Recruiters and headhunters are often the ones who conduct the first round of interviews. This interview offers you an opportunity to learn about the company, and perhaps get hard-to-find information that will assist you in later rounds of interviews. Interviews with recruiters and headhunters also help you to decide if you are interested in working for the organisation, or in that specific role.
Below are 12 key questions to ask in a pre-interview:
- Can you share with me how you and the company are working together?
- How long have you been working with the company?
- This is what I know about the company _ _ _. Is there anything that you would feel comfortable sharing with me? Perhaps information about its culture?
- How many candidates have you placed there?
- I know the company is located in “X” – is the position based there, or are there remote opportunities?
- Many companies do a telephone or video interview first, then in-person interviews on-site. I also know that behaviour-based interviewing seems to be the standard these days. Does this company follow a similar process?
- Does the company have a timeline they would like to hit for filling this position? The reason I am asking is X (I have a trip planned, or job offer pending)?
- My understanding is that the company needs to get these three things done… Have I understood correctly? Is there anything else that is not on the job description or in the marketing materials that you think I should be prepared to address in the interview?
- I am very excited about the position and my understanding is that we are on the same page regarding compensation – a salary range of X with a bonus of Y?
- How would you describe the corporate culture?
- Could you describe what a typical workday looks like?
- If I am fortunate enough to continue in the process, I want to make sure I am addressing the things that are most important to the company. They seemed to be most interested in my X and Y experience/skill. Did I read this correctly? Is there anything else you feel I should be prepared to address if I move forward?
When interacting with recruiters, approach the conversations strategically and carefully. Do not waste their time by asking questions that you can easily find the answers to. Timing is everything, do you need the information now, or does it make sense to develop a relationship first? Asking any of the above interview questions in a pre-interview will enable job seekers to gather intelligence to assist them in the next steps of the job search process.
