Interview Questions For Human Resource Manager Position
Learning Outcomes
Each work day of the recruitment specialist begins with a summary of job seekers. After the selection of suitable candidates, HR-specialist appoints an interview, which tries to understand whether this person is suitable for an open job. Through different interview questions, the HR-specialist would want to determine whether the person possess adequate skills and knowledge. The paper will identify some of the six common questions HR-specialist would ask a job seeker looking for the position of the human resource manager
Question 1: Describe a conflict in which you were involved and how it was resolved?
Justification
This is one of the questions asked during job interview for human resource manager. The interviewer asks this question because conflict management and resolution are one of the major duties of human resource manager. Conflicts, clashes and quarrels are an inevitable feature of the work of any large collective. Management of conflicts and stresses should become one of the important aspects of the work of company management (Yate & Yate 2008). Otherwise, the company risks not achieving all its goals. Most often, the concept of conflict is perceived in a negative light by all its participants, although in itself it means struggle and confrontation, which can manifest themselves in various forms (Hoevemeyer, 2017). Conflict situations can play a positive role if they help the employees of an enterprise develop their skills. In the center of a well-planned conflict, there must be a manager – he must resolve the situation. The confrontation, which was left without attention, sooner or later will remind of itself. The management of such situations should become one of the main functions of management. HR-specialists believe that managers have to spend up to 20% of their working hours in order to study and settle conflicts of various kinds. Interviewer will want to know whether the job seeker understand causes of conflict and conflict management strategies (Reed, 2016). Job seeker who understand conflict not only as a negative phenomenon can get a high chance of being selected. This means that to reap the most out of this question, job seeker ought to know that the presence of conflicts due to clashes of interests is a normal thing within the collective, and without them further development is impossible. Conflictlessness or, on the contrary, high conflicts can reduce the overall effectiveness of the organization. A good job seeker should go ahead and even acknowledge the significance of conflict because the emergence of conflict in the company is not always negative. Its presence allows you to more effectively solve problems in the organization. In some cases, managers themselves provoke their employees to create a conflict. This is necessary in order to “revitalize” the enterprise and find new ways of selling products or services on the market (Zucker & Barger, 2004).
Question 2: How do you look at life: what difficulties and difficulties do you see in it?
Justification
Employers looking for human resource manager often ask such questions so as to determine the personality of job seeker. Some people speak out in the sense that life is difficult, very many problems, most of which are insoluble, that people are evil and malevolent, that in life there are few pleasures and everything is decided by fate, chance or other people, but not by him. So, before you a passive person, unsure of himself, not trusting others, pessimistic and unhappy (loser) (Jafri & Jafri, 2015). Other people speak about life positively: life does not happen without problems, difficulties are overcome, the fate and career of a person is in his hands, people are benevolent and ready to cooperate, the person is the smith of his own happiness (Peel & Dale, 2001). So, says a person who occupies an active life position, aimed at success, ready to take responsibility, successfully interacting with people and knowing how to enjoy life. It should be noted that human resource manager will have a lot of tasks, some of which are challenging and difficult. The main goal of his activity is the combination of available human resources, qualifications and labor potential with the company’s strategy and goals. Before him is a wide range of tasks. The personnel manager carries out the whole cycle of work with the staff: from studying the labor market and hiring staff to retiring or layoffs. He develops a strategy of personnel management, personnel policy and planning of personnel work; provides the organization of personnel with the necessary qualifications, the necessary level and focus of training; analyzes the personnel potential, forecasts and determines the need for workers and specialists; marketing staff; maintain business relations with employment services; plans the organization and control of training, retraining and advanced training of specialists and managers; completing executives, working cadres and specialists with an organization taking into account the prospects for its development; and etc. A person who view life as challenging will not fit to be a human resource manager. This means that a successful job seeker should speak about life positively.
Interview Questions
Question 3: Would you like to ask me questions?
