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PapaHR · Mike Pritula Academy · Roles

Recruiter: role profile, KPIs and interview questions

This page brings together a recruiter role profile, key performance indicators (KPIs) and hiring materials. Use them to hire someone who manages recruitment from the hiring brief to the new employee's first day.

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Job profiles, hiring, onboarding and reviews are in PapaHR. Free for up to 25 employees.

  1. Take the profile below or build your own with the builder.
  2. In PapaHR the profile turns into a job ad, an onboarding plan and probation goals.
  3. After 90 days, review the person against the same KPIs and competencies.

Job profile

Why the role exists

Bring suitable employees into the business within agreed timelines and recruitment budgets.

Result in a year

Priority roles are filled against the agreed plan, managers can track progress, and reasons for candidate withdrawals and unsuccessful hires are reviewed.

Place in the structure

  1. Reports toHead of Human Resources (HR), or the owner in a small business.
  2. Direct reportsNone
  3. Works withHiring managers, Head of HR, Business owner, Candidates, New employee mentors, Finance team handling advertising payments
Key result areas
  1. Suitable employees start in agreed roles — New starter plan attainmentSample target: 100% of planned starts for priority roles.
  2. New employees start by the agreed dates — On-time start plan attainmentSample target: 100% of planned on-time starts.
  3. New hires demonstrate they meet job requirements — Probation period pass rateSample target: 100% of employees pass their probation period.
  4. Selected candidates accept approved offers — Offer acceptance rateSample target: 100% of offers with final responses are accepted.
  5. Candidate sourcing costs stay within budget — Cost per starter budget adherenceSample target: cost per starter stays within budget.
  6. Candidates receive decisions and next steps on time — Timely response rateSample target: 100% of responses are sent by the agreed deadline.
Requirements

Experience: Independent recruitment from brief to start, supported by examples.

Formal: Relevant education preferred; demonstrated sourcing and assessment skills matter more.

Should know

  • Recruitment stages and reasons candidates drop out.
  • Sourcing methods for different occupations.
  • Behavioural interviewing and assessment against agreed criteria.
  • How to calculate recruitment timelines and costs.
  • How to handle candidate data responsibly.

Should be able to

  • Turn managers' requests into verifiable candidate requirements.
  • Find candidates beyond incoming applications.
  • Check personal contributions through specific examples of past work.
  • Discuss terms and reasons for withdrawal without pressure.
  • Track vacancies and candidates in recruitment software or spreadsheets.
  • Explain delays and possible actions to hiring managers.
Competencies at three levels

Defining the hiring brief

An inaccurate brief leads to hiring people who cannot solve the business need.

  1. Collects responsibilities, terms and essential requirements using a checklist.basic
  2. Separates essentials from preferences and agrees what a suitable candidate looks like.solid
  3. Uses candidate examples to resolve conflicting requirements before broadening the search.strong

Candidate sourcing

Finds suitable people when advertising alone produces no results.

  1. Reviews applications and searches against agreed criteria.basic
  2. Selects channels for each occupation and adjusts messages based on responses.solid
  3. Compares suitable candidates and starters by channel, then reallocates effort and budget.strong

Assessing experience through evidence

Distinguishes a convincing story from experience relevant to the job.

  1. Asks consistent core questions and records examples of experience.basic
  2. Clarifies the situation, personal actions and results; checks answers against requirements.solid
  3. Investigates contradictions, uses work samples and separates facts from personal impressions.strong

Candidate communication

Clear terms and timely updates help maintain candidate interest until the start date.

  1. Explains stages, checks expectations and responds when promised.basic
  2. Discusses concerns, explains terms honestly and records agreements.solid
  3. Identifies withdrawal reasons and improves communication while keeping promises accurate.strong

Working with hiring managers

Delayed decisions cost suitable candidates and extend recruitment timelines.

  1. Agrees interview times and requests a decision on each candidate.basic
  2. Refocuses discussions on requirements and agrees feedback deadlines.solid
  3. Reviews prolonged searches using evidence and agrees changes to terms, requirements or priorities.strong

Managing recruitment progress

Shows where candidates drop out and which actions can secure a new starter.

  1. Updates stages, contact dates, spending and rejection or withdrawal reasons.basic
  2. Identifies a stage losing candidates and proposes a measurable change.solid
  3. Connects sources, timelines, costs and hiring outcomes; checks the impact of changes.strong
Builder

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Tick what this person does at your company. On the right is the ready profile: copy it or open it in PapaHR.

Recruiter

Bring suitable employees into the business within agreed timelines and recruitment budgets.

Duties
  1. Clarify role responsibilities, essential requirements and reasons for hiring.
  2. Agree selection stages, start dates and decision makers.
  3. Write clear job adverts reflecting actual working conditions.
  4. Choose sourcing channels suited to each role and budget.
  5. Approach candidates directly and review incoming applications.
  6. Conduct screening interviews and check experience against role requirements.
  7. Present candidates with evidence, concerns and expectations.
  8. Arrange hiring manager interviews and collect candidate decisions.
  9. Discuss offers and support candidates until their first working day.
  10. Update recruitment stages, spending and reasons for rejection or withdrawal.
  11. Communicate decisions and agree next steps with candidates.
  12. Review hiring outcomes with managers after the probation period.
  13. Check references with the candidate's consent.
  14. Coordinate an employee referral programme.
  15. Maintain a talent pool with agreed arrangements for future contact.
  16. Coordinate volume hiring for a new location.
  17. Coordinate external recruitment agencies.
  18. Train managers to ask questions that test candidate experience.
  19. Coordinate intern recruitment with educational institutions.
Open the profile in PapaHR

Recruiter KPIs

  1. New starter plan attainment — Actual starts / planned starts × 100%. Mistake: Counting accepted offers as employees who have started.weight 25% · month
  2. On-time start plan attainment — On-time starts / planned on-time starts × 100%. Mistake: Changing agreed start dates retrospectively to meet the target.weight 20% · month
  3. Probation period pass rate — Probation passes / employees with completed probation periods × 100%. Mistake: Counting probation periods as passed without manager assessment or before completion.weight 20% · quarter
  4. Offer acceptance rate — Accepted offers / offers with final responses × 100%. Mistake: Excluding declined offers or counting offers awaiting a final answer.weight 15% · month
  5. Cost per starter budget adherence — Budgeted cost per starter / actual cost per starter × 100%. Mistake: Omitting agency fees and paid advertising costs.weight 10% · quarter
  6. Timely response rate — Timely responses / all responses due × 100%. Mistake: Treating an automatic application acknowledgement as feedback after an interview.weight 10% · month
Calculator

Work out the KPI bonus

Enter how much of each target was met, in percent, and the bonus at 100%. You can change the weights.

KPIWeight, %Achieved, %Share
New starter plan attainment
On-time start plan attainment
Probation period pass rate
Offer acceptance rate
Cost per starter budget adherence
Timely response rate
KPI total
Bonus
Sum of weights

The weights are an example. They should add up to 100%.

Interview questions

Scorecard

Run the interview and get the result

Score each answer from 1 to 5 and the total is worked out by competency. Keep this page open on your phone during the interview.

Defining the hiring brief

Describe a role with conflicting requirements. What did you clarify with the manager, what changed, and how did the search end?

✓ Listen for: Specific conflicts, questions about responsibilities, agreed changes and the search outcome.

⚑ Red flag: Started searching without clarification, then blamed candidates for not matching.

Recall recruiting for an unfamiliar role. How did you understand the work and decide whom to present?

✓ Listen for: Analysis of responsibilities, examples of outputs and screening criteria.

⚑ Red flag: Relied solely on job titles and prestigious previous employers.

Candidate sourcing

Describe a role with no suitable applicants. Where did you search, how did you approach people, and what happened?

✓ Listen for: Reasons for choosing sources, outreach messages, responses and suitable candidates.

⚑ Red flag: Only reposted the advert and waited for applications.

Recall a sourcing channel that failed. What evidence showed this, and where did you redirect time or budget?

✓ Listen for: Comparison of suitable candidates and starters, a decision and measured results.

⚑ Red flag: Judged the channel solely by the number of applications.

Assessing experience through evidence

Recall a strong application that raised doubts about experience. What did you ask, discover and recommend?

✓ Listen for: Personal actions and results, evidence behind concerns and relevance to requirements.

⚑ Red flag: Judged speaking style without checking experience.

Describe a candidate assessment you got wrong. When did you realise, what had you missed, and how did later interviews change?

✓ Listen for: A specific oversight, consequences and new questions or practical checks.

⚑ Red flag: Denies mistakes or simply recommends trusting intuition.

Candidate communication

Describe a finalist who hesitated over an offer. How did you uncover concerns, what did you discuss, and what happened?

✓ Listen for: The candidate's actual motivations, approved terms and an honest account of the outcome.

⚑ Red flag: Promised changes the manager had not approved.

Recall a delayed interview decision. What did you tell the candidate, what did you do, and did they stay engaged?

✓ Listen for: Timely contact, an explanation, a revised date and follow-up actions.

