Recruiter screening questions: hiring a recruiter by desk, billings, sourcing and fill history
On this page
- Place the desk first: agency, in-house, sourcer or coordinator
- Production numbers: billings, placements and hires
- Sourcing depth: how they find people
- Desk management, clients and hiring managers
- Restrictions, compliance and what not to ask for
- How recruiter resumes overstate the work
- Logistics, knockout checklist and scorecard
- Questions people ask
Recruiter screening questions should establish what kind of desk the candidate worked, what they produced on it, and how they produced it. Ask whether they found clients or only candidates, how many placements or hires they made in each of the last two years, what those were worth, how many open roles they carried, and how they sourced the hardest one. Then ask about restrictions from their current employer before you get excited. Recruiters with a real track record know their numbers without looking them up. Weak candidates describe activity: calls, InMails and "relationships."
This page is about hiring a recruiter. For the questions recruiters ask candidates on any phone screen, see phone screen questions for recruiters. For definitions of the metrics used below (fill rate, submittal-to-interview, revenue per recruiter), see recruiting agency metrics. Recruiters are practiced interviewees and know what good answers sound like, so this bank leans on numbers and specifics that are hard to rehearse.
Place the desk first: agency, in-house, sourcer or coordinator
| Desk in practice | What they are measured on | Question that places them | Common mismatch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agency, 360 (full desk) | Billings, new clients, job orders, placements | "What share of your billings came from clients you brought in yourself?" | Inherited accounts described as business development |
| Agency, 180 (candidate side) | Submittals, interviews, placements on others' job orders | "Who owned the client relationship on your placements?" | Presented as a full desk |
| Contract or staffing desk | Contractors on assignment, gross margin, extensions, redeployment | "How many contractors did you have out at peak, and at what margin?" | Perm recruiter with a few contract placements |
| Executive search | Retained searches completed, research depth, candidate slates | "Were you the lead on searches, or research and sourcing support?" | Researcher titled consultant |
| In-house recruiter | Hires, time to fill, hiring manager satisfaction, offer acceptance | "How many requisitions did you carry and close last year?" | Coordinator with a recruiter title |
| Sourcer | Qualified candidates passed on, response rates, pipelines built | "Did you screen and manage candidates, or hand them to a recruiter?" | Sourcing-only work described as full-cycle |
Production numbers: billings, placements and hires
Ask for numbers per year, for the last two or three years, and ask the same way for every candidate. The point is not a benchmark; it is whether the numbers are known, consistent and match the story.
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| How many placements (or hires) did you make last year and the year before? | Two numbers, given easily, with context: "14 last year, 9 the year before; I moved to a new market in the middle of that year." | "A lot," or a number that changes during the call. |
| What did those placements bill, roughly? | A figure and how it was calculated: fees on permanent placements, gross margin on contractors. | Cannot separate their billings from the team's. |
| What was your average fee or bill rate, and your typical fee percentage? | Knows both and how they changed. | Does not know the fee terms on their own deals. |
| How many placements fell off (candidate did not start or left in the guarantee period), and why? | A number and a pattern they noticed and fixed. | None ever, over several years. |
| How were split placements credited? | Explains the split rules and which of their numbers were splits. | Counts full credit for every split. |
| Where were you against target, and what happened in your weakest quarter? | An honest answer and what they changed. | Always over target, no weak quarters. |
Worked example: checking a billings claim (invented numbers)
The candidate says: "I billed $400,000 last year." You ask for placements and fees.
- They made 12 permanent placements at an average salary of about $110,000 and a 20 percent fee: 12 × 110,000 × 0.20 = $264,000.
- Ask: "Where does the rest come from?" A common answer is contract margin, or team splits counted at full value.
- If four of the 12 were 50/50 splits, their share of perm billings is 8 × 22,000 + 4 × 11,000 = $220,000.
$220,000 of their own perm billings plus a contract book may still be a strong recruiter. Record the real breakdown.
A caution on proof of billings. Commission statements, pay stubs and W-2s show the candidate's own compensation. Many states and cities restrict asking about pay history, so ask for billings, placements and fees rather than pay documents, and check the rules where you and the candidate are located. Salary expectation questions covers asking about expectations instead.
Sourcing depth: how they find people
- "Tell me about the hardest role you filled last year. How did you find the person you placed?" Strong: the specific channel and search: a Boolean string, a GitHub or conference search, a referral chain, a list built from a competitor's team. Red flag: "I posted it and applied candidates came in."
- "Read me a search string you used recently." Strong: they can say one aloud with OR groups and exclusions, and explain a change they made to it. Red flag: only uses the job board's default filters.
- "What response rate did your outreach get, and what changed it?" Strong: a rough rate and a specific change to messages or timing. Red flag: never measured.
- "How much of your pipeline came from your own network or database versus new sourcing?" Strong: an honest split. Red flag: all from a database they will not have access to at your firm.
- "Which tools did you source in?" Strong: names them (LinkedIn Recruiter, the ATS or CRM, contact-finding tools) and one they stopped using. Red flag: a tool list with no preference.
