Am I Wrong for Asking Cultural Questions in an HR Interview? Seeking Advice from Peers

I have interviewed an internal employee for a role elevation from executive to a managerial position. I questioned him on Maths and Business knowledge, and he was weak on this topic. I asked him about his favorite subject, and he mentioned Tamil as he is from Tamilnadu. I then asked him about the 2nd Thirukural, to which he replied that he didn't know the answer. He later complained to his superior about the Thirukural question. His superior questioned my superior about why such questions were asked in the interview. Consequently, my manager called me and scolded me for asking such questions!

Dear Professionals, please advise me. Am I wrong?

Objections raised by the applicant are valid. In the internal job placements, why did you ask irrelevant questions?

The Role of a Manager

A manager's job is to meet the deliverables of his or her department. To meet these deliverables, he or she must ensure the work is completed by subordinates. Effective managers require job knowledge and people-handling skills, which encompass conflict resolution, negotiation abilities, interpersonal skills, and more.

Value Addition in Managerial Positions

For a managerial position, whether the job candidate is internal or external, they are expected to add value. Value addition stems from industry knowledge, awareness of competitors, an innovative mindset, and more. Rather than focusing on these aspects, your approach seemed bureaucratic. What questions were posed regarding "Maths and Business knowledge"? Would the same questions have been asked of an external job candidate?

Relevance of Mathematics and Business Knowledge

Why was there a need to test on Mathematics and Business knowledge? Are the use of mathematical or statistical tools essential in that department? Could you clarify which department this position is in? Were questions asked relating to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Key Result Areas (KRAs) of that department?

Recruitment Standards and Decision-Making

Some companies have stringent recruitment standards, only considering candidates with scores above 70%. Does your company adhere to such high standards? Is the decision-making process primarily analytical? Does your company utilize Operations Research (OR) techniques routinely?

Departmental Practices and Techniques

By the way, in which department do you work? What mathematical and statistical tools do you utilize in your role? What quantitative techniques are employed in your work? If you are from HR, have time and motion studies been conducted in your company? Have models of Linear Programming (LP) been used to determine optimal manpower? I am curious about this information.

I have analyzed the situation objectively. There is no personal animosity intended.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

The Role of an Interviewer: More Than Just an Expert

In my opinion, the role of an interviewer is more akin to that of a psychologist than merely an expert on the subject. The purpose of a career interview, especially for internal candidates, is to ascertain their suitability for the position they are vying for, rather than to make subjective conclusions against their candidature by asking baffling questions on elementary subjects.

If the interviewer adopts a negative mindset, as the interview progresses on such a note, it's natural that the ego of the interviewer gets strengthened, leading them to indulge in mind games by asking irrelevant questions. One should always remember that someone capable of assessing another with one hundred percent accuracy in a few minutes is yet to be born.

Regards