sujata1jan
3

Hi All
Next week I have to take few interview of Genearlist HR professionals. I would like to know what kind of questions can be asked if his/her competency is in Recruitement / Performance Appraisal / Payroll / Employee Relation.
An early response would be highly appreciated :D
Regards
Sujata

From India, Faridabad
poojabansal
15

Hi Sujata, I hope the inputs that I gave u over phone will help u. Keep me updated. regards, Pooja
From India, Pune
sujata1jan
3

Hi Pooja Yes. It is really helpful. I posted this requirement before talking to you but could not resist my temptation for this :D Regards Sujata
From India, Faridabad
sujata1jan
3

Hi All I am shocked to see the response. PPL from HR background are not able to give suggestions on this :shock: Please give your valuable inputs it is higly urgent.
From India, Faridabad
patelmahadev
1

Dear All,
i have received offer letter from the one of the leading engineering compnies and my mothly package is Rs.20000 which doesnot include bonus but i am not clear about difference between CTC PM and Monthly Package.
Please get me clear in above said area.
With regards,
Mahadev

From India, Mumbai
vikramsing
hie there all the hr folks :) , im doin my mba in HR and soon will be facing interviews for placement and can someone share the info on the questions asked for and what kind of answers are expected plz respond to my request
thanks alot


Rajat Joshi
101

Hi Sujata,

Am listing the sample of questions and since there has been a request from freshers to know the questions, therefore am providings FAQs.

Questions on Generalist HR depending upon the profile & experience, you are seeking - take one process and understand the same from his perspectives and ask questions accordingly to understand his/her level of the understanding of the process.

1.. Tell me about yourself.

The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short statement prepared in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise. Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest back and work up to the present.



2.. Why did you leave your last job?

Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers, or the organization.

If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special, or other forward-looking reasons.

3.. What experience do you have in this field?

Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.

4.. Do you consider yourself successful?

You should always answer yes and briefly explain why. A good explanation is that you have set goals, and you have met some and are on track to achieve the others.



5.. What do your colleagues say about you?

Be prepared with a quote or two from co-workers. Either a specific statement or a paraphrase will work. "XYZ, a co-worker at ABC Company, always said I was the hardest worker she had ever known." It is as powerful as XYZ having said it at the interview herself.



6.. What do you know about this organization?

This question is one reason to do some research on the organization before the interview. Find out where they have been, and where they are going. What are the current issues, and who are the major players?

7.. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year?

Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones handy to mention.

8.. Are you applying for other jobs?

Be honest but do not spend a lot of time in this area. Keep the focus on this job and what you can do for this organization. Anything else is a distraction.



9.. Why do you want to work for this organization?

This may take some thought and certainly should be based on the research you have done on the organization. Sincerity is extremely important here, and will easily be sensed. Relate it to your long-term career goals.



10.. Do you know anyone who works for us?

Be aware of the policy on relatives working for the organization. This can affect your answer even though they asked about friends not relatives. Be careful to mention a friend only if they are well thought of.



11.. What kind of salary do you need?

A loaded question. A nasty little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like, "That's a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position?" In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not, say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.

12.. Are you a team player?

You are, of course, a team player. Be sure to have examples ready. Specifics that show you often perform for the good of the team rather than for yourself are good evidence of your team attitude. Do not brag, just say it in a matter-of-fact tone. This is a key point.

13.. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?

Specifics here are not good. Something like this should work: "I'd like it to be a long time." or "As long as we both feel I'm doing a good job."

14.. Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that?

This is serious. Do not make light of it or in any way seem like you like to fire people. At the same time, you will do it when it is the right thing to do. When it comes to the organization versus the individual who has created a harmful situation, you will protect the organization. Remember firing is not

the same as layoff or reduction in force.



15.. What is your philosophy towards work?

The interviewer is not looking for a long or flowery dissertation here. Do you have strong feelings that the job gets done? Yes. That's the type of answer that works best here. Short and positive, showing a benefit to the organization.

16.. If you had enough money to retire right now, would you?

Answer yes if you would. But since you need to work, this is the type of work you prefer. Do not say yes if you do not mean it.





17.. Have you ever been asked to leave a position?

If you have not, say no. If you have, be honest, brief, and avoid saying negative things about the people or organization involved.





18.. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization.

You should be anxious for this question. It gives you a chance to highlight your best points as they relate to the position being discussed. Give a little advance thought to this relationship.





19.. Why should we hire you?

Point out how your assets meet what the organization needs. Do not mention any other candidates to make a comparison.





20.. Tell me about a suggestion you have made.

Have a good one ready. Be sure and use a suggestion that was accepted and was then considered successful. One related to the type of work applied for is a real plus.





21.. What irritates you about colleagues?

This is a trap question. Think "real hard" but fail to come up with anything that irritates you. A short statement that you seem to get along with folks is great.

22.. What is your greatest strength?

Numerous answers are good, just stay positive. A few good examples:

o Your ability to prioritize.

o Your problem-solving skills.

o Your ability to work under pressure.

o Your ability to focus on projects.

o Your professional expertise.

o Your leadership skills.

o Your positive attitude.





23.. Tell me about your dream job.

Stay away from a specific job. You cannot win. If you say the job you are contending for is it, you strain credibility. If you say another job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with this position if hired. The best bet is to stay generic and say something like: "A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute, and can't wait to get to

work."

24.. Why do you think you would do well at this job?

Give several reasons and include skills, experience, and interest.

25.. What are you looking for in a job?

See answer #23.





26.. What kind of person would you refuse to work with?

Do not be trivial. It would take disloyalty to the organization, violence or lawbreaking to get you to object. Minor objections will label you as a whiner.



27.. What is more important to you: the money or the work?

Money is always important, but the work is the most important. There is no better answer.

28.. What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is?

There are numerous good possibilities:

o Loyalty

o Energy

o Positive attitude

o Leadership

o Team player

o Expertise

o Initiative

o Patience

o Hard Work

o Creativity

o Problem solver



29.. Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor.

Biggest trap of all. This is a test to see if you will speak ill of your boss. If you fall for it and tell about a problem with a former boss, you may well blow the interview right there. Stay positive and develop a poor memory about any trouble with a superior.



30.. What has disappointed you about a job?

Don't get trivial or negative. Safe areas are few but can include:

o Not enough of a challenge.

o You were laid off in a reduction.

o Company did not win a contract, which would have given you more responsibility.

31.. Tell me about your ability to work under pressure.

You may say that you thrive under certain types of pressure. Give an example that relates to the type of position applied for.

32.. Do your skills match this job or another job more closely?

Probably this one. Do not give fuel to the suspicion that you may want another job more than this one.



33.. What motivates you to do your best on the job?

This is a personal trait that only you can say, but good examples are:

o A challenge

o Achievement

o Recognition

34.. Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends?

This is up to you. Be totally honest.



35.. How would you know you were successful on this job?

Several ways are good measures:

o You set high standards for yourself and meet them.

o Your outcomes are a success.

o Your boss tells you that you are successful.





36.. Would you be willing to relocate if required?

You should be clear on this with your family prior to the interview if you think there is a chance it may come up. Do not say yes just to get the job if the real answer is no. This can create a lot of problems later on in your career. Be honest at this point and save yourself future grief.





37.. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead of your own?

This is a straight loyalty and dedication question. Do not worry about the deep ethical and philosophical implications. Just say yes.





38.. Describe your management style.

Try to avoid labels. Some of the more common labels, like "progressive" , "salesman" or "consensus", can have several

meanings or descriptions depending on which management expert you

listen to. The "situational" style is safe, because it says you will

manage according to the situation, instead of "one size fits all."





39.. What have you learned from mistakes on the job?

Here you have to come up with something or you strain credibility. Make it a small, well-intentioned mistake with a positive lesson learned. An example would be ... working too far ahead of colleagues on a project and thus throwing coordination off.



