What Do Recruiters Ask In Their Interviews (And Why They Pass On Candidates)?

I conducted thousands of screening interviews during my time as a Recruiter. What always amazed me was the lack of preparation job seekers did for these interviews. These are important interviews. Recruiters are the gatekeepers. If you cannot answer the questions posed and show you are a potential fit for the job, you will not move forward—end of story.

So why are applicants not preparing for these interviews? Well, I believe that a small percentage of the applicants are not that interested in the role. They may have applied because they thought they might be a fit but then changed their minds. They could have been in the interview process for a job they wanted and did not want to say no to a new opportunity, but honestly had their heart set on something else. Or it could be as simple as someone that needed to apply to show job search activity for unemployment insurance payments but truly had no interest.

The rest were interested in the job and could have prepared better but chose not to.

Don’t be that person. Always present yourself to the best of your abilities. You never know what opportunities may come from a screening interview. 

To help you prepare better, I will cover the type of interview questions you are likely to see in this type of interview as well as what to generally expect during this phone or video call. I have also asked five present and former recruiters to discuss what they ask in their screening interviews and why they tend to pass on candidates.

Now you have no excuses to be prepared.

So What Is the Purpose of a Screening Interview?

The screening interview’s purpose is to see if you are genuinely qualified for the role and compare your knowledge, skills, experience, culture fit, personality, and desire for the position with other applicants. The recruitment team is trying to whittle down the number of applicants to a manageable number for the hiring manager to review or interview. The recruiter will review resumes to disqualify people from the process who do not meet the minimum qualifications for the role. The screening interview allows the recruiter to ask those in the “yes” or “maybe” pile to clarify the information on the resume, ascertain more details, and evaluate an applicant’s skills, such as following directions or briefly answer questions. The screening interview allows the recruiter to get a sense of the person to see if they fit the hiring manager, team, and organization.

After the recruiter has spoken to the best-qualified applicants on paper, they will rank the applicants on how well they meet the hiring manager’s requirements and the recruiter’s perception of how they would do in the role. Depending on the employer’s practice, the recruiter may provide information to the hiring manager on all the screened applicants, or only the ones that the recruiter feels are the best qualified. Often the next step will be a full interview with someone on the hiring team, usually the hiring manager themselves.

How Long Are Screening Interviews?

This length of the screening interview varies based on the role, level, and information needing to be gathered. It most often is anywhere from 15-30 minutes.

What Common Questions Will Be Asked in a Screening Interview?

Questions asked in the screening interview vary based upon the role and what the recruiter needs to learn from you. Some recruiters will ask the same questions of each applicant. Others will ask questions based on the information on the applicant’s resume.

Here are some common questions or topics of inquiry.

How did you hear about the position? 

Though you may have answered this question in the application process, recruiters often will want to confirm your answer or ask for clarification. If you indicate your application was the result of a referral, then they may want to know the name of the person that referred you.

Tell me about yourself (or walk me through your resume)

Many recruiters use this question as an ice breaker. Though they have read your resume (hopefully!), they want to hear how you go about describing what you have done. This question is less stressful for the candidate since it is open-ended. Recruiters want to know about your work history, but they are listening for what you did related to the open role. Concentrate on providing information about the duties and accomplishments that the job description highlights. If the job ten years ago has nothing to do with the current role you want, skip over it. If that role ends up being of interest to the recruiter, they will ask a question about it. 

This question also allows the recruiter to listen for your communication skills. Make sure you answer the question asked (very important) and provide details, as needed that are relevant to tell your story. Don’t go into a long-winded recitation of every job duty you had. Remember, if you put it on the resume, the recruiter already knows it.

Why did you leave a job?

Recruiters are interested in what prompted you to leave a job. They are trying to understand your motivations because they want you to be happy in a new position. If the job available does not match your values or needs, the recruiter wants to discover it before investing more time with you. Additionally, if you were involuntarily terminated from a job, the recruiter wants to know about this to understand the circumstances, as it might have a bearing on hiring you. If your employment was terminated for poor performance, it may or may not be relevant to the open role. The recruiter wants to know about this now so as not to be blindsided if it should come up in a hiring manager interview.

I give further guidance on how to answer this question here.

What were you doing during this gap in your resume?

