Interview Questions to Ask When Hiring a Recruiter
These are the questions to ask when hiring a recruiter from outside your company: an agency, a search firm or an independent you are about to hand a vacancy to. The 61 questions run in the order the decision does: the recruiter's track record, who will actually do the work, how the search is run, how candidates are screened, the fees and terms, and how you will work together once it starts. Interviewing someone for a recruiter job on your own staff is a different conversation, about how that person sources, screens and handles hiring managers.
Want questions from the whole vault instead? Try the random question generator.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Track record
Which roles like ours have you filled in the past year, and where did those candidates come from?
Why ask it
A placement from the past twelve months in a role like yours is evidence, and a page of client logos is not. Pay attention to the source: if every hire came from people answering an advert, the recruiter is competing with your own job posting instead of adding to it.
What do you already know about the market for this role where we are: who else is hiring, and what are they offering?
Why ask it
Someone active in your market can answer this before you have briefed them, with employers named and ranges given. Vague talk about a tough market suggests they would be starting from a search engine. Treat any figures as one recruiter's view and check them against a second.
Out of every ten roles you take on, how many end in a hire you made?
Why ask it
Contingency recruiters lose roles to other agencies, to internal candidates and to clients who change their minds, so nobody honest says ten. What you want is a real number and the reasons behind the gap. Ask how the figure changes when the client works with them alone.
What have you failed to fill in the past year, and what happened?
Why ask it
Every recruiter has an unfilled role behind them, so a claim of none tells you something as well. Listen to where the blame lands: the salary, a slow client, the brief, or their own reading of the market. That is how your search will be explained to you if it stalls.
How long do the people you place tend to stay, and how do you know?
Why ask it
Press on the 'how do you know'. An agency that checks back after a year can say who stayed and who left. One that can only guess has probably stopped following its placements once the guarantee ran out.
Tell me about a placement that left within the first few months. What did you do about it?
Why ask it
This is the guarantee clause seen in practice. Notice whether they heard it from the client or from the candidate, whether they went looking for the cause, and whether the replacement or the refund arrived without an argument.
What kinds of roles and sectors make up most of your placements?
Why ask it
A recruiter is at their best on the kind of role they fill every month, because they already know the people and the going rate. If your vacancy sits at the edge of what they do, expect them to learn the market on your time, and ask whether a colleague is closer to it.
Have you recruited for an employer of our size and profile before, and what did you have to do differently?
Why ask it
Size changes the job. For a small or little-known employer the recruiter has to sell the company before the role, and for a large one they have to get a candidate through layers of approval without losing them. Ask for one example close to your situation.
Can we speak to two clients who hired a similar role, including one where the search was difficult?
Why ask it
A happy client from an easy placement is not hard to produce. The one whose search dragged can tell you whether the recruiter kept calling, admitted what was going wrong and stayed on the role, which is what you would be relying on in a bad month.
The recruiter
Will you be doing the work yourself, or does it move to a researcher after the pitch?
Why ask it
In many agencies a senior person wins the client and someone more junior runs the search. That can work well, but you should know whose calendar your candidates will be on, and meet that person before you sign.
How many searches are you personally running right now?
Why ask it
A high number is not automatically bad: ten similar roles can share one pool of candidates, and ten unrelated ones cannot. Follow up by asking where yours would sit among them and what would move it up.
How long have you recruited in this field, and what did you do before?
Why ask it
Years in the industry matter less than years on this kind of role. Someone who worked in your field before moving into recruitment can often tell a strong candidate from a well-rehearsed one, which is hard to learn from job descriptions alone.
How are you paid yourself: salary, commission on placements, or a mix?
Why ask it
It is a fair thing to ask if you ask it plainly. Someone living mainly on commission puts their hours where a fee looks closest, so the answer tells you how your role has to look to stay near the top of their list.
Who picks up our search if you are away, or if you leave the agency partway through?
Why ask it
Recruiters move between agencies, and a half-finished search can be left with nobody. You are asking for a named second person who will know the brief and the candidates, and for confirmation that your agreement is with the agency and outlasts the individual.
Who do we go to if we are unhappy with how the search is being run?
Why ask it
Get a name and a job title, not 'the office'. A sole trader has nobody above them, which is no reason to walk away, but it does mean the terms on stopping early need to be clear before you start.
Are you licensed or registered where the law asks for it, and do you belong to a trade body with a code of practice?
Why ask it
Rules for recruitment agencies differ a great deal between countries and sometimes between states, so ask how it works where you are hiring. Membership of a trade body is no promise of quality, but it may give you somewhere to take a complaint that the agency itself has not answered.
The search
Having read our job description, what would you change in it or in the salary range?
Why ask it
Send the description a day ahead so this gets a considered answer. Someone who knows the market will say plainly when a range will not attract the people you describe, and should be able to show you why. A recruiter who would change nothing has either not read it closely or does not disagree with clients.
Which companies would you go to first for this role, and are there any we should ask you to leave alone?
Why ask it
Someone who knows the field can name a handful of employers without looking anything up. The leave-alone list is yours to supply: customers, partners or a former employer of yours may be places you do not want approached in your name. If you have signed any agreement about hiring from them, check what it says before the search begins.
Do you have any off-limits agreements that stop you approaching certain companies?
Why ask it
Firms often agree not to recruit from their current clients, which can quietly rule out your best target employers. It directly limits what you are buying and may not be volunteered, so ask which companies are out of bounds.
How do you reach people who are not looking for a job?
Why ask it
Ask for the actual method: mapped target companies, referrals from previous placements, a specific community. Answers built entirely on job boards and database searches mean you are paying a fee to duplicate work you can do.
Who do you already know that you could call about this role this week?
Why ask it
You are not asking for names. A description is enough: two people at a competitor, a former candidate who came second elsewhere. It separates a recruiter with a live network in your field from one who will begin by typing your job title into a database.
How do you describe us to candidates, and can I see what you send them?
Why ask it
For most candidates this message is the first they hear of you, and some of them you may want to hire in a later year. Read it for accuracy as well as tone: a salary or a remote-working promise you never made becomes your problem at offer stage.
Where would you advertise this role, and under whose name?
Why ask it
Agencies often advertise under their own brand and leave the client unnamed, which builds their candidate pool as well as yours. If you are also running your own advert, the same people will see both, so agree who posts where and who pays for any paid listing.
For a role like this, how many people do you usually speak to before one is worth sending to a client?
Why ask it
There is no correct figure, and whatever you hear will be rough. Anyone who has filled this kind of role can still describe the funnel, and that tells you how much work stands behind each CV you receive.
Where would you look for people outside the obvious companies and job titles?
Why ask it
A useful answer has places in it: a neighbouring industry, people returning after a career break, a smaller competitor nobody thinks to call. If all you hear is a commitment to a varied shortlist with no method behind it, expect the same names every other agency would send.
If you found someone who suits both our role and another client's, how do you decide where they go first?
Why ask it
On contingency the honest answer is often whichever client moves faster or pays more. Hearing that said plainly is useful, because it tells you what speed of feedback keeps the best people coming to you. Be wary of a claim that it never happens.
How would you run this if we could not be named until late in the process?
Why ask it
Without your name, the recruiter has to interest people in the work, the level and the pay alone, so ask what they would say on a first call. Ask too at what point a candidate learns who you are and what they agree to beforehand. It matters most when the person being replaced is still in the job.
Do you use AI or automated tools to find or rank candidates, and where does a person check the result?
Why ask it
Plenty of recruiters now lean on software to search profiles and draft messages. Ask which steps are automated and who reads the output before a candidate is ruled out or contacted. Some places have rules on automated decisions in hiring, so ask how the recruiter handles that where you are.
Screening
Walk me through everything you do between briefing and sending us a shortlist.
Why ask it
You want a described sequence with a screening step in it. Recruiters who forward everything they find and let you filter are transferring their work to your hiring manager while charging a placement fee for it.
Have you spoken to every person you send us, and for how long?
