Interview Questions to Assess a Talent Sourcers Skills

Jonathan Kidder

4 years ago

As a recruiter, you know the importance of hiring the best talent for your company or client. Recruiters routinely screen and interview candidates until they are convinced, they’ve found the individual who will blend well with the team. Oftentimes, recruiters find it much easier to find the right match for someone else, but the scenario can be a bit trickier when interviewing for your own recruiting team.

After all, when we are in the habit of successfully hiring people for other jobs, it can be quite difficult to decipher what talents make us so good at what we do. To help, here’s a list of questions and assessments that will help you hire the best Talent Sourcer for your team.

Assessing a Sourcers Talent and Traits:

Look beyond the Resume

It’s not uncommon to come across an impressive resume, but you know that is just one factor to consider. In addition to a candidate’s past experience, be intentional about finding someone who will have the ability to perform assigned tasks while possessing a personality that complements you and the company’s mission for the long-haul.

Consider Grammar Skills a Priority

With the multitude of software programs developed to enhance writing skills, a Talent Sourcer should be well-equipped with the right knowledge and tools. Keep in mind that every job ad or email correspondence that he or she publishes is a direct reflection on you and your company, so misspellings and poor sentence structure should not be tolerated.

Pride in Their Work

In addition to choosing someone who is detail oriented, look for a strong work ethic and pride. Quality over quantity always rules in life, both personally and professionally. If your newly hired team member focuses more on reaching out to thousands of people with cookie cutter emails, the end result is going to be unimpressive versus someone who makes a point of personalizing correspondence based on the individuals he or she is contacting.

Important Points to Consider When Forming Your Questions:

Next, you’ll need to ask questions that actually test the candidate’s knowledge and talent, thus validating the key points of their resume. Here are a few questions that will help.

What are your go-to tools for attracting and assessing talent?

The purpose of this question is to help you assess a candidate’s motivation and dedication. For instance, is effort put forth to consistently tweak a strategy, continuously finding and using new tools? Or, do they perpetually use the same strategy, incorporating tools they “know and love” with minimal interest or effort to diversify?

When tackling a new sourcing request, what tools do you use and how do you prioritize?

The goal here is to provide insight into their initial approach to a new request in regards to tools they use most often, what questions they ask in order to gain a clear understanding of the role they’re advertising for, and what methods they use to prioritize and meet deadlines.

What is your process for tracking and evaluating your sourcing strategies?

The response to this question will allow you to evaluate the candidate’s drive and ability to think outside of the box, as well as their level of perseverance and talent to see where improvements can be made.

Do you work well with other team members?

While it’s important to find an individual who possesses the right talent, ultimately, you want to ensure how realistic expectations of the role are. For instance, you want to hire someone who will not only be motivated to perform well, but is also dedicated to building relationships with you and others in a respectful, supportive manner.

Shally Steckerl’s Favorite Technical Screening Questions:

Using Google describe how you would find resumes of Stanford University alumni who currently work at IBM.
Detail two different scenarios when it would be necessary to search more than one search engine.
Explain the difference between using parenthesis and quotation marks when using a search engine.
Name at least five places you go to find alternative keywords to include in your search strings.
How do you define the quality of candidates you have submitted?
How do you demonstrate immediate value to hiring managers during the initial meeting when a new search requisition is reviewed?
Which search automation tools do you regularly use?
How do you stay up to date on new sourcing techniques?
What criteria do you utilize when assigning priorities to the sourcing requests you are working?
How do you track and evaluate the effectiveness of sourcing destinations or techniques you are employing?

Bottom line, the goal is to hire an individual who is confident and capable. Before you hire, in addition to being sure your candidate has the necessary skillset, some attributes that are just as important include a great attention to detail, a willingness to learn, and a team player attitude. Keep these things in mind and you’ll surely be able to hire the right person for the job.

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