Justification
Too many job seekers breathe a sigh of relief when they hear this question believing they came out unscathed from the interview. They are happy to have finished and wish as soon as possible to shake hands with their interviewer and say goodbye’. By doing so, they miss a superb opportunity. Most employers use this question to determine whether the job seeker know some of the current issues (Oliver, 2005). For effective work, job seeker should not only know his or her subject area well, but also have a good understanding of business processes, clearly understand the features and strategy of your company’s development in the market (Lees, 2012). Job seeker should always up to date with the latest trends in the HR market and try to implement best practices in your work. Special attention should be given to studying the experience of large international corporations, since they have a highly developed personnel management system. In addition, this question is your last chance to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the job and you are a hard worker (Reed, 2017). By answering in the negative, you might seem selfless. To say that you have no questions may be equated in some cases with a lack of curiosity or even interest. Even if the recruiter has answered all your questions, if you absolutely want to be recruited to this position, you will necessarily find points that you want to enlighten (Falcone, 2018). For example, you can always open the details of the recruitment process. The investigative work conducted prior to the interview will also allow you to understand the culture and values ??of the company.
Question 4: If you were an animal, what would you be?
Justification
Employers often ask this question to gauge the creativity of the job seeker (Fernandez Araoz, 2014). Creativity is indispensable attribute for any human resource manager. This question is meant to make job seeker think on his two feet. How quickly and how creative will you be able to respond? If your answer is related to the job, well done, but do not worry too much about the answer. Interview questions of this kind are designed to gauge your personality. If you have difficulty answering on the spot, give yourself some time to regroup your thoughts by answering, for example: “Your question is interesting. I think I should say … “
Question 5: What do you know about the company?
Justification
Employers ask this question to verify if you have done your homework. Demonstrate your enthusiasm for getting the job by learning about the company before your interview (Yeung, 2011). It is likely that your interviewer will not cook you, so you just have to go to the company’s website and do a quick search on Google. Just bringing up the latest news, such as a change in management, an important event for the company, or the recent launch of a product could earn you the first star in your interviewer’s eyes and demonstrate that you’re in control of your business. folder.
Question 6: What are your main strengths?
Justification
It is likely that you will lose this question if you try to gauge your interviewer and tell him what he wants to hear. Your best option is to be honest. You cannot forge an answer for your interviewer without any repercussions. (And you risk failing if you do not keep your word once you are hired.) While it’s great to choose specific skills that fit the job, you may just as well be simple strengths and suitable for any kind of job. These universal forces include: working effectively despite deadlines, strong communication skills and punctuality. It is always interesting to have these skills, no matter what job is on the table.
Conclusion
More often than not, the beginning of a career for HR professionals starts with a job in a recruiting agency, where they recruit the necessary knowledge and skills for further activities. Large companies rarely hire specialists without experience and the basic basis of practical skills. Most employers knows that anyone can become an HR-specialist, regardless of the existing education or work experience. The most important thing in this profession is an orientation toward others and an open life position. It is important to quickly understand what the applicant really is, what he is trying to hide or what he wants to lie. That is why most interview questions are used to test enthusiasm, creativity and honesty.
References
Falcone, P (2018) 96 great interview questions to ask before you hire. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1662506.
Fernandez Araoz, C (2014) It’s not the how or the what but the who: succeed by surrounding yourself with the best. Boston, Massachusetts : Harvard Business Review Press
Hoevemeyer, V A (2017) High-Impact Interview Questions: 710 Behavior-Based Questions to Find the Right Person for Every Job. New York, AMACOM. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=5050357.
Jafri, S, & Jafri, S (2015) Ask quality questions: the first principle. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1004570.
Lees, J (2012) Job interviews: top answers to tough questions. New York, McGraw-Hill Professional.
Oliver, V (2005) 301 smart answers to tough interview questions. Naperville, Ill, Sourcebooks. https://ebook.3m.com/library/BCPL-document_id-6mhg9.
Peel, M, & Dale, M (2001) Readymade interview questions. London, Kogan Page.
Reed, J (2016) 101 job interview questions you’ll never fear again. New York, NY, Plume, an imprint of Penguin Random House. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1148034.
Reed, J (2017) Why you? – 101 interview questions youll never fear again. Penguin Books Ltd.
Yate, MJ, & Yate, MJ (2008) Great answers to tough interview questions. London, Kogan Page.
Yeung, R (2011) Successful interviewing and recruitment. London, UK, Kogan Page. https://proxy2.hec.ca/login?url=https://proquestcombo.safaribooksonline.com/?uiCode=hecmontreal&xmlId=9780749462437.
Zucker, J, & Barger, J (2004) It’s party time!: a Purim story. London, Frances Lincoln.