Why ask it
A CV forwarded after a five-minute call, or after none, is a lead and not a screened candidate. A proper conversation about the role, beyond availability and pay, is a reasonable minimum. Say now that you only want to see people the recruiter has interviewed.
What comes with each candidate: a CV on its own, or your own notes?
Why ask it
The notes are what you are paying for. Ask for the reason this person would move, their pay expectations, their notice period and one honest reservation. A recruiter willing to write down a reservation is one whose praise you can believe.
How do you tell whether a candidate actually wants this job or is only testing what they are worth?
Why ask it
Some people take a recruiter's call to get a figure to show their current boss. Listen for the questions the recruiter asks early: why now, what would make them stay, who else has a say in the move. Those answers are what stop an offer falling over in the final week.
When do you raise salary, notice period and other interviews with a candidate?
Why ask it
These three decide whether a hire can happen, and each is awkward to raise late. Settling them on the first call saves you from interviewing someone for a month only to find they are out of reach or about to accept elsewhere.
Do you get each candidate's agreement before sending us their details?
Why ask it
It should be a plain yes, for this role and this employer by name. Candidates submitted without knowing cause double submissions, awkward first calls and fee disputes between agencies. Privacy rules on sharing personal details also vary by country, so ask what the recruiter does to comply where you are.
How many people should we expect on a first shortlist, and what would make you send fewer?
Why ask it
A short list of well-matched people beats a long one, and the number matters less than the reasoning. A recruiter prepared to send two and explain why the pool is thin is doing the job. Padding a list to reach a round number wastes your interview time.
If a candidate asks why the last person in this role left, what do you say?
Why ask it
Candidates do ask, and the recruiter needs an answer from you before they do. Give them a true one they can repeat, and notice now whether they would come to you for it or make something up on the call.
Which checks do you carry out yourselves, such as references, qualifications or the right to work, and which stay with us?
Why ask it
Agencies differ widely here, and some do none unless asked. What an employer must check, and what it may ask a candidate, depends on the country and sometimes on the type of job. Get the split in writing so that nothing is assumed done by the other side.
What do you tell the candidates we turn down?
Why ask it
Those people will talk about your company afterwards, and some will be customers or future applicants. A real reason, given promptly, protects your name. The recruiter can only pass on what you supply, so expect to be asked for it.
Fees and terms
Are you working on contingency or retained terms, and what is the fee?
Why ask it
Contingency means they are paid only on a placement, so your role competes for their attention with every other open search. Retained means committed effort and money at risk on your side, so ask what you get if it fails.
What is the percentage calculated on: base salary alone, or bonus, commission and allowances as well?
Why ask it
The same rate gives quite different invoices depending on this definition. Ask for a worked example using the package you expect to offer, and check what happens to the fee if the final salary ends higher or lower than the range you briefed.
When do you invoice, and how long do we have to pay?
Why ask it
Some agencies invoice when the offer is accepted and others on the first day of work. The later date is safer for you, since a candidate who withdraws before starting never becomes a bill. Ask too whether the guarantee depends on the invoice being paid on time, since some terms cancel it if payment is late.
What is the guarantee period if a placement leaves, and what does it cover?
Why ask it
The useful details are the length, whether you get a rebate or a replacement search, and what voids it. Set the length beside your own probation period: a guarantee that ends before you have finished assessing the person covers very little.
If we gave you this role exclusively for a few weeks, what would change in the fee or the effort?
Why ask it
Exclusivity is worth something to a contingency recruiter, because their work can no longer be undercut by a faster agency. Ask what you get for it: a lower rate, a longer guarantee, a committed shortlist date. Keep the period short and let it lapse on its own if nothing arrives.
How long does an introduction stay yours if we do not hire the person now?
Why ask it
Agency terms commonly claim a fee if you hire someone they introduced within a set period, often into any job. Ask for the length in months and whether it can be shortened. Read how 'introduction' is defined, since in some terms a CV in your inbox is enough.
Who gets the fee if two agencies send the same candidate, or the person had already applied to us directly?
