Have you received an interview invitation and are wondering what questions the recruiter might ask you?
Try our tips that come straight from the source, our experienced recruiters who have conducted hundreds of these interviews over the years and know "what's up" best. 😊
Tibor, Senior Recruitment Consultant, Czech Republic
1. What makes you want to change jobs? By asking this question we will get to know the reasons and motivation of the candidate to change jobs. We encourage you to be completely honest when giving this answer - but be restrained when giving information about your current employer - especially if the reason for the change is, for example, problems with your current boss. The recruiter you speak to can advise you on answering this question in a simplified but honest way in preparation for the interview.
2. Are you currently involved in other recruitment processes for our client's company? This information allows us to rule out a candidate applying twice for the same position - some candidates believe that by sending in their resume from multiple sources, they are doubling or even tripling (application sent separately, application from multiple agencies) their chances in the recruitment process. However, in my experience, employers perceive these candidates negatively, so it's worth focusing on transparency and presenting your story from start to finish based on real facts. This approach will allow us as a recruitment agency to present the most suitable job offers.
3. What is the reason for the career break on your CV? By asking this question, we want to find out what the reason for the career break was, whether it was, for example, lack of luck in the job search, leave to care for a child or a career break caused by going abroad, etc. The recruiter's knowledge and experience can prove invaluable for a candidate who wants to return to the labour market after a long break.
4. What are your expectations for the future position? This is a very important question that allows us to define the main expectations of the candidate. Therefore, it is also worth being honest here and clearly defining what is important to us in the new job, e.g. higher salary, higher position/next career step, development opportunities or work-life balance.
5. What is your level of skills/experience/ language proficiency? This question allows us to determine the extent to which the candidate has the skills to match the expectations for the position. It is very important to answer truthfully because, for example, in the case of language recruitment, even if the recruiter does not know the language required for the position being recruited, the language will be 100% verified at one of the levels of recruitment. It is also worth providing realistic, undocumented levels of language proficiency - a candidate may be using a language at C1 level without a certificate, on the other hand a person may hold a language certificate but if they have not used it to the actual level it may be much lower.
Paweł, senior IT recruitment consultant, Poland
1. What is the reason for your willingness to change your job and openness to new offers? It is important to get information about the candidate's motivation to change jobs and to understand the reasons for such a decision. This will help us to learn about his/her expectations towards the new employer and at the same time present a job offer that best suits his/her needs.
2. What are the criteria for selecting a future employer and what do you pay special attention to when establishing a cooperation? Our goal is to build a long-term collaboration, so it is worth building an understanding between the candidate and perhaps their future employer in the context of matching expectations and opportunities.
3. Are there any particular types of projects or market sectors that you would like to work in, or conversely, that you have worked with previously and do not wish to return to at present? This question allows us to learn about the candidate's needs and expectations in relation to the position they are recruiting for. We know what the candidate is looking for and can address this with a specific proposal that meets their requirements.
4. Are you thinking of working on individual projects or working with a team full time and do you foresee projects changing over time? By asking this question, we will get to know the personal preferences of the applicant regarding their way of working in the position, and we will check at the outset whether the applicant is looking for a job that we can offer them at the moment.
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