Behind door #1 are five strong, qualified candidates who are excited to work for your company. Behind door #2 are 30 candidates we found wandering around the lobby. They may or may not be qualified or even interested in the job. They wandered in of their own accord; quite frankly, we don’t know much about them.
Pre-screening saves you time by weeding out bad fits before they make it to the interview stage. The goal is to get rid of candidates who aren’t qualified or probably won’t make the cut for a number of different reasons. By pre-screening, you can be pretty sure that the people you choose to interview know what the job is and how to do it, and are worth your time.
That’s the simplified version. But how does pre-screening work? What do we ask? Keep reading to learn about different types of pre-screening interview questions and how to ask them.
Dealbreaker questions – sometimes called housekeeping questions – aren’t really about getting to know a candidate. They’re about eliminating bad fits.
That may sound tough, but it’s necessary. Dealbreaker questions ensure everyone is on the same page and comfortable with the terms. Asking them isn’t about discarding candidates you don’t like; it’s about respecting your time and theirs.
You don’t want to hire a great person only to find out they don’t like the salary or won’t travel, even if that’s an important part of the job. You can avoid this by asking the right pre-screening interview questions.
Dealbreaker questions ensure they know and understand the role they applied for. Typically, there is only one correct answer, at least in terms of moving forward.
Note: make sure the dealbreaker questions are actually dealbreakers. Otherwise, you may inadvertently exclude qualified candidates for arbitrary reasons. For instance, many jobs that used to need people to be in the office can now be done from home or in a way that combines working from home and being in the office.
Just because a candidate understands the role doesn’t mean they’re a good fit. Competency questions address a candidate’s skills, qualifications, and experience.
Keep these role-specific and straightforward. You’ll have a chance to go into more detail if your candidate makes it to an interview. For now, the goal is to gauge baseline skills and how well your candidate communicates.
Notice that competency questions are more open-ended than dealbreaker questions. Here are a few examples of competency questions to ask when pre-screening candidates:
Getting hired at iCIMS is no easy feat. As one of the leading talent acquisition software companies, iCIMS receives thousands of applications every year for a limited number of open positions. This means the interview process is highly competitive and you need to come prepared to stand out from the pack.
In this article, I’ll share the top 15 most commonly asked iCIMS interview questions based on Glassdoor reviews and insider info. I’ll provide tips on how to best answer each question so you can ace your iCIMS interview and land the job!
1. Why do you want to work for iCIMS?
This is likely one of the first questions you’ll encounter in an iCIMS interview Hiring managers want to gauge your interest in the company and the role to ensure you’re motivated by more than just a paycheck,
How to answer:
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Demonstrate your knowledge of and enthusiasm for iCIMS’ products/services company culture and values. Mention specific things that excite you.
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Share how you align with iCIMS’ vision and mission of using technology to transform hiring and empower the world’s workforce.
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Explain how the role is a great fit with your skills, interests and career goals. Show why you’re passionate about this opportunity.
2. What do you know about iCIMS?
Interviewers commonly ask candidates what they know about the company to assess how much research they’ve done beforehand. It reveals how interested and informed you are about iCIMS.
How to answer:
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Highlight facts about iCIMS’ history, products, services, customers, culture and recent news. Sprinkling in a few stats is impressive.
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Share what excites you about iCIMS’ talent acquisition solutions and how they’re transforming hiring through AI and machine learning.
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Tie it back to why you’re interested in working specifically for iCIMS versus another tech company.
3. Why do you want to leave your current job?
This question aims to uncover why you’re looking to exit your current role and spot any red flags. Be careful not to badmouth your employer or come across negatively.
How to answer:
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Provide a diplomatic, professional response. Explain you’re looking for a new challenge or growth opportunity that your current job can no longer provide.
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Share why iCIMS’ open position is the perfect next step for you to grow your skills and career.
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Emphasize you have only positive feelings towards your current employer but are excited to bring your experience to iCIMS.
4. What makes you the best candidate for this position?
Hiring managers want to know how and why you’re the superior candidate compared to others. Don’t be shy here – this is your time to shine!
How to answer:
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Match your most relevant skills, qualifications and experience to the role requirements. Explain how you’re uniquely positioned to excel in this job.
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Share one or two concrete examples that demonstrate you successfully performing similar responsibilities in past roles. Numbers or results can strengthen your response.
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Confidently summarize why your background makes you the ideal candidate to fill this position’s needs and help drive the company forward.
5. What are your greatest strengths?
This common question allows you to call out your most powerful assets. Pick strengths relevant to the iCIMS role you’re pursuing.
How to pre-screen candidates
As we discussed above, pre-screening is mainly about saving time. This means disqualifying bad fits and investing time into those with the baseline skills and experience needed.
There are a few ways to get there:
- Include written questions on the application. Simple yes/no questions should be used as dealbreakers, and you should only ask one or two open-ended competency questions. You might want to set a character limit for online applications so that applicants know they need to keep their answers short.
- Have applicants take a talent skills test from a reputable company. These can be fully automated and give a candidate a net score that tells you whether they are qualified or not. They also come in many languages and can be changed to fit different roles. You can also turn them on or off as needed.
- You can use software for video interviews to ask applicants to make a short video. These work well on a large scale, just like skills tests, and give candidates a chance to sell themselves without having to commit to (or feel pressured by) a full-on in-person interview with several people. Your recruiters should record themselves asking questions, and then you can pick which ones to use for each job. Posters can then record their answers whenever it works best for them.
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How many iCIMS interview questions are there?
Glassdoor has millions of jobs plus salary information, company reviews, and interview questions from people on the inside making it easy to find a job that’s right for you. iCIMS interview details: 679 interview questions and 584 interview reviews posted anonymously by iCIMS interview candidates.
How do you interview at iCIMS?
I interviewed at iCIMS (London, England) First step: 30 min interview with HR department 2nd step: 40 min interview with hiring manager 3rd step: 30 min interview with 2 member of the team for culture/team fit Give an example of a successful campaign you manages in the past?
Why should I join iCIMS?
When you join iCIMS, you join the team helping global companies transform business and the world through the power of talent. Our customers – More Glassdoor has millions of jobs plus salary information, company reviews, and interview questions from people on the inside making it easy to find a job that’s right for you.
How long was the interview process at iCIMS?
Took 4 interviews 1 phone, and 3 interviews with different managers during the same meeting. Each manager was one on one for about 30 mins. This was a good interview process. to a non-technical person, describe an API. I applied online. I interviewed at iCIMS (London, England)
