- Tell me how you contributed to the company’s success in your previous position.
- Describe a suggestion you made to senior management in the past that benefited the organization eventually.
- Have you ever faced a dilemma in your job? …
- Tell me about a time you managed to motivate your subordinates.
Hiring a VP of Human Resources means you’ll need to ask the right questions in the interview process. Here’s a comprehensive list of the top six VP of HR interview questions you should mull over before your next hiring spree (or prep with, if you’re a VP of HR candidate).
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER Interview Questions and Answers! (PASS your HR Manager Interview!)
Recall a time you resolved a conflict between an employee and their immediate supervisor.
Conflict resolution is another skill fundamental to working in human resources. Show the hiring manager that youre experienced in addressing the needs of employees, enforcing company policies and maintaining positivity in the workplace. You can describe the situation and explain how your actions contributed to a positive result.
Example answer: “An associate approached me with concerns about their supervisor micromanaging. They explained they produced quality work, but the supervisor tried to control every hour of their workday, which made them feel less motivated. I formalized the complaint and contacted the supervisor to hear their perspective. Thats when I realized that the source of the conflict was due to a lack of communication between both parties. I mediated a meeting between them so the employee could express their concerns and the supervisor could explain their leadership style. The meeting provided understanding, and the atmosphere improved moving forward.”
What training programs are the most important for cultivating a pleasant work environment?
The purpose of this interview question may be to assess your ability to implement training procedures that can benefit employees and the organization as a whole. Contemplate programs that have been successful in your previous roles. Explain why you feel they are significant or employees to complete.
Example answer: “Diversity and inclusion training is one of the most important programs employees can undergo in the workplace, especially if the corporation has an international workforce. I think we can all benefit from learning how to communicate with and respect our coworkers from different backgrounds. Workplace safety and ethics training are also essential for a pleasant work environment. Employees can feel secure when working on projects, and they can learn proper techniques for identifying and managing ethical dilemmas”
Describe your leadership style.
The VP of HR is a leadership position, which means it may be your responsibility to supervise professionals who work in the HR department. The interviewer may ask this question to determine if your approach to management can achieve company goals and align with the personalities of current and future employees. In your response, highlight your leadership experience and skill set you can use to be a successful manager:
Example answer: “I believe in giving team members the freedom to handle their tasks how they see fit. Showing them I have confidence in their abilities may encourage them to be productive, and they can work at their own pace to accomplish professional growth. My first priority as a leader is to build relationships with employees so they feel comfortable contacting me with questions and concerns. I also prioritize frequent communication, where I set my expectations and encourage employees to suggest new ideas for how we can work to meet our goals. My strategy is to benefit everyone.”
Read more: 6 Leadership Theories for Career Growth
The VP of HR is always a salaried position. Depending on the size of the organization, the vice president of human resources often reports directly to the CEO or COO of an organization although sometimes the CHRO or chief human resource officer has this distinction. Depending on the structure and size of the organization, the Vice President of Human Resources works with the executive team to discuss business objectives. They view financial documents and work to understand how the focused programs and services they offer the organization drive revenue. The VP of HR works to integrate people into the full scope of business operations evaluating how the impact of human capital benefits the overall organization. This position is heavily focused on business metrics, reporting, and analytics directly in contrast to the administrative roots of the industry. This is an exempt level position and often a key decision maker at the company. This VP of HR position is sometimes called the VP of People, however, the organizational structure of an HR team varies.
9) After learning about this opportunity, what made you take the next step and apply for the job?
Interviews are the single most important candidate selection tool after the application and/or resume. When you’re interviewing for high-level and positions in your human resources department like Vice President of Human Resources or VP of HR, it’s important to be able to assess all candidates using the same data (or scoring). This is where structured interviews come in. In a structured interview, questions are determined in advance and consistent. All candidates should have the opportunity to answer the same questions and be allotted the same amount of time so you can evaluate them based on standard criteria.
1) How do you balance your duties as a member of your company’s executive team with your responsibility to the company as a champion of the culture?
Based on the qualifications you’re looking for, your VP of HR interview questions should be structured so that candidates may provide specific information that will distinguish them from the other candidates you’re interviewing for the position. Asking the right questions during the interview is crucial to selecting the right candidates to hire.
Start optimizing your recruiting process today.
Start optimizing your recruiting process today.
What is the biggest dilemma you have faced in your job? How did you resolve it? Human Resources is the great people problem solvers of your company, and they can often be the moral compass for ethical dilemmas. I like to see that candidates have faced these problems before, and how they reacted to them. Someone who hasn’t had any experience with this, probably isn’t experienced enough for your VP of Human Resources role.
As a search firm that specializes in executive search, we here at The Recruiterie often interview people for VP of Human Resources roles. We examine many things throughout our vetting process, from experience to education, making an emphasis on whether or not the potential hire would fit into your company culture. Learn more about our hiring process here.
These are only a small portion of questions you could ask, and I’m always looking for more! Let us know your favorite questions, or the best questions you’ve been asked in an interview, on our Facebook or Linkedin. For more information on how we can help make your VP of Human Resources hiring process easier, head here.
What are the most important characteristics of a VP of Human Resources that you’ve seen? I like asking this question to see what leadership skills this candidate has seen in other people who have filled a VP of HR role. People often emulate leadership styles they have seen, and liked, before. This question usually gives me a good idea of what they think a good leader would be.
Tell me how you contributed to the company’s success in your previous position? This is a difficult question for a lot of people since we are conditioned to not brag about our accomplishments, but I like to get an idea of what people are proud of that they’ve done.
FAQ
What questions should I ask HR director?
- How do you consolidate HR strategies with overall business objectives? …
- How do you direct and drive a positive work environment? …
- How do you deal with challenges, labor disputes, and violations? …
- What do you look for when recruiting a candidate? …
- How do you promote diversity in the workplace?
What questions to expect when interviewing with a VP?
- What do you like most about working here?
- How has this position changed over time?
- What does my potential team’s role hierarchy look like? …
- What are the main things HR does to assist the department I would be working for?
- What are you most excited about in this company’s future?
What makes a good vice president of human resources?
- What are some major challenges in the future of the industry? …
- What methods do you use to oversee multiple departments and ensure your work is error-free? …
- Can you describe a time when you have had to deliver negative feedback?