40.. Do you have any blind spots?

Trick question. If you know about blind spots, they are no longer blind spots. Do not reveal any personal areas of concern here. Let them do their own discovery on your bad points. Do not hand it to them.



41.. If you were hiring a person for this job, what would you look for?

Be careful to mention traits that are needed and that you have.



42.. Do you think you are overqualified for this position?

Regardless of your qualifications, state that you are very well qualified for the position.



43.. How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience?

First, if you have experience that the interviewer does not know about, bring that up. Then, point out (if true) that you are a hard working quick learner.



44.. What qualities do you look for in a boss?

Be generic and positive. Safe qualities are knowledgeable, a sense of humor, fair, loyal to subordinates, and holder of high standards. All bosses think they have these traits.





45.. Tell me about a time when you helped resolve a dispute between others.

Pick a specific incident. Concentrate on your problem solving technique and not the dispute you settled.

46.. What position do you prefer on a team working on a project?

Be honest. If you are comfortable in different roles, point that out.



47.. Describe your work ethic.

Emphasize benefits to the organization. Things like, "determination to get the job done" and "work hard but enjoy your work" are good.





48.. What has been your biggest professional disappointment?

Be sure that you refer to something that was beyond your control. Show acceptance and no negative feelings.





49.. Tell me about the most fun you have had on the job.

Talk about having fun by accomplishing something for the organization.



50.. Do you have any questions for me?

Always have some questions prepared. Questions involving areas where you will be an asset to the organization are good. "How soon will I be able to be productive?" and "What type of projects will I be able to assist on?" are examples. What are the key challenges for this position for next three months.

The well prepared answer to this question can get you the job as interviewer by now may have forgotten the answers of his first 5 questions- therefore this question is the last before summing up- invariably he/she is evaluating whether to or not to select you and answer one gives decides whether you leave the room as job-seeker or bag the offer letter!.

Best wishes!

Rajat Joshi

From India, Pune
sujata1jan
3

Hi
Thanks Rajat for your valuable inputs however I would appreciate if you could give some idea of questions which I can ask from Generalist HR related to Recruitement, Payroll, Performance Management and Employee Relation if they have 2-3yrs of exp & their competency lies in that area.
Waiting for your reply.
Thanks
Sujata

From India, Faridabad
Rajat Joshi
101

Hi Anchal,

Welcome..am glad these tips were useful for you..

Hi Sujata,

If you have to interview HR Generalist , first draw up the competencies you are looking for..specific for the organization..for instance good at C&B, PMS or OD, IR etc..

Take the one process as mentioned in his/her CV relevant to you and one ask the following questions..

Payroll:-

What are generally accepted norms for the structure of payroll/C&B?.

How are the following components like Basic, HRA, LTA etc determined?.

What are the tax implications and how would you go about designing the structure of a person with expectations of XYZ salary etc..

Recruitment process:-

The recruitment as understood by the interviewee..

How does he/she meets the targets.

How does one go about the selection process & tools used?.

His/her value addition to the company?.

PMS:-

Knowledge of the PMS and how & why of the process administered.

knowledge of 360 degress and its working

Holistic thought process behind the PMS.etc..

Hope this has given some pointers..essentialy one needs to take the relevant process handled and his/her understanding of the same.

Last & most importantly, the organizational fit of the candidate to your organization is to be assessed..after the interviewing is an Art.. :)

Am providing the sample questions which can be used..

Exit Interviews



1. Do you conduct exit interviews? {If no, please go to question 4}



2. Who is typically involved in an exit interview? {Please include the number of individuals involved and their titles/position}



3. How long does a typical exit interview usually last?



Administrative tasks



4. What types of administrative tasks are associated with an employee leaving the organization? {Ex. processing records, security, payroll, benefits; Notice Period}



5. How many individuals are typically involved in completing the administrative tasks associated with an employee leaving? What are their titles/positions?



