ASKING CANDIDATES QUESTIONS HELPS THEM

Deep-dive questioning recruiters do isn’t just for clients, it actually benefits candidates too.

𝐈 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫: “𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.”
And they’re right—some don’t. But that’s often because they’re not working in detail with clients either. They’re simply CV-forwarders, logging profiles in portals or racing to send a CV to the BD at a big multi-strat before a competitor does. That’s not the kind of recruitment that truly helps anyone.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞’𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫:

🔹 𝐖𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. If a client isn’t sure about you based on your CV, we can give them more context, highlight your strengths, and overcome objections that might have otherwise cost you an interview. A CV never tells the full story, but a recruiter who understands you can.

🔹 𝐖𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰. Because we work closely with funds, we know much more than just “they’re hiring.”

𝐖𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮:
✅ The fund’s culture and team dynamics
✅ What the hiring manager values most (beyond the job spec)
✅ How they typically assess candidates in interviews
✅ What red flags to avoid in conversations

This kind of insight can be the difference between winging it and walking in fully prepared.

🔹 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. If we understand your skills, goals, and motivations, we’ll only put you forward for relevant roles—rather than sending you into processes that won’t go anywhere. And while I know you don’t want to waste your time, I don’t want to waste mine either—especially not the time of a multi-millionaire (or billionaire) fund manager. I definitely can’t afford to pay him back, so doing things properly saves us all time.

🔹 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲. When recruiters know you well, we become genuine advocates for you. Clients listen to us because they trust our judgment—and that trust can open doors that a CV alone can’t.

So, yes, recruiters who ask a lot of questions may seem intense. But the right recruiter does it because they care about getting it right—for both sides.
Would love to hear from candidates—has a recruiter’s insight ever helped you land a role? And hiring managers—have you seen the difference between CV-forwarding and real recruitment?