HR Consultant Interview Questions & Answers

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This is somewhat similar to the “what is your greatest strength?” question and can be handled along the same lines. You want to pick an accomplishment that shows you have the qualities that the company puts value in and that are desirable for the position you’re interviewing for.

Leverage your company research and the job description to find exactly why the company is hiring someone for this position. What problem/pain points does the new hire have to solve? You need to show that you are the perfect candidate that can solve those problems/pain points.

An aspect that many young professionals tend to overlook is the final deliverability of their work and how their efforts can be monetised. The reality is that at the end of the day, someone has to pay and buy a product or service that your company works for.

That’s the trickiest question of all. Answers like, “I’m bored; I don’t like my boss; or I’m changing my job for money”, will put off your interviewer. Instead, answer with something like, “I’m seeking fresh challenges, If you answer, ‘I don't think I’m paid well’, the interview is over. Compensation isn’t considered a good enough reason for changing jobs. Speak of your achievements instead

Any candidate can read and regurgitate the company’s “About” page. So, when interviewers ask this, they aren't necessarily trying to gauge whether you understand the mission—they want to know whether you care about it. Start with one line that shows you understand the company's goals, using a couple key words and phrases from the website, but then go on to make it personal. Say, “I’m personally drawn to this mission because…” or “I really believe in this approach because…” and share a personal example or two.

Tricky as this question is, it provides a great opportunity for you to demonstrate to the interviewer your courage, conviction and logic. Don’t beat around the bush or try to make up an answer; your interviewer will immediately know you are not being honest. “Give a genuine answer and describe an example of disagreement with your senior in the past, where you had put your viewpoint across. What your interviewer also wants to know is how you resolved this issue. So be sure to describe how you handled the disagreement with maturity and how you maintained professionalism and a cordial relationship afterwards.

To answer this satisfactorily, you should have spent enough time understanding the company. “The answer has to show commitment and genuineness. The interviewer, by asking this question, is looking to see whether the candidate is really interested in the role, whether he or she has spent enough time understanding the company and whether they are aware of the challenges and opportunities at a higher level

When you are cornered by such a tricky interview question, you need to stay calm and composed and think back to a time when you actually had to make a tough decision. No one is expecting or asking you to talk about a situation that will be equivalent to India deciding on how to tackle the threat and friendship of China.

So, you can talk about the difficulty you faced when choosing a stream in school or college. That situation was a challenge in your little world and it is worth talking about. Or if you opted for an unconventional career path (anything different from engineering or doctoring), then you can tell the interviewer how you convinced your family to let you go ahead with it.

Never say anything negative about your present employer and don’t mention money as a motivator either. The interviewer will reason that if you’re prepared to leave one organisation for money, you might leave his/her company if another waved a bigger pay cheque in front of you. The safest track to take is to indicate a desire for greater responsibility and challenge, or the opportunity to use talents you feel are under-used. Make sure your abilities are relevant.

I find they generally respond with an answer which they believe can help them get the job rather than introspecting to determine what they are really seeking. As a result, certain candidates tend to create a façade rather than share a true reflection of themselves, which does not help us or them. His suggestion to all those seeking jobs is to first reflect, introspect and clarify to themselves their career goals, inherent strengths, preferences and aspirations, and then evaluate how a particular job opportunity fits in with their career goals.

Talking about your hobbies and interests is a great way to open the paths of communication in a job interview. While you can go out and be completely honest about your hobbies, even if they don’t resound with the job profile, there are certain hobbies you should keep to yourself.

If your hobbies include partying or drinking, then you should look for other hobbies to talk about. However, if you enjoy a good game of football or compete over video games then you can talk about it. But be ready to answer questions asked regarding your hobbies.

If you say you love photography but can’t talk about cameras or any photographer that inspires you, then it may come across as a poor choice or lie. So, prepare well and broaden the spectrum of your hobby.

This is one of the most common interview questions overall! Recruiters usually don’t like to see gaps in your employment history. The best way to excuse a gap is to describe what you were up to in the meantime. A gap is not always a bad thing. You might have traveled, volunteered, started a successful blog, or learned new things through books or online courses. Always be honest. If you have a relevant reason why you were unemployed for a while, say it. Don’t make excuses and by no means say you were trying hard to find a job and you couldn’t get one. It’s always better to say you were unemployed by choice, and not because nobody wanted to hire you. Even unemployment has its perks. You should highlight that this period was enriching and worth it.

We have written an in depth blog post over at: What are your strengths and weaknesses?

DO:
☛ Grab hold of the opportunity this question gives you. This question really lets you guide the interview where you want it to go. This your chance to relate your most impressive success story, so take advantage!
☛ Highlight a strength that is crucial to the position. (As I mentioned earlier)
☛ Find out from your company research and from the job description what strengths the company puts a lot of stock into.

DON’T:
☛ Don’t make claims that you can’t illustrate with a brief example or fact.
☛ Don’t be overly modest but don’t claim to be Superman or Superwoman either.
☛ Don’t name a strength that is irrelevant to the job at hand.

Uploading your resume to a job posting on a website is simply not enough! You must find a way to make connections internally in order to get your resume to the top of the pile. Learn as much as you can about the company so that, if given the opportunity of an interview, you’re able to speak intelligently about all aspects of the firm. Interviewees really impress when they’re able to do this, and, I believe, too few job seekers leverage this strategy.

