HR Consultant Mock Interview
Practice 40 HR Consultant interview questions covering compliance, organizational development, and client advisory scenarios.
Question 26 of 40
When a major HR problem arises, what is your first reaction?
Experienced
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Example Answer
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Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"When a major problem arises, my first instinct is to jump in and fix the issue. I am a doer and also think in a reverse-engineering manner. I start with the desired result and work my way backward, figuring out where the roadblock initially occurred. After this initial reaction, I work closely with others in a team effort to get things figured out."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
When things go south in the workplace, the HR professional is often the first place a company will look for answers. To get a feel for how you handle problems within the workplace as an HR Consultant, your interview will be looking to hear that you have your emotions under control and that you are ready to step into action at any given moment. Your job is people, and people are unpredictable. Your interviewer also wants to hear that your reactions to problems reflect maturity and professionalism. Demonstrate that you take a systematic approach to problem-solving rather than react impulsively when an HR-related problem occurs.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"My first inclination in the event of a major problem is to roll up my sleeves and jump in to fix it or help mitigate some of the potential blow out. This initial reaction is especially true when the problem involves an employee's wellbeing, or if there is a risk of harassment or a confidentiality breach."
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Anonymous Answer
I start by asking questions to slow the person down who is reporting the situation to me (they are often emotional). I am calm when I ask questions, but I respond with empathy to what I have heard. I speak slowly and tell them what I am hearing is important, and I want to get all the facts down, so I will take notes. If the person affected is reporting the situation to me, they often need to be taken care of before addressing the issue.
Rachelle's Feedback
Your method comes from a place of care, empathy, compassion, and understanding. Well done.
Anonymous Answer
I would stay calm as others in the situation may need someone who can take the lead and not 'freak out.' I would try to collect as much information as I can from the parties before responding to ensure my advice on how to proceed is found. I would consult the policies, collective agreements, and professional practice guidelines on a given job where relevant to support any advice. In cases where there may not be a clear collective agreement item or policy to help guide decision making, it is good to bring the issue to labor relations or the person responsible for HR policy to get their feedback on how it will impact further actions of the organization.
Rachelle's Feedback
Your approach is thorough, and it's clear that you follow important HR policies and practices. If you have experienced a situation like this in the past, I recommend changing your wording from 'I would...'(hypothetical wording can hint that you have not experienced this situation) to 'I do...'(active wording insinuates that you have experienced this before). For example: "When a major HR problem arises, I stay calm...I collect as much information as I can...I consult the policies..."
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