Why ask it
Duplicate submissions are a familiar source of fee arguments, and a rule agreed beforehand prevents most of them. One option is that the first submission made with the candidate's consent counts. Keep a dated record of your own applicants so you can show who was already known to you.
Does the fee change if we hire the person part time, on a fixed-term contract, or as a contractor first?
Why ask it
Plans shift during hiring, and a role briefed as permanent sometimes becomes a six-month contract. Terms written only for permanent hires can produce a full fee on a short engagement, or a second fee when the contractor is made permanent. Have the recruiter price each case now.
Are there charges beyond the fee, such as advertising, testing or background checks?
Why ask it
On contingency there should normally be none without your approval, while retained and project work is more likely to carry extras. Ask for a list, and for a rule that nothing is spent on your behalf until you have agreed the amount.
Do you reduce the fee for more than one hire, and what would we commit to in return?
Why ask it
Volume discounts exist, but they tend to come with exclusivity or a minimum number of roles. Work out whether you would really hire that many through one agency this year. A discount on roles you never brief is worth nothing, and a commitment you cannot keep weakens your position.
While we are a client, will you recruit our own staff for other companies?
Why ask it
A recruiter gets to know your team, your pay and who is unhappy. Many agencies will agree not to approach a client's employees for a stated time, and some put it in the terms without being asked. Have the period written down, along with whether it binds the whole agency or only your contact.
Can we read your terms before we brief you, and which clauses do clients usually negotiate?
Why ask it
Read them before any CV arrives, because some terms say that interviewing a candidate counts as accepting them. Whether that would hold depends on where you are, so ask a lawyer about any clause that worries you. Hearing which clauses other clients negotiate shows you where there is room to move.
If we ended the engagement after six weeks, what would we owe and what would we keep?
Why ask it
Settle the exit before you start: notice period, any retained instalments already due, and whether the candidate research and contact list stays with you. It is the clause clients go looking for once a search has gone quiet.
Working together
What makes you move a client's role to the bottom of your list?
Why ask it
Expect a frank list: slow feedback, a brief that keeps changing, a manager who misses interviews, a range below the market. Every item is in your hands, so decide before you sign which ones you can promise, such as interview slots held in advance and one named decision-maker.
Realistically, how long until a first shortlist, and how long until an offer for a role like this?
Why ask it
Ask for two numbers, since they move for different reasons. The shortlist date depends on the recruiter, while the stretch from shortlist to offer is mostly your own interviews and approvals plus the candidate's notice. Ask which part of that stretch they have seen cost a client the person they wanted.
How often will we hear from you, and in what form?
Why ask it
Agree a rhythm and a format now, for example a weekly written update listing who was contacted and what they said. A week with nothing in it then shows at once, and you are not piecing the silence together in week five.
How fast do you need our feedback after a CV or an interview, and what happens to candidates when we are slow?
Why ask it
Good candidates are rarely talking to one employer only. A recruiter should tell you bluntly how long a person will wait, and may ask you to commit to a turnaround. If you cannot meet it, say so now and adjust the plan instead of losing people quietly.
Who arranges the interviews and prepares the candidate beforehand?
Why ask it
Preparation cuts both ways. A candidate who has been told who they will meet and what the job involves gives you a better interview, while one who has been coached with model answers gives you a worse one. Ask exactly what the recruiter passes on.
What do you do when a candidate you like wants more than our range?
Why ask it
Where the fee is a percentage of salary, the recruiter gains a little each time you go up, so notice whether upward is the only direction they suggest. A useful answer covers the whole package, the level or the scope of the role as well as the base figure.
Who puts the offer to the candidate, you or us, and what do you do if their current employer counters?
Why ask it
Some recruiters prefer to deliver the offer themselves, since a candidate will say things to a go-between that they would not say to a future boss. Whoever does it, the counteroffer conversation should have happened weeks earlier. Ask when they raise it and what the candidate is asked to think through.
What contact do you keep with the new hire and with us in the first few months?
