HR Director Interview Preparation Guide

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This HR interview question may also be followed by the more direct, “Why were you laid off?” Kennedy says it is an attempt to figure out if there’s something wrong with you that your former company or that other potential employers have already discovered. The HR interviewer may be trying to determine if themes of recession and budget cuts were used to dump second-string employees, including you. Rather than answering the question directly and chancing an emotional response or misinterpretation, Kennedy advises punting. Respond: “I don’t know the reason. I was an excellent employee who gave more than a day’s work for a day’s pay.”

“The intent of this HR interview question is to gather intel on the competitive job market or get a handle on what it will take to bring you on board,” says Kennedy. There are two directions to take: Coy or calculated. “You can choose a generic strategy and say you don’t interview and tell, and respect the privacy of any organization where you interview,” she notes. Or you could try to make yourself appear in demand by confirming you’ve received another competitive offer, which may up the bidding for your services. Always bring the focus back to this position, by asking: “Have I found my destination here?”

Good managers are a vital part of any company. In my experience, managers who have even some experience doing the job of those under them are more effective than those who have only ever worked in management. I try to hire managers who are people-oriented rather than process-oriented. When managers are focused on helping people achieve their goals and have meaningful connections with others, they are able to inspire more productive and satisfied workers.

This section of the HR Manager interview questions and answers gives you an opportunity to tell your interviewer a little more about your personal style of management. Letting your potential employer know about your past experiences is a great idea here. Give real examples from your past positions to illustrate your HR managerial brand. You could give a step by step analysis of how you will approach certain aspects of your position in relation to the employees you will be working with. You could also give an example of how you have managed employees in the past.

Yes, I was feeling exhausted after years of non-stop work. So, I decided to take a break and spend some time with my family on a rejuvenating vacation. I am happy to have returned fully recharged.

I would like to know about the career growth I can expect being with this company. I am quite an ambitious person and this information will be helpful.

The field of IT is very revolutionary. It is extremely important to keep yourself abreast with the new technological developments and this needs you to take some time out of your work schedule so that you can keep sharpening your saw.

To answer this question, you can tell the recruiter about the forums which you keep visiting, blogs which you keep reading. It will be an advantage if you are a member of some local user group.

The whole work of software development or IT is a team work. So, the only answer to this question can be: “Yes, I am comfortable working in a team.” If you have any problems in working as a team, it is important to work on them and develop yourself as a team player.

This one really is a tricky HR interview question, says Kennedy, because most interviewees expect that knowing someone on the inside is always a good thing. “Nothing beats having a friend deliver your resume to a hiring manager, but that transaction presumes the friend is well thought of in the company,” she says. Because the HR interviewer will likely associate the friend’s characteristics and reputation with your merits, she recommends only mentioning someone by name if you’re certain of their positive standing in the organization.

The human resources director is involved in proactive tactics to strengthen the company by strengthening the overall communication and effectiveness of the managers and employees. Someone employed as a personnel manager is responsible for responding and reacting to issues among the personnel in a company. Though personnel management can be involved in motivating employees by providing bonuses and rewards, the HR director is responsible for helping managers and other personnel perform at their best to yield better results and satisfaction. This sometimes involves bonuses and rewards, but as an experienced HR director, I apply a more nuanced approach that includes developing good policies and procedures and encouraging proper training and leadership development among employees to lead to cooperative success across teams.

Of all the HR Manager interview questions and answers, but for this one in particular, you will want to know about the company you are interviewing with. It is always a good idea to research a company before you interview. Knowing about a company’s structure, mission statement and working environment will help you to answer this question fully and give the answer your interviewer wants to hear. Knowing specifics about the company will show that you are already paying attention and that you are committed to your potential position. This is also a great opportunity to talk about your successes in the past. Limit your responses to a few great examples that illustrate your competency.

Another good idea is to let your potential employer know that building a community is more important than specific individuals. Your potential employer will want to know that you understand that making sure the company, as a whole, is strong is better than fostering a few talented people.

Yes, there have been many such instances. I like people who challenge my decisions rather than following me blindly. This keeps me ensured that I am surrounded by thinking brains rather than just a set of dumb followers.

When someone challenges your decisions, you are bound to rethink over it and the chances of reaching the best option are brighter.

You have to be careful while answering this question. Do not offer a weakness which will directly affect your selection but at the same time saying that you do not have any weakness will not be right too. Every human being has weaknesses, so it is perfectly OK for you to have some too.

The best way to answer this question will be to turn one of your strengths as a weakness and say that others accuse you of having this weakness but you think it is important to work in this manner. For e.g.: “My colleagues accuse me of paying to much attention to syntax but I believe it is important when you are writing the code to avoid spending too much time on finding and fixing the bugs later on.”

Another way to answer this question is to offer a totally un-related weakness for e.g. “I have been staying alone for so many years now but I still can’t cook independently.”

This HR interview question is a minefield. “One question within the question is whether you learn from your mistakes or keep repeating the same errors,” says Kennedy. Similarly, the HR interviewer may be trying to glean whether you’re too self-important or not self-aware enough to take responsibility for your failings. Perhaps even more problematic, if you answer this HR Interview question by providing a list of all your negative traits or major misdeeds, then you’re practically spelling out your insecurities and guaranteeing you won’t get the job. So you don’t want to skirt the question or make yourself look bad. “Briefly mention a single small, well-intentioned goof and follow up with an important lesson learned from the experience,” she advises.

