This guide presents 15 of the most common interview questions you will face in an interview for a recruitment role and what you need to think about in order to answer them fully.

1. Looking to get into Recruitment? - 15 Interview Questions to Prepare for
1. Why Recruitment?
2. Why Will You be Successful in the Role?
3. When Did You Start Looking for a Role in Recruitment?
4. Why Do You Want to Work for Us?
5. Which Other Companies Have You Applied to So Far?
6. What is Your Understanding of the Role of a Recruitment Consultant?
7. What is Your Biggest Achievement in Life and What Does it Say about You?
8. What is Your Biggest Failure?
9. What is Your Biggest Weakness?
10. How Would Your Closest Friends Describe you in Three Words?
11. What Career Would You Choose if Recruitment Didn’t Exist?
12. What are You Passionate About?
13. What Makes You Angry?
14. If You Were Me, What Two Concerns Would You Have About Your CV?
15. Where do You See Yourself in 5 Years?
1. Why Recruitment?
Working as a recruiter is a heavily commission orientated sales role, so for the majority of
employers, it’s important for them to hear that you are money motivated. If you shy away from
mentioning money or mention it briefly in passing, an interviewer might be concerned you lack the
motivation to succeed in a financially rewarding sales role. So be deliberate about your money
motivation and talk about what goals and targets you have set yourself that earning commission
could allow you to realise. For example, what house or car do you want to own and by when? Having
clear goals will add conviction and clarity to your argument and knowing what you want to achieve
will make it easier for you to sustain your motivation over time.
With an emphasis on organic growth and hiring at the graduate trainee level, many recruitment
companies offer an exceptional opportunity for anyone with the required abilities, motivation and
determination to progress quickly into a position of leadership as soon as their abilities allow. With
this is mind, you should also mention your interest in realising the potential for rapid career
To be considered for any of the roles we’re currently
working on, please send your CV to info@harvardbrown.co.uk
or call 0203 405 3162 for more information.
To benefit from our referral scheme; please email your full-name together with mobile number and
email address of your nominated candidate(s) under the subject: ‘Referral’

2. progression and development. The best employers will embrace this level of ambition as they’ll be
confident they can reward your success with high earning potential and rapid career progression.
2. Why Will You be Successful in the Role?
By asking this question, an interviewer is searching for tangible evidence as to how you match up to
the required competencies that make a successful Recruitment Consultant. Saying that you are
competitive and persuasive for example is a good start but you need to back up your claims with
specific examples whilst demonstrating an awareness of why you are using the examples. If you fail
to use any examples, it’s merely lip service and is unlikely to reassure an employer that you will be
consistently successful in the role.
Here are some of the most important competencies a successful recruiter needs to have and that
you should be able to evidence during interview. Give some thought as to what examples you can
use from your professional and personal life to support your suitability.
Competitiveness
Resilient
Proactive
Money Motivated
Positivity
Self Awareness
Excellent Communication Skills
Persuasive
Lateral Thinking
Engaging/Likeable Personality
Tenacity
3. When Did You Start Looking for a Role in Recruitment?
The most important thing to do when answering this question, is simply to be honest! For some
reason I hear many candidates exaggerate the length of time they have been interested in
recruitment, in the hope they will be taken more seriously by the employer. They can be easily
caught out however and it can often backfire. If you have been looking to get into recruitment for a
long time, why are you not already working in the industry? Proactivity is an essential quality of a
recruiter after all. If you have only been considering recruitment for a few days, then that’s fine.
What matters is that you are seriously focused on securing a role in the industry now and you are
able to be honest about what other careers you’ve considered and why recruitment is your
preferred choice.
To be considered for any of the roles we’re currently
working on, please send your CV to info@harvardbrown.co.uk
or call 0203 405 3162 for more information.
To benefit from our referral scheme; please email your full-name together with mobile number and
email address of your nominated candidate(s) under the subject: ‘Referral’

3. 4. Why Do You Want to Work for Us?
Consider the following aspects of the company that might make them a good company for you to
work for. What is their unique selling proposition? What do they do differently relative to their
competition? What are your thoughts on the size of the company, the potential for career
progression, earning potential, quality of training? What are the benefits of the market/s they
specialise in recruiting within and how might these aspects of the company appeal to you personally.
5. Which Other Companies Have You Applied to So Far?
Many candidates seem unsure what to say in response to this question. Many shy away from saying
they have interviewed or are going to interview anywhere else as they do not want to come across
less interested in the company they are interviewing with. However, any good employer will want to
hear you have considered other options by at least researching other companies as a basis for
comparison and are looking therefore to make an informed and confident decision about who you
decide to work for.
Be aware that some recruitment to recruitment agencies will tell their candidates not to tell anyone
which companies they are interviewing with. This is often because the agency does not want their
competitors to find out who their clients are. This is not in the best interests of the candidate
however as an employer understandably does not want you to withhold this information. If an
agency asks you not to mention who you are interviewing with, they probably don’t have very good
client relationships and are fearful that a competitor will steal their clients away from them! I
suggest avoiding such agencies and rather work with agencies that serve the best interests of their
clients and candidates by adopting an honest approach and are confident with the quality of service
they offer.
6. What is Your Understanding of the Role of a Recruitment Consultant?
If you have done your research, this is a chance to showcase your knowledge. The exact nature of
the role will inevitably vary from one company to another so make sure you tailor your answer to
the specifics of the role you are applying for. There is a lot to say in response to this question so it is
easy to say too much and risk losing the attention of the interviewer. Whilst ensuring your answer
has enough depth, keep it concise. For example, “I understand that I will be tasked with the
objective of winning new business relationships through cold calling the decision makers of various
companies, pitching my services as a supplier and negotiating terms of business with them. After
ascertaining the specifics of their hiring needs and obtaining job specifications, I’ll generate suitable
candidates through advertising, networking, headhunting and recommendations and referrals. I’ll
then introduce the candidate to the client and manage the negotiation of offers and close deals.” If
To be considered for any of the roles we’re currently
working on, please send your CV to info@harvardbrown.co.uk
or call 0203 405 3162 for more information.
To benefit from our referral scheme; please email your full-name together with mobile number and
email address of your nominated candidate(s) under the subject: ‘Referral’