Why ask it
The weeks after someone starts are when doubts surface, and the recruiter sometimes hears them before the manager does. A check-in at the end of the first week and again near the end of probation costs the agency little. It also gives you early warning while the guarantee still applies.
Suppose we reject the whole first shortlist. What would you want from us, and what would you change?
Why ask it
A first shortlist that misses is normal and useful, provided both sides learn from it. Expect a good recruiter to ask for a specific reason on each person and then restate the brief in their own words. A second batch that resembles the first means nothing was learned.
How will we know if the search has stalled, and will you tell us before we ask?
Why ask it
Contingency searches seldom end with an announcement. The updates simply get thinner. Agree a point, such as a set number of weeks with no interview, at which you both review the brief, the pay and whether to continue.
Choosing and managing a search partner
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you meet a recruiter
Decide which kind of recruiter you are hiring
A contingency recruiter is paid only if you hire their candidate, which tends to suit roles where suitable people are reasonably easy to find. A retained recruiter is paid in stages for a dedicated search, the more usual choice for senior or scarce roles. Knowing which you want tells you how much of the Fees and terms group you need, and whether a recruiter working ten other vacancies is a problem or simply how the model works.
Meet two or three and ask each the same things
Choose ten or twelve questions across the groups and put them to every recruiter in the same order. Track record and The recruiter belong at the start of a first call. The search and Screening only get useful answers from someone who has read your job description, so send it the day before.
Send the factual questions in writing
The fee basis, the invoice date, the guarantee and the introduction period can all be answered by email, and written answers are easier to set side by side. Keep the meeting for the questions where the manner of the answer matters: the search they failed to fill, the off-limits companies, what they would change in your brief.
Have your own answers ready
Bring the salary range you can approve, the date you need someone in the seat and the name of the person who decides. A recruiter's view on timing and difficulty is only as good as the brief they are reacting to, and one who is told 'competitive salary' will give you a competitive-sounding guess.
Settle the commercial terms before the search starts
- Get the fee basis in writing, including how the percentage is calculated: base salary only, or base plus bonus, commission, and sign-on payments.
- Fix the guarantee period, what triggers it, and whether it pays a rebate or a replacement search. Ask what voids it: redundancy, a restructure and a late-paid invoice are common exclusions.
- Agree the ownership of candidates introduced but not hired, and for how long an introduction counts. It is a common cause of fee disputes.
- Write down the notice period on both sides and what is owed if you stop early.
- For a retained search, tie the instalments to deliverables such as a market map and a shortlist rather than to dates alone.
Brief them properly, then judge the shortlist
The brief determines the shortlist
Give them the real requirements, the parts of the job that are unattractive, the interview panel, the salary range, and the decision timeline. Recruiters who are briefed with only a job description produce shortlists assembled from keywords, and the fault is genuinely shared.
Judge the first three profiles, not the pitch
The strongest signal you will get arrives with the first shortlist. Look at whether the profiles reflect the conversation you had, whether the notes tell you something you could not read off a CV, and whether obviously wrong candidates are in there to make up numbers.
Give fast, specific feedback
Recruiters calibrate from your reasons for rejection. Saying not senior enough within a day changes the next batch, while silence for a week means the next batch will look like the last one and your search will slow down.
Warning signs, and one way to limit the risk
Volume in place of screening
A stream of loosely matched CVs in the first week usually means a database search rather than a search. Ask what screening happened on each one, and if the answer is thin, say that you will only review profiles that come with notes from a conversation.
Pressure on your timeline or your range
Urgency about signing, or repeated arguments that your salary band must rise, can both point at the fee rather than the hire. Market evidence is welcome, and pressure without evidence is a reason to slow down.
How they treat candidates who do not fit
Ask what happens to a candidate they interview who is not right for your role. A recruiter who tells that person so and stays in touch is building the standing with candidates that gets calls about your role returned.
Start with one role
Give a new recruiter a single search that matters before agreeing to a multi-role arrangement. One completed search tells you more than any reference call, and it costs you nothing extra to sequence it that way.