If a recruiter sees a gap in your resume, they are likely to ask about it. Having a gap in your resume is very common, so it won’t surprise a recruiter. They do want to get a complete understanding of your career history, though, so they will ask about it. You do not need to go into a lengthy discussion of what happened (I have had applicants talk about their loved one’s illness in excruciating detail). Provide a summary of what caused the gap, such as a layoff or taking care of a family member. If you could do anything during that time that potentially has value to this employer, such as organizing school events or learning a new skill, you should mention it.

What interests you in the role?

Recruiters want to know how serious you are about the role and whether what you think the role is about is accurate. Therefore, you will often be asked about the aspect(s) of the role that is of interest. You must read through the job description several times to make sure you understand what is required in the role and have a solid reason why it aligns with your interests.

Tell me about your experience in _______?

If a particular knowledge or skill is required for the role, you are likely to be asked about it. If you have on your resume that you have Python experience, the recruiter is likely to ask about it to understand better how recently you used it and the context. Be able to explain your skills without going into too many details. You may be excited to talk about what you can do, but avoid “getting into the weeds.” The recruiter likely is not an expert, and so what you say may go over their head. Even if they do not have expertise in, say, a coding language or other technical skills, the recruiter may have been asked to probe further in a specific area. 

What do you consider your greatest strengths and weakness?

The strengths question helps the recruiter pinpoint knowledge, experience, or skills that the person possesses. Interestingly, when I have asked this question, I have heard not always what is presented on the resume. Since people are usually self-aware enough to know their strengths, it is a good way to assess whether the candidate is a good fit culturally and brings value to the role. When answering this question, think through all of your strengths that are very applicable to the position. It is good to give a strength and provide an example of success using it.

As for the weakness question, I think it does not provide much value since most people do not answer it honestly. Nonetheless, it is a common question asked. I go into greater detail on how to best answer that question here. 

Tell me about a time you had to (deal with conflict, work in a team, deal with multiple priorities, etc.).

The tell me about a time format is an opportunity to talk about your successes with a skill vital for the role. Do not answer in generalities. The recruiter wants a specific experience, so make sure to tell a short story about when you used the skill and were successful. This is a great time to use the STAR formula (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to show what you did in the past and the positive result.

What are your salary requirements?

You may have answered this question in the application process, but I guarantee that a recruiter will ask this of you. Why? Because most recruiters believe it is a waste of your time and theirs if the salary expectations of each side are not close. That is why even if you stated a number or range in your application, the recruiter would still want to discuss this. 

So how do you handle this? Always try to get the recruiter to provide you with the salary range first. See if they will go ahead and do this. Many recruiters will because spending time with the back-and-forth of trying to get you to answer the question can be tiring and, frankly, boring. If the recruiter won’t budge on providing you information, then make sure you have done your homework and offer a competitive and acceptable range. Could your answer disqualify you? Sure. But if the range you provide is your true range, you are likely not interested in a position that will pay less than what you are worth in the market.

Here is more information about how to handle initial salary questions.

The Recruiter May Then Provide More Information About the Job

Many recruiters plan to spend a short time telling you a bit about the job at the end of the interview. Do not expect to hear a lot of details about the job. That is left for an interview with the hiring manager. The recruiter should understand the basics of the job and how it fits into the business operations and share this with you. This overview should provide a bit more information than in the job description. Likely, though, it will not answer all of your questions.

The Wrap Up

As the recruiter is wrapping up the interview, they may tell you about the hiring process and what will happen next. You may be invited to the next part of the process, which may be testing, a project to complete, or an interview with a hiring team member. Or you are that you will be contacted when a decision has been made as to whether you will be selected to move forward. Though rare, you may be told by the recruiter that you will not be going forward in the process. Always before you finish with the recruiter, if you have not been told, you should ask when you should hear back from the company and by whom. This way, you will know when to start following up if you do not hear anything back.

Feedback from Recruiters about Screening Interviews

I asked several current recruiters about their screening interviews and what causes them to reject an applicant. Here is what they had to say.

Barbie Smrekar, formerly in Talent Acquisition at the University of South Carolina

Types of Questions Asked

The top question I ask is '”How did you hear about this position?” - followed closely by ”What about the job posting made you want to apply?”

Why Candidates Do Not Pass Your Screening Interview

The top reason for screening out candidates has been their inability to convince me that they honestly want the role.

