.
If I called your best friends, what would they tell me about you?
It is difficult to understand a person's personality when that person has meticulously prepared their interview and carefully defined the message they want to convey.
To vary the types of questions and lead them to adopt a more free-flowing speech, Christophe Dulhoste advises getting outside the professional framework. "When extra-professional subjects are discussed, it allows skills to emerge that the candidate would never have expressed with a more direct question," he believes.
If I gave you a magic wand, what would you do?
In the same spirit as the previous question, this question allows the candidate to get out of the scenario they have set for themselves, in order to get them to express themselves as naturally as possible. "It's a destabilizing question because it's out of the ordinary. Therefore, you shouldn't just focus on the raw answers, but rather see how they are formulated and bounce off them to engage the conversation," recommends the recruiter.
What do you need in terms of relationship with your manager to be happy in your work?
If you want to get an idea of the candidate's strengths and weaknesses, you can simply ask them the question. But now, the 3 strengths/3 weaknesses are almost systematically prepared and you will have little chance of getting a sincere answer. Talking about needs allows you to indirectly address values and flaws. You will have a better chance of the candidate opening up if you don't ask them directly about their weaknesses.
Can you give me the names of a few people I could contact at the companies you've worked for?
Given the stakes of recruitment, nothing should be left to chance. A too impressive job title, a slightly short experience: do not hesitate to clarify any information that seems suspicious to you. "To verify that a resume is not embellished, you have to ask precise questions, go into detail. You can also ask for details about the degree of autonomy to know if a job title is correct," advises Christophe Dulhoste. "To find out if the job dates are accurate, I ask for permission to contact former managers."
What difficulties and constraints did you encounter in your position?
How to get someone to talk about difficult things? By being as natural as possible and closing the question enough to force them to answer. "If the person avoids answering, I try to rephrase my question to get them to answer," explains Christophe Dulhoste. "You have to insist sometimes: 'If everything was going well, you'd still be there.'" And whatever they tell you, don't look worried but encourage them to elaborate.
What motivates you every day? And in a new challenge?
Focused on the job description to be filled, it is important not to remain too attached to its criteria and to open the interview to the candidate's motivations, which are a guarantee of success - or failure - of recruitment. "Too often, recruiters forget to take an interest in what is important for the candidate and remain too focused on their own needs. Yet, the higher you go in the hierarchy, the more motivations differ from simple daily work. What can join a brand, a personality, meet a challenge...," says the expert.
Give me the two or three adjectives that best characterize you.
Asking the candidate to describe themselves is a good exercise at the end of the interview that allows you to see if you have drawn a portrait close to what they tell you. "At the end of the interview, we have already formed an opinion on the candidate. I like to ask this question because it tells me how they see themselves. It also shows if they know how to sell themselves," specifies Christophe Dulhoste. If one of the adjectives chosen by the candidate surprises you, do not hesitate to relaunch the discussion by delving into this point: perhaps you missed a quality.
How much do you earn in your current position? What are your salary expectations?
Remuneration is an essential point not to be avoided: there is no point in continuing the process if it seems impossible to agree on this point. "I ask what the current breakdown is between their fixed and variable pay and how this second part is justified," specifies the expert.
Then, I ask them about their salary expectations. It is interesting to see the gap that the candidate wants to achieve or not.
It also allows to see if they are realistic about the market." Among the practical questions, also inquire about their availability and degree of mobility.
Nadia dref
Published on November 1, 2009
Posted online on November 10, 2009
lematin.ma
