Questions for Recruiter?
I had a round with a recruiter from a Big Tech company today. She reached out to me on LinkedIn, but it wasn't for a specific role, it was more of a call to determine what team would be best for me.
The call lasted about 25 minutes, where she asked about my background and explained the interview process. Then she asked me if I had any questions.
I felt constrained in asking questions because I felt like the questions I would ask a Hiring manager or member of the team to find out more about the team would not be questions the recruiter could answer. Also, she is recruiting for many teams, so how much can she really know about the team?
Should I have taken the opportunity to ask questions?
My usual go-to questions are:
- What are the company’s/team’s greatest challenges right now?
- What can you tell me about the team or group I’d be working with?
- How has the company changed in the past year?
- What are your favourite and least favourite things about working here?
The first 2 are team specific and are ones I felt the recruiter might not be able to answer so well. Indeed, when I asked what the company's biggest challenges were, she said that's very broad question, and I don't think she could answer for the team. She already told me basic info about the team, so I couldn't ask my 2nd question.
I could've asked the latter 2, but they feel kinda forced, especially during an intro call.
Should I have asked anything? I'd like to make a good impression on her, but I also don't know how important that is since she's going to take my profile back to the team and they'll determine if they want to proceed with me.
I've heard that a good question could be "How did you find me?" or "What made you interested in me?" since it forces them to come up with strong points about you and thus gives you a more positive image in their mind. Practically though, if I ask "how did you find me?", they might say "simple LinkedIn keyword search" rather than "I love your background using X, Y and Z tech!"
Thanks!
Discussion
(2 comments)- 1
13 days agoTech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course HeroThe recruiter won't be able to go nearly as deep into these behavioral type questions as say a hiring manager would, especially if they're doing central hiring (i.e. supporting a ton of roles across the company and doing matching) vs. targeted hiring (i.e. they're supporting a specific role on a specific team).
Given this, I think it's fine asking more generic questions like "What's your favorite thing about working here?". A twist on that one is "What's your favorite thing that you have learned while working here?", which I think is better as it focuses on growth.
It's a different situation, but there's some relevant tactics here too, particularly around doing your homework: "What questions to ask a CTO of a startup?"
- 212 days agoTech Lead/Manager at Meta, Pinterest, Kosei
My suggestion: "What advice would you have to identify the best team fit?"
I like this because it's a process-oriented question that the recruiter should be able to shine some light on. It's helpful for you, and it demonstrates that you care about finding a good fit.