⚑ Red flag: Stopped communicating until the manager decided and saw no problem.

Working with hiring managers

Describe a manager rejecting candidates without explanation. What did you do, what did you agree, and how did recruitment change?

✓ Listen for: Specific rejections reviewed, clearer criteria and changes to later shortlists.

⚑ Red flag: Sent more applications without finding out why candidates were rejected.

Recall handling several urgent vacancies. How did you agree priorities, allocate time and communicate risks?

✓ Listen for: Business impact, agreed priorities and revised timelines.

⚑ Red flag: Promised equally quick results without assessing workload.

Managing recruitment progress

Describe how recruitment stage data revealed a delay. What did you change, and how did you check the result?

✓ Listen for: Starting data, the specific bottleneck, an action and comparison of results.

⚑ Red flag: Lists reports but cannot identify a decision they informed.

Recall a candidate who accepted but never started. How did you investigate, and what changed for later finalists?

✓ Listen for: Candidate contact, an established cause, changes and the next search's outcome.

⚑ Red flag: Recorded the withdrawal without trying to understand the cause.

Score at least one answer and the result shows up here. ·
Track candidates in PapaHR

Test task

Plan recruitment for a customer support specialist · 2 hours

Practice scenario: a small business sells inventory software to shops. It needs a written customer support specialist to explain settings, handle enquiries and report bugs to a developer. The role is remote, weekdays from 09:00 to 18:00 in the employer's stated time zone. The manager requests support experience, clear writing and knowledge of the software, but will discuss training. The salary budget and start date have not been provided. Practice candidate cards: A supported online shoppers through chat, writes clearly, can work these hours and does not know the software; B has used the software, worked in sales, has no writing samples and can work these hours; C supported similar software but can work only evenings. No other information is available. Prepare up to two pages: questions for the manager; provisional essential and desirable requirements; two sourcing channels with reasons; an initial message to A; a decision on each card with missing information; screening questions; and a first-week action plan. Separately explain how you would assess a candidate's written reply. Do not search for real people or publish an advert.

How to assess it

  • Clarifies pay, start date and acceptable experience gaps.
  • Separates confirmed requirements from the manager's assumptions.
  • Chooses channels likely to reach written customer support specialists.
  • Does not invent skills missing from candidate cards.
  • Checks incompatible working hours before inviting candidates to interview.
  • Assesses the clarity, accuracy and usefulness of written replies.
  • Proposes achievable actions and feedback deadlines.

Ready job ad

Recruiter at [company]

Help [company] find employees for [business areas]. Manage recruitment from the hiring manager's brief to the new starter's first day.

What you will do

  • Recruit for [list of roles].
  • Agree requirements and hiring timelines with managers.
  • Find candidates through applications and direct outreach.
  • Interview candidates and present evidence supporting your recommendations.
  • Arrange meetings, discuss offers and support new starters.
  • Report recruitment progress, spending and reasons for rejection or withdrawal.

What we need

  • Independent recruitment experience covering [types of roles].
  • Ability to source candidates beyond incoming applications.
  • Ability to assess experience through specific work examples.
  • Ability to agree criteria and timelines with hiring managers.
  • Habit of recording decisions and responding to candidates promptly.

What we offer

  • Pay: [salary in $] and [bonus terms].
  • Hours: [schedule]; arrangement: [office, remote or hybrid].
  • Location: [city].
  • Workload: [concurrent vacancies] across [priority areas].
  • Sourcing tools and budget: [what we provide].
  • Manager support and training: [details].
  • Apply: [contact]; selection process: [stages and timelines].

In PapaHR this text becomes a job opening with a careers page and a candidate pipeline.

90-day onboarding plan

Before day one

  1. Prepare a vacancy list with priorities and reasons for hiring.Manager
  2. Provide email, recruitment software and calendar access.IT
  3. Collect current adverts, message templates and hiring terms.HR
  4. Schedule first-week meetings with hiring managers.Manager

Day one

  1. Explain the business, team structure and cost of unfilled roles.Manager
  2. Explain recruitment stages and candidate data access arrangements.HR
  3. Check access and record questions about current vacancies.New hire
  4. Agree how offers and sourcing expenses are approved.Manager

First week

  1. Hold briefing meetings for priority vacancies.New hire
  2. Approve essential requirements, selection stages and planned start dates.Manager
  3. Prepare adverts, sourcing channels and initial candidate messages.New hire
  4. Review initial interviews and candidate assessment accuracy.Manager

30 days

  1. Manage the agreed vacancies independently and update stages.New hire
  2. Present suitable candidates with evidence against requirements.New hire
  3. Review decision delays and the quality of initial shortlists.Manager
  4. Adjust sourcing channels using responses and interview outcomes.New hire