4. the interviewer wants more detail than this, by all means elaborate but saying more than this
initially could run the risk of losing their attention.
7. What is Your Biggest Achievement in Life and What Does it Say about You?
Many candidates tend to focus on the achievement of their degree when answering this question.
This is perfectly understandable as their degree might be something they have worked really hard to
achieve and a recently obtained, therefore fresh in their mind. It’s not however going to set them
apart from the thousands of other graduates out there that could be interviewing for the same role.
Your achievement needs to set you apart not show you are one of the crowd. Sporting and/or
extracurricular achievements can often be good examples if they are presented in the right way so
keep it individual to you and explain in what way the achievement warrants merit. Specifically, what
challenges and setbacks did you experience before realising the achievement?
8. What is Your Biggest Failure?
Assuming that you are able to identify the lessons to be learned and bounce back from the failures
that you experience, then the process of failing can be a necessary step towards accomplishing an
outstanding level of achievement. “Success is going from failure to failure with no loss of
enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill.
Keep this in mind when preparing your answer and use an example where you have failed yet been
able to learn from it and improve in some way. If you think you have never failed you probably
haven’t been pushing yourself hard enough – Thomas Edison was reported to have failed over
10,000 times in his quest to invent the light bulb. When quizzed about the numerous unsuccessful
attempts he’d made, he simply replied, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't
work."
9. What is Your Biggest Weakness?
Weaknesses are fine providing you have the self-awareness to identify what they are and show that
you are willing to do all you can to address them. If you claim to have no weaknesses you will
probably be viewed as unrealistic or even dishonest so give serious thought to this. Most employers
do not need candidates to be perfect, rather to show elements of promise that will justify the hire.
Showing some humility whilst being confident can be an endearing quality.
To be considered for any of the roles we’re currently
working on, please send your CV to info@harvardbrown.co.uk
or call 0203 405 3162 for more information.
To benefit from our referral scheme; please email your full-name together with mobile number and
email address of your nominated candidate(s) under the subject: ‘Referral’

5. In order to help think of weaknesses, imagine you were given the chance to have just one training
session with someone who has achieved success in business, someone you respect and admire.
Together your goal is to put together a personal development plan tailored to you. What would you
want to include in that plan? What are your biggest challenges towards achieving the success you
desire?
10. How Would Your Closest Friends Describe you in Three Words?
It’s fair to say most interviewers want you to be honest in your answer. Contrived answers never go
down well here and keep in mind the interviewer wants to get to know what you are really like on a
personal level.
11. What Career Would You Choose if Recruitment Didn’t Exist?
This is a frequently asked question and one that can catch some candidate out if they are not
prepared for it. If you are genuinely focused towards securing a role in recruitment, you may not be
considering any other jobs outside the recruitment industry. Therefore you’re naturally thinking I
will get into recruitment. It’s not a case of if, but when! However, if you had to pick an alternative,
make sure you pick a sales focussed, commission based role. Examples could include media sales,
property sales or IT sales for example. It could be cause for concern if your answer is not sales
focussed.
12. What are You Passionate About?
This is a genuine opportunity to let the interviewer get to know you, so make the most of it and
express yourself. Consider what gets you excited and what you could talk about for hours if given the
chance. Hobbies, interests and anything else that allows you to really get your personality across
here is recommended.
13. What Makes You Angry?
As a general rule, being angry is not desirable for an interview or any other time for that matter.
That said however, an employer will want to know you care about something and will want to know
how you cope when something gets you worked up. It’s usually best not to go for something too
political here but being hesitant about expressing yourself at all here could be a concern. Be honest
and get to the point and be sincere with your answer.
To be considered for any of the roles we’re currently
working on, please send your CV to info@harvardbrown.co.uk
or call 0203 405 3162 for more information.
To benefit from our referral scheme; please email your full-name together with mobile number and
email address of your nominated candidate(s) under the subject: ‘Referral’

6. 14. If You Were Me, What Two Concerns Would You Have About Your CV?
This is a great opportunity for you to demonstrate both your self-awareness and your determination
to succeed. The interviewer will want you to be brutally realistic and accountable when talking
through the concerns yet able to be positive about your ability to overcome them and be successful.
For example, you could talk about a potential concern over lack of relevant sales experience yet go
on to use examples in your personal and professional life as to where you have shown the qualities
that a successful recruiter must have and therefore why, if given the chance, you will be a success.
15. Where do You See Yourself in 5 Years?
The best employers do not get intimidated by an ambitious individual with big goals. The best
employers are also disappointed when candidates have very modest financial and professional goals.
So think big and aim for the most impressive level of achievement you can think of as a starting
point. Modify only if you feel you need to.
To be considered for any of the roles we’re currently
working on, please send your CV to info@harvardbrown.co.uk
or call 0203 405 3162 for more information.
To benefit from our referral scheme; please email your full-name together with mobile number and
email address of your nominated candidate(s) under the subject: ‘Referral’