Finding a job is all about marketing yourself. And, contrary to prevailing wisdom, I firmly believe that it shouldn’t always be about what the company wants. Seriously ask yourself what you want from a company and their leadership team. What does the company stand for, what does leadership value, and do these things resonate with you? Talk to people who work there. Use your connections, or work hard to make connections if you don’t already have them.

This is to check if the candidate is really interested in the kind of role the company is offering. It will also help the interviewers understand whether the candidate has thought through about his or her next job requirement, researched the opportunities in the sector and what he or she is really ready for.

An HR Business Partner has the inside track on the business and on changes that are occurring – or are about to occur. They also have knowledge about the climate and culture of the organization and of roles that are presently available, or may be coming available in the future. As a career professional, it might help to know that impending corporate changes could impact the role that a client is seeking at my firm. With information such as this, the client could be counseled accordingly.

HR Business Partners also have a good sense of the expectations, skills, and capabilities required in a particular industry. For those clients looking to move into a company, the Business Partner might be able to facilitate connections. We typically have extensive networks of contacts and colleagues in a variety of businesses.

This question is meant to reveal whether the candidates prefer being on their own or managed at every step. “We are looking to find out if they would feel less empowered if they are micromanaged or whether they would prefer a free work environment wherein which they get evaluated periodically, senior vice president-talent excellence at Teleperformance. We also ask the potential employees to support their answers by examples from their previous jobs or with their personality traits

Employees are investments, and you expect every employee to generate a positive return on his or her salary. (Otherwise why do you have them on the payroll?)

In every job some activities make a bigger difference than others. You need your HR team to fill job openings, but what you really want is for them to find the right candidates, because that results in higher retention rates, lower training costs, and better overall productivity.

You need your service techs to perform effective repairs, but what you really want is for those techs to identify ways to solve problems and provide other benefits -- in short, to build customer relationships and even generate additional sales.

☛ Here’s a short case study about a client. How would you advise them?
☛ If you disagreed with a team member about something and the deadline was getting close, what would you do?
☛ Imagine a client is reluctant to accept your proposed solutions. How do you handle this?
☛ A client is going through a merger with another company. What would you advise them to pay attention to concerning the workforce? How would you help them in shaping/maintaining company culture?
☛ If a client asked you to propose some IT solutions for HR operations, how would you decide on your suggestions?
☛ Imagine a client asks for your advice in a subject you aren’t familiar with. How do you handle it?
☛ How do you stay current with changes in labor regulations?
☛ What metrics do you use to evaluate a problematic situation?
☛ What do you need to know before starting an investigation for a client?
☛ What can be done in your experience to deal with low employee morale?
☛ Describe a time when you had to solve a problem with a tight deadline
☛ Tell me about a time you produced a solution for a client that saved them money
☛ Have you ever made a mistake during a project? What did that teach you?
☛ Talk about a time you provided an innovative solution when conventional approach failed
☛ Describe a time you had to handle various projects at once. How did you prioritize tasks?
☛ Have you ever had to face an ethical dilemma while working on a project for a client? How did you resolve it?

☛ How did you evaluate the success of HR services in your previous HR position? What was the aspect that you considered?
☛ How did you determine or contribute to determining the priorities of the HR department in your previous position?
☛ In your previous job, how did the HR department contribute to creating, maintaining or changing the corporate culture?
☛ How did you decide or assist in deciding the priorities in the HR area in your last position?
☛ Can you describe a situation when an employee complaint about his or her manager? How did you deal with this situation? How did the problem end?
☛ What actions or programmes that you implemented to improve or maintain work environment, do you think is the best or you feel more proud about?

☛ How would you describe your HR management style?
☛ Do you consider yourself a good manager? Can you provide some examples?
☛ Do you think that you have top executive potential?
☛ In your opinion, what is the most difficult aspect of being manager?
☛ Can you tell me a time when you developed a programme or a process in your company that was finally successful? What were the reasons that led you to identify those need(s)?
☛ What variables do you consider to ensure an appropriate performance of your team?
☛ Can you describe a situation where you had to help a department to implement changes? What was that change about and how did HR to identify the needs? How was the action plan developed?

☛ Are you member of any professional organisation related to HR?
☛ How can you contribute to our company’s success?
☛ In your opinion, what is the best way to communicate the corporate values to employees?
☛ Tell me about any experience that you have setting up new procedures.
☛ How would you manage a conflict between two workmates?
☛ What do you look for in a recruitment process? What kind of individuals?
☛ How would you face a dismissal situation? Have you ever had to fire someone?
☛ Can you describe the process that you normally follow to make a decision about an important issue?

☛ What do you think are the most important positions within the HR department?
☛ What is the position within the HR department responsible for creating the work environment in the company?
☛ If you were responsible for the implementation of a programme in your company, what actions would be your priority?
☛ What is your reaction when a change is introduced in your life and you have not taken part in identifying or planning it? Can you give me an example?

When completing your preparations for the interview, always have this question in the back of your mind.

Have a look at the average salary for someone in this industry, area, and who possesses similar skills to yourself, and you should get a basic idea.

But remember: this is only the first interview. You haven’t been offered the job. There’s no need at this stage to be try and begin negotiations. Giving a broad salary range will usually be enough to move on, but be prepared to back it up if you need to.

The hiring manager is trying to get at your underlying motivations for wanting this job. Are you here just for a paycheck or do you see yourself becoming an integral part of the company and growing along with it? You need to show them that you want to become “part of the family”.