60 days

  1. Support approved offers and planned employee starts.New hire
  2. Compare channel spending with candidates sourced and actual starts.New hire
  3. Collect manager feedback on the first new hires.New hire
  4. Address an agreed cause of candidate losses at a problem stage.New hire

90 days

  1. Report starter plan attainment and reasons for deviations.New hire
  2. Assess hiring accuracy using completed probation periods.Manager
  3. Agree sourcing improvements and the next period's hiring plan.Manager
  4. Discuss probation period results and the next level of autonomy.Manager

Probation period goals

  1. Prepare clear, verifiable briefs for assigned vacancies.By the end of week one, managers confirm responsibilities, essential requirements, stages and planned start dates.
  2. Deliver employee starts against the agreed probation period plan.Sample target: 100% of planned starts by day 90; agree the plan in week one.
  3. Make recruitment progress clear to managers.By day 30, every active vacancy shows stages, next actions, deadlines and reasons for delays.
  4. Improve a recruitment stage where candidates drop out.By day 90, show baseline data, the implemented change and results against a target agreed beforehand.

Career path

Junior Recruiter

Sources and screens candidates against agreed requirements with support from a mentor.

To move up: Manage recruitment from brief to start independently and explain candidate decisions.

Recruiter

Manages several vacancies, agrees search terms and supports candidates until they start.

To move up: Consistently meet the plan, handle difficult roles and improve a problem recruitment stage.

Senior Recruiter

Fills difficult roles, helps colleagues assess candidates and improves sourcing methods.

To move up: Develop skills in team workload planning, recruiter development and recruitment budget management.

Recruitment Manager

Agrees hiring plans with the business, assigns vacancies and takes responsibility for team results.

To move up: To broaden the role, develop workforce planning, onboarding and employee assessment skills.

Questions for a 1:1 meeting

  1. Which vacancy has the highest risk of missing its start date?
  2. Which manager requirements restrict the search, and what evidence supports this?
  3. At which stage are we losing suitable candidates, and why?
  4. Which decisions do you need from me to move recruitment forward?
  5. Which channel produces suitable candidates, and which only consumes budget?
  6. What most often stops finalists accepting offers or starting work?
  7. What have we learned from feedback on recent hires?
  8. Which vacancy should we reassign or postpone to protect priorities?

Mistakes in hiring and managing

  1. Hiring a recruiter solely for a large contact database.
    Better: Use a scenario to assess briefing, sourcing and experience assessment skills.
  2. Judging performance by the number of applications forwarded.
    Better: Review suitable candidates, actual starts and completed probation periods.
  3. Demanding a filled role without agreed terms or decision deadlines.
    Better: Approve requirements, pay, start dates and hiring manager feedback deadlines.
  4. Blaming the recruiter alone for early departures.
    Better: Jointly review assessment, promised terms, management and onboarding.
  5. Assigning recruitment, employee paperwork and office errands without priorities.
    Better: Agree workload and protect sourcing time for the most important roles.
HR in money

What a bad hire costs: Recruiter

The same calculation as in PapaHR «HR in money»: the cost of hiring plus the salary for the months the new hire worked at half capacity.

One leaver
A year

In the first months a new hire delivers about half the result, so the company pays the other half of the salary for learning. In PapaHR the calculation uses your real leavers.

Questions and answers

How does a recruiter differ from an HR manager?

A recruiter focuses on hiring, from the manager's brief to the candidate's first day. An HR manager usually also handles onboarding, employee assessment and other people matters. A small business can combine the roles if the workload is agreed beforehand.

Which KPIs suit a recruiter?

Start with planned employee starts and agreed recruitment timelines. Add offer acceptance, costs and outcomes of completed probation periods. Agree targets that reflect role difficulty and managers' involvement in selection.

How many vacancies can one recruiter handle?

There is no universal number: repeat hiring and specialist searches take different amounts of time. Estimate direct sourcing, interviewing and candidate support for each vacancy. Then agree priorities and timelines rather than promising to fill everything at once.

Can you hire a recruiter with no experience?

A junior role can work if a manager or mentor reviews hiring briefs and interviews. Use a practice task to check attention to detail, writing and clarifying questions. Assign complex searches independently once these skills are demonstrated in practice.

Who decides whether a candidate is suitable: the recruiter or the hiring manager?

The recruiter checks agreed requirements and presents evidence about the candidate. The hiring manager assesses professional suitability and makes the hiring decision within their authority. Agree criteria and decision makers before the search begins.

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