A former HR employee revealed the big question he recommends asking at the end of every job interview.
The TikToker, named Miles (@milesmadeit), posted the advice in a now-viral video. He starts his clip by explaining that he thinks everyone should work in human resources at some point.
“I don’t care if it’s an internship, full-time job, whatever,” he says. “You need to learn how the system works from the inside.”
From there, he offers one of the biggest insights he gleaned from his time in HR. It’s a simple question, but Miles says it can help you understand a lot about the status of your job candidacy.
“You need to say, ‘With respect to your time-to-hire metrics and my competing opportunities, could you be so kind as to share the hiring timeline for the role,'” Miles explains.
As Miles points out, many recruiters have goals oriented around time to hire, which measures how quickly a candidate is processed, evaluated, and ultimately hired for a role.
Basically, Miles says, the question is meant to determine if the role is a priority. If the job is on a fast timeline, the recruiter may be transparent about it.
“They won’t mind sharing IF they have a timeline,” he wrote in a caption.
The big thing Miles warns against is when recruiters say they’re “waiting for the right person.” That phrase, he claims, signals that the company isn’t in a hurry to fill the role.
“[That means] we might hire today or next year or NEVER,” he wrote in another caption.
Miles’s advice is just the latest example of career transparency to go viral on TikTok. In the past, users have shared simple tips, such as how to “secretly” check your notes during a video interview.
Others, meanwhile, have shared insights about specific careers. In one clip, a software engineer detailed some of the job’s negative, less-discussed side effects. In another, a historian shared why history degrees aren’t as “useless” as some people think.
In the case of Miles’s video, many TikTokers were grateful for the advice. Others supported his tips.
“Recruiter here. He is on point!” one user wrote. “Even if you aren’t interviewing elsewhere, say so anyways. They move MUCH faster then.”
“I just had someone ask me the timeline question. I’ve been in HR for almost a decade!” another added.