Seeking Engineering HR Manager Interview Questions – What Works Best in Your Experience?

We have an opening for an HR Manager at our EPC Company. Therefore, I need an Engineering Technical Questionnaire for the interview to select the right person. Anyone in the same industry, please share your experienced questionnaire.

If your company handles EPC projects, what kind of projects are these? Where are they handled, and which industry, in general, is your customer?

The Role of an HR Manager

The position of HR Manager has a distinctive functional identity. Why do you think this position should have technical knowledge? If technical knowledge is that important, why not shift the existing technical manager laterally and have them work in HR?

What is your designation, and in what department do you work? Was your selection based on technical knowledge? Whether you work in a technical department or not, why are you not able to develop technical questions?

Technical knowledge is required for an HR Manager, but it is a secondary requirement, not a primary one. Therefore, when selecting a person for this position, concentrate on whether they have handled recruitment for a similar business. The second factor to consider would be your organization's cultural issues. What are the cultural issues hindering your organization's growth? You should be able to judge if that candidate is capable of solving those issues.

To a certain extent, this issue can be solved through "Behavioral Interviewing." If you wish to master this technique, feel free to approach me.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear Mr. Dinesh Divekar,

Thank you for your detailed explanation on the technical part. I am already aware of everything you have explained, although I find myself in a situation where I need to work according to management's expectations. Management is looking for a technical HR professional who can handle overall branch HRM control independently and without any hindrance. As a member of the management team, I am responsible for selecting the right person for this position, which is why I have posted this question.

Once again, thank you for your valued reply.

Best regards, [Your Name]

It appears that your challenge is different, but you are trying to find a solution in an HR Manager with technical knowledge. If you have very well-defined systems and processes, then whether a person has technical knowledge should not matter. With well-defined systems and processes, common sense and an above-average IQ are sufficient to implement these.

Evaluating Branch Operations

Are your branch SOPs updated? How many branches do you have? Do all the branches function in a similar fashion? Are the measures of performance well defined? In that case, any HR Manager can be inducted, and you may ask them to work in another branch for two weeks. A two-week induction training is sufficient. If you wish to enhance their technical skills further, let them undergo induction training even in the ongoing projects.

Project Review Meetings

Do you conduct project review meetings upon project completion? If yes, are the minutes recorded? If so, the newly inducted HR Manager can review those minutes to understand the challenges that an average project manager faces during projects.

HR Management and Technical Knowledge

Regarding HR Management, apart from recruitment, technical knowledge is not required in routine activities like payroll processing, submission of statutory returns, etc. Branch administration falls under general administration.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar