What Interview Questions Should I Expect for HR Roles in Payroll, Generalist, and Recruitment?

Kindly shed some light on the general questions asked in an interview for the HR department under the following categories:

Payroll Processing

HR Generalist Area

Core HR (Recruitment)

Soft Skills

Thank you.

Payroll Processing

- What are the rates of EPF and ESI contributions?
- What components of wages and salary should be considered for computing EPF and ESI?
- What is the rate of contribution to the labor welfare fund, if applicable?
- Should you provide pay slips to employees?
- How do you remit PF and ESI contributions?
- How do you show Leave Without Pay?
- What is CTC, and what items can be included in CTC?
- What are minimum wages?
- Is there any method/formula prescribed for salary break-up?
- Does gratuity form part of CTC?

Generalist Area

- What is employee engagement?
- What is PL/earned leave?
- How do you calculate earned leave under the Shops Act/Factories Act?
- What are HR functions?
- What are the wage limits for eligibility under EPF, ESI, and Bonus Acts?
- What is the maximum gratuity payable under the Act?
- What is the minimum service required for an employee to claim gratuity?
- What is the duration of maternity leave admissible to a woman employee?
- What is the quantum of medical bonus admissible to a woman employee under the Maternity Benefit Act?
- Is there any minimum service required for a woman employee to claim maternity benefits?

Recruitment

- What details do you verify at the time of recruitment?
- What documents do you obtain at the time of recruitment?
- What is a letter of intent?
- What is an offer letter?
- What is an appointment letter?
- Is there any difference between an offer letter and an appointment letter?
- What should an offer letter contain?
- What are the important clauses in the appointment letter?
- Is a medical examination mandatory at the time of recruitment?
- What is the duration of probation?
- If an employee is not confirmed upon the expiry of probation, what is its effect?
- What are the rates of bonus under the Bonus Act 1961?

Hard Core HR

- Read important provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act, Factories Act, and Standing Orders Act.
- Understand the scope of the following terms:
- Retrenchment, lay-off, closure, and the procedure to effect all three.
- Strike and lock-out and their requirements in a public utility service.
- Public utility service.
- Unfair labor practice.
- Definition of factory under Factories Act & ESI Act.
- Settlement under I.D Act.
- Award under I.D Act.
- Acquaint yourself with recent amendments of the I.D Act, ESI Act, and Gratuity Act.
- What is conciliation and its procedure?
- What are the methods of peaceful settlement of disputes?
- What is a trade union?
- Is there any procedure prescribed under the Trade Unions Act 1926 to recognize trade unions?
- What is collective bargaining?
- Can you terminate an employee during probation for unsatisfactory service by giving the required notice?
- Can you terminate the service of an employee by paying wages in lieu of notice for misconduct committed by him?
- Can you recover your financial loss from gratuity?

Regards,
B. Saikumar
HR & Labour Law Advisor
Mumbai

I was working with a recruitment firm. Now I work for one of the Big 4. They asked me about the entire recruitment process from A to Z. Since I was relatively new to working with a big firm, they asked me why I chose HR. Also, they asked me general knowledge questions, mostly about politics.

Thank you.

A recruitment consultant does not have to handle any HR, let alone any hardcore HR. The profile of a recruitment consultant is more of a marketing nature. Consequently, the candidate need not know HR, and the profile is more focused on marketing. Thus, the emphasis is on questions of a general nature. A candidate for a real-time HR position needs to know the basics of HR and recent developments in HR.

Regards,
B. Saikumar
Mumbai