Deutsche Bahn Recruiter Interview Questions
& Process

The first interview was a phone call, which was very friendly and positive. The next interview will be virtual. There will be a case study involved, which the applicant will receive a few days in advance to prepare.

I didn't have a good experience with DB's recruiting process. I applied for a specific recruiting position in Berlin. We quickly scheduled a phone call, which was well-structured. After that, I was invited for an interview that was supposed to take about 4 hours. Unfortunately, two days before the scheduled date, I was told the position was no longer available. They asked if I still wanted to come for the interview to be added to the talent pool. Since I had to prepare and present a presentation on a specific topic, I decided against an interview for a position that wasn't open. It's worth noting that I had already spoken with four different contacts by this point. A week later, I got another call from DB. They told me there was a new opening in recruiting. They gave me some general info and invited me to another interview. They offered a specific date and it was 'take it or leave it,' so I took a day off work for it. The interview was with a mid-level and a senior recruiter from the department. No managers were present. They introduced themselves briefly. Then I gave my PowerPoint presentation on the known topic. There was a Q&A, then another discussion about HR topics. Finally, there was a role-play. I thought it was poorly chosen because it was about re-advertising open positions, specifically in recruiting. I was supposed to act as if I were an HR manager who wouldn't give me information, which made sense since I would already be a recruiter at DB and would know what to do, so why would they ask me questions? To test my skills, they should have given me a task I knew nothing about. At the end, we answered remaining questions. Unfortunately, neither of them could explain their daily work in detail, their biggest daily challenges, or the future prospects for their profession/role. After about 4 hours, I was politely shown out. I was told the HR manager was on vacation for about 3 more weeks, but I would receive 'general' feedback from the senior recruiter within a week. I never received that call or email. About two months later, I contacted the senior recruiter. She apologized profusely, saying 'something like this never happens.' We scheduled a call, but she never called. Even after an email, there was no response. My career profile still shows 'Selection process' since mid-last year. I invested a lot of time: a 1-hour phone interview, preparation for the interview, information gathering, presentation prep, a 4-hour interview. If so many recruiters are involved in your process, how can it be that not one takes responsibility for guiding the candidate through a proper process? Even a general rejection would have sufficed. I was surprised that recruiting has such a low priority at DB, structures seem unclear, a recruiting software/tool hasn't been used for long, and no KPIs are used to initiate improvement measures and controls. Ultimately, a corporation of this size should also think more about the shortage of skilled workers and focus more on the candidate experience.

First, there was a phone call with a junior recruiter from the Berlin recruiting team. They introduced themselves, explained the recruiting area, and the role they are hiring for. The short presentation was informative and felt like an equal conversation (Junior interviewing Senior). Then, we discussed my career path, experiences, and expectations for the role. They assessed my suitability and expectations. Overall, it was quite professional and friendly.