Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional career or legal advice. Always consider your personal situation and consult with a qualified expert before making employment decisions.
Questions to ask recruiter play a crucial role in today’s hiring process, helping to avoid wasting time interviewing individuals who aren’t a good fit for the job or the company. To aid in this goal, many recruiters use a simple phone screen technique, asking questions of a potential applicant that determines whether they move forward or not with the interview process.
But this phone call works both ways, giving you, as the applicant, the chance to decide if you think the job is a good match for your career aspirations by asking the right questions to ask recruiter.
Don’t be nervous about turning the tables on the recruiter and quizzing them. It’s actually mutually beneficial! The right questions to ask recruiter save you both time and effort, avoiding a job that you won’t stay in long or may not be happy at. During your next recruiter phone screen, consider asking a few of these 18 questions to clarify the work environment and position before you agree to an interview.
7 Questions About the Position
Recruiters have an insight into the job that you don’t get to see yet. They are in a balanced position where their duty lies in finding you the right career opening, but also ensuring they don’t waste the employer’s time with the wrong candidate. For those reasons, they’re more likely to be upfront with you, if you ask the right questions to ask recruiter.
Part of knowing what to ask involves the field you’re in. For instance, this article by Obsidi dives into industry-specific questions for people in the tech job hunt. But you can use this list for more general questions fit for any job.
- What are the job duties for this position?
- What would a typical day on the job look like for me?
- What types of projects would I be working on, and who would I be working with?
- What hard and soft skills would the ideal person for this role have?
- Can you explain the challenges someone in this role would usually face?
- Does this role play an integral part in the company’s goals?
- Is there room for growth from this position?
These questions to ask recruiter not only help you get a better grasp on what you’d be doing if you accepted the job, but they also guide you as to the importance of your role in relation. From there, you can decide if you are able to take on the responsibilities, and if it is aligned with your career goals.
Tell Me About the Employer in 7 Questions
Now that we understand more about the connection between job satisfaction and mental health, many people are cautious about who they work for. When you know what you value, you want to ensure the employer shares those same focal points. For example, if diversity and inclusion are crucial to you, this is your chance to ask the recruiter if the company is recognized as a safe and inclusive workplace by using the right questions to ask recruiter.
Use these questions to learn more about the company and the atmosphere of the people you’d be working with if you accept the job:
- What are the company’s values/mission targets?
- How do people describe the workplace culture?
- What is the team like that I’d be working with? Do they prefer individual work, or is it a team community?
- Who would I be reporting to directly?
- What kind of professional development is provided by the company? Do they encourage or reward outside professional growth?
- Does the company tend to promote from within or look outside for upper-level position openings?
- What kinds of DEI policies does the company include in its workplace policies?
With the answers to these questions to ask recruiter, it’s easier to see if the employer’s values align with yours. If you don’t think you’ll fit in with the overall company culture, you can let the recruiter know, and keep looking for the right job where you’ll be satisfied and valued during the selecting process.
4 Questions to Understand What the Hiring Process Looks Like
Still interested in the job after asking your previous questions? The last section to understand is what comes next.
Before you hang up, ask the recruiter what you can expect.
- Will you receive an email or phone call from the company?
- Should you submit a resume and application?
- What’s the general timeline for this company’s hiring process?
- When will you hear from the recruiter?
With these short questions to ask recruiter, you have an idea of how to proceed, taking out much of the confusion and uncertainty that often comes with a potential job offer.
Conclusion
When a recruiter calls you with a potential job, they’ve already determined you may fit the requirements. Now, it’s up to you to decide whether the position is what you’re looking for. By asking a handful of these 18 quick and effective questions, you can use this phone screen to gauge your interest in the job and the company.
