The first question and role-specific questions
When you're a fresher looking to get into technical recruiting, it's important to know what kind of interview questions to expect. Here are some examples from a recent job posting:
The first question is usually something like “Tell me about yourself”. This is the universal opening question in any interview. It’s not just about your background — it’s also about how well you communicate. The interviewer wants to see that you can present your skills and experience clearly and concisely.
In a technical recruiter interview, the interviewer will probably ask you some role-specific questions as well. These are designed to test whether you understand how technical recruiting differs from general recruiting. For example, they might ask:
How is technical recruiting different from recruiting for non-technical roles?
Mention two-three common buzzwords in technical job descriptions — what phrases would you use instead?
If you’re applying for a technical recruiter position, you’ll need to be able to explain how you would go about sourcing candidates for IT positions. Technical Recruiters source, interview, and evaluate candidates for IT positions. They post job ads on technical sites and network with potential candidates.
Operational, hard-skills, and behavioral questions
Operational and situational questions will assess how well you can evaluate candidates and collaborate with hiring managers. For example, an interviewer might ask:
What questions would you ask a hiring manager to learn about requirements for an open role?
Sample answer: Review resume in detail. Prepare technical and behavioral questions. Collaborate with a technical team member for role-specific queries.
Strong candidates are proactive, have excellent communication skills, and are adept at building relationships.
Hard-skills questions will test your knowledge of employment law and sourcing strategies. Even if you haven’t had much experience, these carry weight because they’re often covered in training. Having a working knowledge gives you an advantage over other applicants. A question on sourcing could test your ability to come up with creative multi-channel strategies, such as social media advertising, networking at industry events, or employee referral programs.
Behavioral questions will assess your ability to build relationships and think through complex situations. You should prepare answers that show structured thinking and relationship-building ability. One sample question is:
Think about your last successful placement — describe your process for identifying the best candidates and how you improved the relationship?
Interviewers want to see that you can work through problems systematically and build long-term relationships with both candidates and hiring managers.
Workable organizes questions into operational/situational, role-specific, and behavioral sections. Freshers should prepare across all three. LinkedIn has a good list of questions for freshers too.