Every day we connect job seekers with potential employers. Our hope is that this connection helps you land work you love.
To help you get ready, we looked at a lot of interview questions, asked hiring professionals which ones they liked best, and got advice on how to answer them in the best way.
Recruiting talent virtually has become more commonplace in recent years As a result, companies are now conducting virtual recruiter interviews to evaluate candidates for these remote roles
It’s likely that you want to be as ready as possible for your virtual recruiter interview. If you know what kinds of questions recruiters usually ask in video interviews, you can come up with strong, convincing answers.
There are 15 common interview questions for virtual recruiters that we will talk about in this article. We’ll give you tips and examples of answers that will help you get the job and impress the hiring manager.
1. Why Are You Interested in This Role?
Recruiters will want to gauge your passion and fit for the position. Be prepared to discuss:
- What excites you about the day-to-day responsibilities of the role
- How your skills and experience align with the position’s requirements
- Why you want to work for this particular company
For example
“I’m highly interested in this virtual recruiter role because I find the sourcing and interviewing aspects very rewarding My 5 years of agency experience have allowed me to hone my full life cycle recruiting skills, which seem extremely relevant for this position I’m also eager to work for ABC Company because I’m impressed with your culture of promoting from within and providing ongoing learning opportunities.”
2. What Are Your Strengths as a Recruiter?
Hiring managers want to understand the specific talents and attributes you bring to the table. Consider highlighting strengths like:
- Establishing rapport and building relationships with candidates
- Quickly learning and mastering various HR and recruiting technologies
- Crafting compelling job descriptions that attract qualified applicants
- Conducting thorough phone screens to determine fit
- Making insightful hiring recommendations after interviews
For instance:
“Some of my biggest strengths as a recruiter include my ability to write engaging, high-converting job posts and my talent for building rapport with candidates during interviews. I’m also highly motivated and persistent when it comes to sourcing quality talent.”
3. How Do You Source Strong Candidates?
Virtual recruiter roles involve a lot of independent sourcing, so interviewers want to know your strategies for finding and engaging top talent remotely. Discuss tactics like:
- Posting to niche job boards and professional groups on LinkedIn
- Running advanced searches on LinkedIn and mining referrals
- Attending virtual career fairs and networking events
- Optimizing job board postings for SEO to increase visibility
- Researching competitors and targeting passive candidates
For example:
“To source strong candidates, I leverage a variety of online sources. I’ve had great success connecting with prospective applicants through LinkedIn, managing employee referral programs, and optimizing our online listings for maximum visibility. I also look for virtual networking events and conferences to attend where I can meet talented professionals in my industry.”
4. How Do You Determine Cultural Fit During a Remote Interview Process?
Since assessing in-person body language and office interactions isn’t possible with remote interviews, you need alternative strategies for gauging culture add. Discuss how you would:
- Ask pointed questions about work style, values, and preferences
- Assess energy level and personality through video conferences
- Get a feel for cooperation by having candidates interview with multiple team members
- Pay attention to subtleties like punctuality, professionalism, and communication style
For example:
“Determining culture fit virtually does take some creativity. I ask questions about the candidate’s ideal work environment and preferred communication methods to get insight into work style. Scheduling video conferences allows me to get a sense of energy level and personality. I also have multiple colleagues and stakeholders meet with the applicant to collect feedback on overall fit.”
5. What Challenges Have You Faced with Remote Recruiting and Interviewing?
You can impress interviewers by being candid about the obstacles you’ve experienced in virtual recruiting, along with how you’ve worked to overcome them. For example, you may discuss challenges like:
- Building rapport virtually vs. in-person
- Reading body language and energy via video call
- Ensuring candidates fully understand the role and company culture from afar
- Coordinating schedules across time zones
- Keeping candidates engaged throughout an extended hiring process
And then share solutions like:
“One challenge I’ve faced is building engagement and excitement remotely, especially with an elongated interview cycle. To help keep candidates motivated, I make sure to keep the lines of communication open through frequent phone and email updates. I also provide a clear timeline upfront and set expectations on the overall process.”
6. How Do You Prioritize When Managing a High Volume of Open Roles?
Juggling requisitions is a key part of most recruiter roles. Be ready to explain strategies like:
- Filling the most urgent roles based on hiring manager feedback
- Dedicating certain days or times to focusing on high priority positions
- Grouping open roles by function, level, or location to batch similar searches
- Blocking time on your calendar to work on critical postings
- Asking for deadline extensions or help if capacity becomes an issue
For instance:
“When juggling multiple openings, I prioritize based on the urgency and status of each role. Those on an acceleration program get my initial focus. I also touch base with hiring managers regularly to re-assess pressing needs. To stay organized, I group similar postings together that I can batch my sourcing efforts for.”
7. How Would You Conduct a Virtual Background Check?
Since you won’t meet candidates in person, explain how you would facilitate background screens, which may include:
- Collecting signed consent forms prior to initiating checks
- Partnering with vendors who specialize in remote screening and verification
- Requesting hard copies of documents to be mailed or using tools that allow for secure, online document upload
- Being flexible with candidates’ availability for any phone verification
For example:
“To conduct thorough virtual background checks, I utilize trusted screening partners that specialize in remote verifications. We have candidates complete consent forms electronically through an encrypted portal. Then I work closely with the vendors and candidates to collect necessary paperwork – either through online uploads or mailed hard copies if needed. I’m willing to be flexible on verification calls to accommodate candidates’ availability across time zones.”