Elena Flax, Senior Corporate Recruiter at Sandy Spring Bank

Types of Questions Asked

• Tell me about your work experience 

• Tell me about a time that you had to manage conflicting priorities and how did you handle them

• What do you think are the three greatest attributes a __________ should have? 

• What would your supervisor say are your strongest points? 

• Tell me about two or three accomplishments that have given you the most satisfaction

• If given the job, what would your 30/60/90 days into the job look like? 

• Why the interest in our organization?  

Why Candidates Do Not Pass Your Screening Interview

Most of the time, I source my candidates from LinkedIn.  Occasionally it is hard to tell by their profile if they truly have what I am looking for based on their job title. The main reason I would screen someone out would be a lack of experience and/or compensation.

Alison Passino, Pharmaceutical Recruiter at Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing

Why Candidates Do Not Pass Your Screening Interview

I send over an invitation to everyone I speak with to confirm the date, time, and what will be discussed. I specifically tell applicants that I will also be asking them questions about what we do. Thus it's in their best interest to visit our website (which I provide a clickable URL). Easily 50% of people never visit our website, especially those in more entry-level roles. This is a huge red flag for me. If you visited the site and were confused, that's perfectly acceptable. Or if you don’t know what “aseptic” means, that's okay also. But to tell me you forgot, or you were too busy, there's just no excuse. If you cannot be bothered to put in the most basic of effort, what options did you leave me? None. 

Eddiana Rosen, Technical Recruiter at Google

Types of Questions Asked

• Tell me about what you are currently doing in your role. Any special or exciting projects you might be working on? (this is similar to tell me about yourself but is a bit more specific, and it helps the candidate know exactly the answer I need. I assess if I need to go deeper or ask follow up questions on that to understand their background a bit better)

• Why are you looking for a new opportunity? (it helps me understand their motivators and what are the things they are looking for to grow or advance their careers)

• In an ideal world, what type of work environment would you see yourself working in?

• What type of challenges are you looking for in a new role? (this question is ideal for understanding their leadership style, tolerance for ambiguity, teamwork ability, etc.)

• Tell me about a time you made a mistake? How did you handle it, and what did you learn? (this is the one that I hate to ask but have to because the way a candidate answers this is very telling of how they handle post-mortem and how they take responsibility) 

• Tell me about a time when you had to deliver in competing priorities. How did you go about prioritizing and delivering on time? (This one is more obvious, I am trying to find out how they handle cross-functional projects and how they deal with conflict) 

I then go into detailed questions about the role specifically or questions that will help me uncover the non-negotiables for the hiring manager.

Why Candidates Do Not Pass Your Screening Interview

• The number one reason is candidates not being prepared

• Not right for the role (lack of experience, or not the right technical abilities)

• Being rude or unprofessional (this can include but is not limited to: being late without warning or acknowledging, interrupting while I speak, etc.)

• Having an aggressive attitude or being too cocky (a healthy level of confidence is great but when people act too mighty is a major red flag)

• Do not have a growth mindset or is not exhibiting a positive attitude

Christine Pervaiz, Director of Recruiting, New York Life Insurance Company

Types of Questions Asked

• The typical strength and weakness question

• Why do they want to leave their current position

• Paint  a picture of what your ideal career would look like 

• Talk about a time when they failed

• What they know about the company

For more experienced-level candidates, we ask what they feel would take their career to the next level to speak to how the role fits their goals. Since I hire for more entrepreneurial roles, we ask where and to whom they might target their marketing. 

How to Do Well in These Interviews

As far as doing well in these types of interviews, it is always best to be yourself, stay true to your values, and let your personality shine through. Prepare with answers to basic questions and definitely research the company and its culture to see if it fits you. Have questions of your own. The job search is a two-way street. You should be asking questions and evaluating your employer just as they are evaluating and asking questions of you.

Conclusion

So now that you know what to expect come prepared. Learn more about the role and the company through additional research. Come ready to answer these questions. Understand that you need to show the recruiter your value to the company. If you can’t do this, do not expect to go further in the process.

Shelley Piedmont is a job search coach. She wants to help job seekers put their best foot forward by providing the tools for a successful job search. If you need career coaching, resume preparation, interview skills assessment, or LinkedIn profile assistance, she can help. Schedule a 15-minute no-obligation consultation.