6. How much time does it take for ALL administrative tasks to be completed?



Advertising



7. In what ways do you advertise openings for a new / replacement positions? {Newspaper, Internet, etc.}



8. Do you usually advertise for multiple positions at the same time? If so, in a typical year, how many positions do you advertise for at one time?



9. What types of advertising costs do you typically encounter when trying to recruit for a position? {Please provide cost estimations for each category of advertising costs}



Recruiter



10. Do you use recruiters in trying to find qualified candidates? How many recruiters do you employ? {If none, please go to question 15}



11. What types of activities will a recruiter typically perform?



12. Is this recruiter paid on a consulting or salary basis?



13. If salaried, what is the salary range for a recruiter? If consulting, what is the typical consulting fee?

{If consulting, please specify the amount of the recruiter’s time associated with the consulting fee.}



14. In a typical year, how many new employees does the recruiter recruit? How many will actually be hired?



Travel



15. Do you pay any travel costs (either for the recruiter or the applicants) during the hiring process?



16. If so, what is the average per position?



Processing applicants



17. How do you process applications and resumes?



18. Who handles this task? {Please specify the number of individuals involved and their titles/positions}



19. How much time is associated with processing applications/ resumes?



20. What types of background checks do you perform on prospective employees?



21. Who is involved in this task? {Please specify the number of individuals involved and their titles/positions}



22. How many background checks do you typically conduct for a single position?



23. How much time is associated with conducting background checks on a single applicant?



Interviews



24. How many interviews do you typically conduct for a vacant position? Do you ever conduct multiple interviews with the same applicant?



25. Who usually conducts these interviews? {Please specify the number of individuals involved and their titles/positions}



26. How much preparation time do interviewers usually need for these interviews?



27. How long do these interviews typically last?



28. Once interviews have been conducted, how do you choose which applicant to extend an offer to?



29. Who is involved in this selection process? {Please specify the number of individuals involved and their titles/positions}



30. How long does the selection process typically last?



Stipends and bonuses



31. Does your organization pay stipends to employees assigned to shortage areas (niche talent / expertise employees)?



32. In the past year, what percentage of such employees who received niche expertise stipends?



33. Does your organization pay other bonuses to new employees?



34. In the past year, what percentage of new employees received other bonuses?



Post-employment tasks



35. What types of administrative tasks must be completed after a candidate is hired? {Ex. establishing payroll, security, benefits, computer passwords, email; dissemination activities}



36. Who is involved in these tasks? {Please specify the number of individuals involved and their titles/positions}



37.. How long does it typically take for these administrative tasks to be completed?



Orientation



38. What types of fresher support activities (Induction Plan) do you offer new joiners? {If none, please go to question 47.}



39. How many new joiners attend these activities in a year?



40. Who is involved in conducting these activities? {Please specify the number of individuals involved and their titles/positions}



41. What type of time commitment is usually required of the individuals involved? {Other than the fresher’s}



42. Are new joiners given any orientation materials? If so, what are the costs associated with the materials for EACH of them?



Training



43. How is your organization assisting employees with the new requirements for professional development training associated with certification?



44. For employees in their first year in the company, how much professional development will you organize? {In terms of cost for training, training materials}



45. How many days are the new joiners don’t attend work due to professional development training?

Regards,

Rajat Joshi

From India, Pune
ashra
3

Hi Sujata,
I would like to know from a HR Professional how he/she would handle a large scale layoff in a reputed company due to various factors. How to handle the employees, the customers, the media, the shareholders etc. I have a case study on this and the views are more than welcome.
Tks,
Ashra :)

From Sri Lanka
Community Support and Knowledge-base on business, career and organisational prospects and issues - Register and Log In to CiteHR and post your query, download formats and be part of a fostered community of professionals.






Contact Us Privacy Policy Disclaimer Terms Of Service

All rights reserved @ 2024 CiteHR ®

All Copyright And Trademarks in Posts Held By Respective Owners.