In my former position, I worked in the HR department of a small computer company. I was responsible for maintaining the records of all the employees in a locked cabinet. I always made sure to keep confidential information about personnel to myself. During my five years at that job, I never misplaced confidential files or misused confidential information about the employees with whom I interacted as I sought to build a successful climate in the office.

I believe that every individual can succeed in her or his career with the proper training. It is essential that HR managers under me are not only aware of and well-versed in the company policies regarding personnel, but also able to sincerely understand how these policies are beneficial to both the employees and the management. With the proper buy-in from those administering the policies, I find that there is greater cooperation company-wide in abiding by the company’s policies and procedures.

☛ How would you describe your management style?
☛ What is your overall approach to human resource management and managing the department?
☛ What is your view on coaching and training?
☛ What is your hiring approach? Where do you find top industry talent?
☛ What is your approach to new employee onboarding?
☛ What is your ideal company culture? How do you define it?
☛ What technology and tools do you believe are essential for HR management?
☛ What do you think is the biggest motivator for employees?
☛ How do you keep employees engaged? What is your best advice?
☛ What is the most effective approach to resolving an employee conflict?

☛ Describe a time you developed a new policy. What did you do to make it work successfully?
☛ Tell me about a time when you implemented an HR initiative, policy or program that didn’t stick. What should you have done differently to avoid that?
☛ Tell me about a time you were successful in driving positive change.
☛ Describe a time when a manager came to you with a problem they couldn’t solve. What did you do?
☛ Tell me about a time you had foreseen a problem with employees/union/vendors. How did you prevent it from escalating?
☛ What actions did you take to shape organizational culture in your past role?
☛ What do you think was your most important contribution to the workplace in your previous job?
☛ Describe me a situation where you had serious challenges and road-blocks in doing your job efficiently. What did you do about them?
☛ Tell me about a situation where you had to disagree with your superiors. How did you approach this and what happened?

☛ What’s your experience with HR software?
☛ What do you know about EEO laws/FMLA/etc.?
☛ What KPI’s do you use to measure the effectiveness of the HR function?
☛ If you have to use three words to describe the role of an HR Director in a company, what would those be? Why?
☛ How do the company’s HR needs influence strategic planning?
☛ What do you do to ensure the HR department’s objectives are aligned with strategic goals?
☛ What is company culture to you? How would you maintain it as the company grows?
☛ What can HR do to influence the company culture?
☛ What steps would you take to ensure diversity in the organization?
☛ How do you stay current and ensure compliance with employment laws?
☛ What is your role in assisting other departments in improving their people practices and adhering to policies?
☛ Let’s assume you encounter a problem but there are no official guidelines for solving it. What is your course of action?
☛ If one of the managers under your supervision made a serious mistake, what would you do?
☛ Imagine one of the stakeholders is asking you to implement a policy while you think it will not benefit the company in the long run. How do you handle this?

Yes, it happened once. I was quite friendly with a colleague of mine from the other department. While talking to him during the lunch hour, I casually told him about the new marketing strategy that the marketing team was thinking about. He mentioned it to his boss and that caused a lot of confusion between the two departments. This taught me a lesson that you must not discuss any departmental strategies with anyone from other department unless you have been authorised by your boss.

I believe that at one point of time in career salary becomes secondary and self actualisation become more important. While taking up any new job, it will be my priority to ensure that the work culture, chances to contribute and grow are sufficient along with the money I am paid. I also believe that any good company who cares about its employees ensures that they are paid well.

There are many people who do not change their jobs for years and when they go out looking for a new employer, this is one of the most important questions they are asked. Some people might look upon staying with the same employer for long as “lack of ambition”.

A good answer to this question can be something like, “Yes, you are right. I stayed with my last employer for almost 5 years but I was continuously growing in the company, doing new things, handling bigger challenges. So, I was quite happy working with them for these many years.” You can then talk about how you grew with your last employer.

Again, it is important to study the requirements of the position before you appear for the interview. List out your strengths and offer the ones that this role demands.

For e.g. If you are appearing for the position of a Tech Lead – VB.net, talk about your VB.net skills, any extra knowledge which you have about coding with VB.net in comparison to other candidates, your team management skills etc.

When I was a new HR manager, I had a hard time understanding how incentives and fringe benefits could be used to help recruit the most talented individuals. Instead, I focused on making sure that the salary offered was indicative of both the job candidate’s previous experience level as well as a genuine sign of the confidence that the company had in that person to grow and contribute to the vision of the corporation. As I continued as an HR manager, I came to see that the people we wanted to hire were more willing to take on the responsibilities and demands of their new positions when they were offered both a reasonable salary as well as signing bonuses and opportunities for performance-based bonuses throughout the year.

“The real HR interview question is whether you are lying to and short-changing your current employer while looking for other work,” says Kennedy. The interviewer may wonder: If you’re cheating on your current boss, why wouldn’t you later cheat on me? She suggests placing the emphasis on why you’re interested in this position by saying you’re taking personal time and that you only interview for positions that are a terrific match. If further interviews are suggested, Kennedy advises mentioning that the search is confidential and asking to schedule follow-ups outside of normal working hours.