Within the HR sector there are a range of different jobs at different levels, however you can prepare for standard interview questions that explore your human resources technical skills and experience.
Here we look at the typical human resources interview questions that explore your technical skills and experience. Go to the human resources interview guide to view the behavioral interview questions to expect in the HR job interview.
Top 20 Policy Analyst Interview Questions and Answers for 2022
Emphasize what you learned from an experience
Its important to emphasize the lessons you received from handling a policy issue at work and how you might apply these ideas to future situations. This helps you show an ability to grow professionally after experiencing a complex situation, plus allows you to better maintain a positive tone. For example, if your response involves helping a company improve an overtime policy, you might elaborate on how you learned critical collaboration skills and the importance of rest to increase workplace productivity.
Example 2
“I worked as a retail associate at a chain store called Sunnyside Clothing. During my time in this position, there was one instance where my perspective on a policy differed from my store manager. She wanted to change the way we folded and stacked garments to improve efficiency. This decision actually slowed down our stocking abilities, as we had to re-train this task and experienced obstacles when incorporating this change into the procedure.
After a month, we adjusted to the new policy and eventually became just as fast with the new folding sequence as we were beforehand. From reviewing the situation, I can acknowledge that it was a helpful change despite the challenging adjustment period in the first few weeks. We all complied with the change because we trusted our manager and she was confident that the new methods gave the store a more upscale aesthetic, which I felt was correct. I learned to trust my experienced supervisors decisions, which Ive followed at all subsequent jobs.”
How to answer the “Have you ever complied with a bad policy at the workplace?” interview question
Here are some steps you can follow when preparing for this interview question:
7 Sample answers to “Tell us about a time you had to comply with a policy or procedure that you did not agree with” interview question
In my last job in a warehouse I did not agree with the way we organized the stock in the place. I’ve been working with stock for ten years, and could clearly see that it wasn’t the most effective way of organizing it. As a result we often we did not have enough space for incoming supplies. I shared my concerns with the logistics manager. They heard me out and said they’d look into it. But nothing changed. I pointed out the issue again, but it was quickly dismissed. So I continued to do my job, as well as I could, though I knew it wasn’t the most effective way of work. But someone else was responsible for making decisions, and I accepted it as a fact.
Because this is my first job application, it is impossible to narrate any similar situation from work. But I didn’t agree with certain procedures at school, such as segregation of students with special needs in separate classes. In my opinion we should try to integrate the students into regular classes, regardless of the degree of their disability. Once they leave the school there won’t be any segregation in the job market, any special conditions for them… But I also acknowledge that I am still young, and may not understand all the pluses and minuses of inclusion or segregation at school. School administrators should know better, and hence they decided for segregation. I didn’t agree, but I complied.
There was so much bureaucracy in my last job. We had to report exactly what we did during each 30 minutes in work. In my opinion, it was a stupid policy. Because sometimes you spent 5 minutes from each working hour reporting, remembering what you did, and at the end of the working day you spent 1 hour reporting about things you did, instead of doing more things. It was actually one of the reasons why I left the company, but while I worked there I complied to the policy.
I’ve been in an army for ten years, and I can assure you that I do not have a problem with obeying rules and procedures. To be honest, it is not my business to think about the internal policies of the organization or company, because it’s not my organization. Someone else set the rules and if I decided to work for them, I have to obey them. I think that it is important to study the rules and to learn about everything important before you start the job. Once working, however, we should respect the rules.
* Do not forget to check the complete list of behavioral (tell us about a time…) interview questions.
I found it hard to respect the “silence after 10pm” policy in the last hostel where I worked, and disagreed with this rule. Mostly young people stayed at the place. At 10pm the fun just starts in such hostels, at least in my opinion and experience. But maybe the owners or managers had to respect some regulations set by the municipality, or they had their own reasons for this policy, which I could not understand from my position of an ordinary employee. Nevertheless, they were not prospering, and I had to leave the place anyway.
I have never found it hard. Prison is a place of order–or at least it should be. Working as a correctional officer, I considered it extremely important to adhere to the rules, to follow all protocols. Yes, it can be difficult sometimes. For example when you have to take a coercive action against an inmate, and you know it isn’t necessary. But if they break the rules they have to be punished.
We had a strict no mobile phones and no social media policy in my last job, or at least that’s how I interpreted it. This was something really hard for me to follow. I must admit I was addicted to looking at my phone and checking my Instagram and Facebook. But I did not realize this until I started to work for the company. It was hard to comply with the rules, but at the end of the day they helped me to beat my social media addiction. I am grateful that the company had such strict rules in place.
Refer to school or public life if you have no working experience
Speaking honestly, our entire life is ruled by laws and policies. And this is true regardless of your country of origin or residence. Unless you are a renegade and gave up on human society, you have to comply with policies and laws.
If you apply for your very first job, you can refer to a situation from school, public life, court of justice, anything. But the attitude should remain the same–you found it difficult to comply with the policy, but you eventually did comply, because you respect the decision makers. Or you did break the rules and ended up in police custody for one night, but that’s not the story to share with your interviewers :).
* May also interest you: How to dress for an interview?
Why did you decide for a career of a pilot?
Say them that you enjoy flying, and that you believe to be a responsible person. You can also say that you have all skills and strengths needed for this type of work. Alternatively you can refer to an experience that motivated you to pursue the career, such as meeting a pilot when you were young, or having passion for aircraft models since childhood.
The key is to convince them that you really want the job, and did not apply just because you’ve already spent a small fortune on your studies and training.
FAQ
How do you answer interview questions about policy?
When answering this question, be clear and concise. Use an example of a recent policy you analyzed and guide the interviewer through the steps you took and the resulting outcome. Example: “When analyzing a policy, I work in four phases. First, I determine the issue with the policy that I need to resolve.
What are the 10 most common interview questions and answers?
10 Common Job Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
Could you tell me about yourself and describe your background in brief? …
How did you hear about this position? …
What type of work environment do you prefer? …
How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations? …
Do you prefer working independently or on a team?
What are the 3 P’s in the interview process?
The key to successfully answering this question is to prove why it was necessary. I would suggest the best type of example for this question is a clear customer service incident – A time where you have gone above and beyond to help and delight a customer – But had to break a rule in the process.