8. What Technologies Are You Skilled Using for Recruiting and Interviewing?
Your level of expertise across the tech stack is key. Be ready to discuss proficiency with:
- Applicant Tracking Systems and Candidate Management Systems
- Video interviewing platforms like Zoom, Skype, Spark Hire
- LinkedIn Recruiter and other sourcing/CRM tools
- Digital collaboration apps like Slack, Google Drive, and Trello
- HR information systems
- Online skills assessments and coding tests
For example:
“I’m highly proficient leveraging various technologies for virtual recruiting. I have extensive experience with ATS like Jobvite and Greenhouse as well as LinkedIn Recruiter. I’m also very comfortable conducting interviews via Zoom and coordinating with teams using Slack and G Suite products.”
9. How Do You Stay Organized While Managing Many Candidates and Requirements?
Strong administrative skills are essential for success as a recruiter. Be ready to discuss tactics like:
- Entering candidate data into ATS and keeping profiles updated
- Logging all communications and activities in candidate records
- Creating organized requisition folders with job descriptions, requirements, and interview feedback
- Tracking key application deadlines and follow-ups on your calendar
- Maintaining master spreadsheets for candidate pipeline monitoring
For instance:
“Organization is critical when handling lots of applicants and open roles. I diligently maintain our ATS system with candidate information and status updates. I also create organized requisition folders for each search with all relevant details and documentation in one place. Cross-referencing my calendar and pipeline spreadsheets ensures I never drop the ball on key deadlines or follow-ups.”
10. How Would You Source Candidates for a Niche or Difficult Role?
Sometimes common recruiting channels don’t produce viable candidates. For tricky roles, you may need to get creative, for example:
- Researching competitors and trade groups to uncover talent
- Connecting with niche professional organizations or industry conferences
- Asking your professional network for referrals
- Promoting on niche job boards or social media groups
- Offering a hiring bonus to incentivize quality applicants
For example:
“When faced with a hard-to-fill niche role, I get very targeted in my sourcing strategy. I’ll tap into trade organizations and competitors to uncover candidates. Offering signing bonuses and leveraging employee referrals is highly effective too. I also promote the roles through niche channels – whether relevant LinkedIn groups, niche job boards, or targeted social media advertising.”
11. What Metrics Do You Track to Assess Your Recruiting Performance?
Quantifying your success is an important practice. Relevant metrics could include:
- Submittal to interview rate
- Interview to offer rate
- Time to fill roles
- Offer acceptance percentage
- Applicant drop-off rates
- Sources of hires/offer acceptances
- Hiring manager satisfaction
For instance:
Tell me about yourself
Why interviewers ask it:
It is a statement, but it can also be asked as a question: “How would you describe yourself?” It means the same thing either way. Because it’s so broad and open-ended, this is often one of the first questions asked in an interview. It’s a good way to break the ice. It allows interviewers to better understand how candidates view themself and what they prioritize. What applicants choose to reveal tells potential employers more about their backgrounds, personality, and values.
How to Answer:
Aim for a mix of 80% professional and 20% personal information in your reply. You should think about what you can bring to the job and the company as a whole since this is an interview. List your skills, work history, education, and any volunteer or extracurricular activities you’ve done, especially if they have anything to do with the job you’re applying for. You may also mention professional memberships and/or participation on boards or committees.
Since much of this information may already appear on your resume, consider this a highlight reel conversation. Write a short summary of the most important professional points you want to make. Then, add some color by talking about one or two personal things, like a hobby, your family, or where you live.
â Jen Narayan, founder of CareerRealTalk.com
Are video interview questions much different than thoseasked during in-person interviews?
It depends! Regardless of the format, the fundamentals of interviewing remain the same. This is important whether you’re being interviewed in person or over the internet: show that you’re confident, professional, and excited about the job.
Still, there are two types of video interviews, and the questions that are asked during each can be different.
11 Job Interview Secrets Recruiters Won’t Tell You – Interviewing Tips!
What does a virtual recruiter do?
Virtual recruiters are responsible for sourcing, screening, shortlisting, testing, and conducting interviews with new hires. Virtual recruiters should be tech-savvy, confident, and have excellent written and verbal communication skills. They are typically remote contractors or managers looking to streamline the recruitment process.
What questions should you ask during a virtual interview?
Tip: Prepare thoughtful questions about the team, company culture, growth opportunities, or specific aspects of the job to show your curiosity. This categorization and detailed explanation, along with tips, aim to provide candidates with a comprehensive understanding of these common virtual interview questions and how to approach them effectively.
Should you do a virtual interview?
Things can get hazy once you’ve gone through 70 or so candidates. A virtual interview can be recorded and you can look back on those records to sort through the candidates before you hire. You can also have them reviewed by others to make sure you didn’t let your bias creep out. Just make sure to let the candidates know you’re recording!
How do I prepare for a virtual interview?
Tailor your responses to the specific job and company, and practice your answers to ensure you shine in your next virtual interview. 1. Tell me about yourself: Context: Interviewers ask this question to assess a candidate’s ability to provide a concise and engaging introduction. It’s an opportunity to create a positive first impression.
