Intake Meeting Questions

A hiring manager has requested an intake meeting with you. Their team has a new position for which you will lead recruitment efforts.  During an intake meeting, recruiters and hiring managers confirm the job title and job duties, discuss the qualification criteria and interview stages (e.g. screening calls, assessments tests, etc.)

An intake meeting helps recruiters:

• Reduce miscommunication and back-and-forth emails
• Clearly establish a position’s requirements
• Engage hiring managers in the recruiting process

The first question set teases out the role and expected benchmarks of the new position within the department and company.

• Begin by summarizing your understanding of the job. Are there other points about this position that I should know?
• How will this position benefit your department?
  • Will it add performance capacity?
  • If so, describe in what ways, framing them as outcomes with timeframes.
• Do you anticipate this position having specific interactions with other departments?
  • Describe these and if it will affect supervisory relationships.

Specific questions aid learning about the position’s qualifications.

Details assure that recruitment efforts find the best candidates. Guide the hiring manager to separate absolute requirements from those preferred.

• What are the minimum educational requirements?
• What technical skills and experiences are required?
  • Note any preferred length of time, such as two years of IT networking serving X number of work stations.
  • Is aptitude required for specific software applications?
    • If so, which and for what length of time?
    • How is proficiency demonstrated?
• Does the position have direct reports?
  • If so, what sort of supervisory experience is needed?
  • Is there a minimum time length required?
• Are there must-have interpersonal abilities?

After those questions are answered, return to the preferred qualifications. Reframing the above questions will provide consistency and efficiency for your discussion.

Recruitment Screening Questions

This last set guides your approach to screening interviews.

• What four questions are most important for me to ask during a phone interview?
• What should candidates anticipate and prepare for if invited to interview?
• What companies are competing for this position’s best candidates?
• Do you know people here or in your network who are suitable for this work?

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