Desk management, clients and hiring managers
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| How many open roles did you work at once, and how did you decide where to spend time? | A number and a rule: fee, exclusivity, how likely the client is to hire. | Worked every job order equally. |
| Tell me about a job order you walked away from. | A reason tied to fill likelihood or client behavior, and how they told the client. | Never turned down work. |
| How did you win your last new client? | The steps: target list, first contact, the role that opened the door, the terms agreed. For 360 desks. | Inbound only, for a business development role. |
| What did your submittal-to-interview ratio look like, and how did you improve it? | A rough ratio and a change such as tighter intake or better write-ups. | Sends volume and does not track outcomes. |
| Tell me about a hiring manager who kept rejecting candidates. What did you do? | Recalibrated the brief with evidence, changed the search or pushed back. | Blames the manager and kept sending the same profile. |
| How did you handle a candidate who accepted a counteroffer? | What happened, what they learned about the warning signs, and how they now test for it earlier. | Never lost one. |
Restrictions, compliance and what not to ask for
Agency recruiters often have agreements with their current employer that limit what they can do next. Ask about them in the first screen, not after the offer.
- "Do you have a non-compete, non-solicit or confidentiality agreement with your current employer? What does it cover and for how long?" Strong: knows the terms and has a copy. Red flag: unsure, for someone planning to call former clients. Enforceability varies by state; see non-compete questions for candidates, and get your own legal advice.
- "Which clients or markets would you plan to work?" Strong: realistic, and consistent with their restrictions. Red flag: plans to move their current employer's accounts on day one.
- Do not ask them to bring anything. Candidate databases, client lists and fee schedules usually belong to their current employer. A candidate who offers to bring them will likely do the same when they leave you.
- "How did you handle candidate consent to submit?" Strong: written right to represent before every submittal. Red flag: submitted resumes to clients without asking the candidate.
- "What employment law training have you had?" Strong: a certification or regular training, especially for contract desks.
| Credential | Issuer | Notes, as of September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Staffing Professional (CSP) | American Staffing Association | A two-hour online exam covering staffing law; valid three years with 30 hours of continuing education to renew, per the ASA. |
| Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) and Certified Temporary Staffing Specialist (CTS) | National Association of Personnel Services | Exams on placement and temporary staffing law and practice, per NAPS. |
How recruiter resumes overstate the work
| Pattern | What it looks like | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| Team billings as personal | "Part of a desk billing $2M" | "What was your own number, splits separated?" |
| Activity as results | "Made 100 calls a day, sent 500 InMails a week" | "How many placements came from that?" |
| Inherited accounts as wins | "Managed Fortune 500 clients" | "Who brought each client in?" |
| Title inflation | "Senior Recruitment Consultant" after one year | Judge the placements and the desk, not the title. |
| Sourcer as full-cycle | "Full-cycle recruiting" at a large company | "Who ran the screens, managed the offer and closed the candidate?" |
| Short tenures explained away | Several agencies in three years | Ask neutrally why each move happened; guarantee periods and draw arrangements often explain it. |
Logistics, knockout checklist and scorecard
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| The role pays a base plus commission on a stated plan. What base and total do you need, and how do you weigh the two? | An expectation, not a pay history, and a view on the plan structure. | Only a total; no interest in how commission works. |
| The desk is 360 in a market new to us, with a ramp period. How have you handled starting cold? | A realistic plan and a past example. | Expects to bill in month one from existing contacts. |
| When could you start, considering notice and any restrictions? | A date that reflects their agreements. | "Tomorrow," while under a notice or garden leave clause. |
| Are you legally authorized to work in the US, and will you now or in the future need visa sponsorship? | A direct answer to both. | None. Ask every candidate the same two questions. |
Knock out, or flag before the next interview, if:
- The candidate cannot give their own placement or hire numbers for the last two years.
- The role is 360 and they have never won a client.
- An agreement with their current employer would stop them working the market you need.
- They offer to bring their current employer's database or client list.
| Area | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production | Activity only | Numbers vague or team-level | Own numbers, consistent over two years | Strong, growing numbers with splits explained |
| Sourcing | Postings only | Database and job boards | Targeted searches with measured outreach | Finds people others cannot, repeatably |
| Client and manager work | Order taker | Manages existing relationships | Pushes back and recalibrates | Wins and grows accounts |
| Compliance and judgment | Submits without consent | Aware of basics | Consistent consent, understands restrictions | Trained, and protects clients and candidates |
| Logistics fit | Deal-breaker | Two open questions | One open question | All aligned |
Write the numbers exactly as the candidate gave them, with the splits: "12 perm placements last year, four as 50/50 splits; 'my worst quarter was Q3, when my main client froze hiring'." When you interview several recruiters, those notes are the only fair way to compare them. Interview Signal captures that detail from the call itself, so it is not reconstructed from memory afterwards.
Questions people ask
Can I ask a recruiter candidate what they billed last year?
Billings are revenue the recruiter generated for their firm, and most agency owners ask about them. Be careful with commission statements or W-2s, because they reveal the candidate's own pay, and many states and cities restrict asking about pay history. Ask for billings and placement counts, and confirm your approach for your location.
What is the difference between a 360 and a 180 recruiter?
A 360 or full-desk recruiter wins clients and job orders as well as finding candidates. A 180 or candidate-side recruiter works job orders someone else brought in. Business development skill and billings expectations differ sharply between the two, so place the candidate before discussing numbers.
Should I worry about a recruiter's non-compete or non-solicit?
Ask about it early. Agency recruiters often have agreements restricting them from contacting former clients or candidates for a period, and enforceability depends on state law. Do not ask the candidate to bring client lists or candidate databases, and have your own counsel review any agreement that could affect the role.
Are staffing certifications worth asking about?
They are optional. The American Staffing Association's Certified Staffing Professional and NAPS certifications such as the CPC test staffing law and practice. They are a plus for contract and staffing desks, where employment law mistakes are costly, but billings and placements matter more for most hires.