People Operations Playbook

A Recruiter’s Secret Interview Questions

by Paula comfort, chief recruiter at Hire ground talent

To really uncover what is not on the resume you need to be a researcher, investigator and navigate a real true honest conversation with the candidate. Interviewing for what is not on the resume is a powerful strategy to uncover qualities, skills, and experiences that may not be explicitly listed. Here are a few of my secrets as a long time recruiter, to really help me get to know the strength of the candidate, and just as important, their ability to thrive and be successful within a companies culture.

1. Ask About Gaps or Transitions

Can you walk me through a period when you were between jobs or making a significant career transition? What were you doing during that time? This helps reveal the candidate’s resilience, decision-making process, and how they manage uncertainty.

2. Explore Personal Projects or Passions

Tell me about any personal projects, hobbies, or volunteer work you have been involved in. How have they influenced your professional development? This can provide insight into the candidate’s creativity, commitment, and the skills they have developed outside of formal employment.

3. Inquire About Soft Skills

Can you describe a situation where you had to rely on your communication, leadership, or conflict-resolution skills? This focuses on critical soft skills that are often not detailed on a resume.

4. Probe for Problem-Solving Scenarios

Describe a time when you faced a significant challenge that was not related to your job responsibilities. How did you approach it? This question digs into the candidate’s problem-solving abilities and how they manage unexpected situations.

5. Ask About Values and Motivations

What drives you in your professional life, and how do those motivations align with your personal values? Understanding a candidate’s core values can indicate how well they will fit into the company culture.

6. Uncover Learning and Growth Experiences

Can you share an experience where you learned something new outside of a formal job setting? How did it impact your career? This can reveal the candidate’s willingness to learn and adapt, which is crucial for growth.

Not only with these questions help you determine a candidates abilities for a specific role, they will also help you build out an open conversation to really get to know the person in front of you so you can make better, long term hiring decisions.

Hire Ground Talent is a boutique recruitment agency specializing in executive search and leadership roles. From C-suite and other corporate roles covering all departments to onsite managers – HGT has successfully placed top talent. To fully support talent management, HGT formed a Collective which includes onboarding, employee engagement, learning and development, retention, demographic tends in the workplace and talent optimization.

Paula Comfort

chief recruiter at Hire ground talent

Paula Comfort is not your average recruiter! With more than 25 years in the health, fitness, wellness industry, she has either personally performed or had direct reports in all departments within the industry. During her tenure she has been responsible for…

Is Hiring Your Biggest Challenge?

by Tom Johnston, Talent Optimization Consultant at Talent Optimizer Group

The traditional hiring process can be time-consuming, particularly when it involves sifting through large numbers of resumes and conducting multiple rounds of interviews. It’s exhausting, expensive, and frustrating for both your team and your candidates.

Interviewing Like an Investigator

by paula comfort, Chief recruiter at hire ground talent

Careful interviewing is a skill to be mastered. Avoiding generic questions in interviews is crucial to uncover both meaningful insights, and to understand the candidate’s unique fit for the role and your team. Generic questions often deliver predictable, rehearsed responses that fail to reveal the depth of a candidate’s experience, skills, and personality.