When a major HR problem arises, what is your first reaction?

"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."

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.

"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."

"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."

"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."

How do you develop trust among your team in a virtual, or work-from-home, setting?

"Technology allows for so much these days. By utilizing technology, I can quickly connect with someone, even if we are across the world from each other. I would suggest multiple contests where team members still have to collaborate to get to the end goal. This would help promote a team-based culture and allow staff to get to know each other more personally. This is the best way to develop trust among any team."

If you are an HR Consultant for an organization with team members based in remote locations or work-from-home settings, you must be skilled enough to develop relationships with them despite little to no actual face time. With technology taking over and many workplaces offering more remote opportunities, the interviewer wants to know that you can build relationships - even under the absence of face-to-face interaction. Before your interview, think of some ways that you can and have developed a trusting working relationship under the same circumstances. Talking about how you use technology to build relationships will be a key thing that your interviewer will be looking to hear. Don't hesitate to talk about your ability to be transparent with all staff you work with and discuss how that transparency is even more vital in a virtual world.

"I have not yet led a team of remote employees; however, I believe that the fastest way for a team of virtual employees to get to know each other would be to have a Google Hangout at least once per week. I'm very familiar with this platform, but I'm also learning Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Perhaps, I would even start by asking each team member to develop an introduction video and share it with the team. In the virtual world, I would lead my team in a very transparent fashion to help open the door for a trusting relationship and to help foster this culture among my virtual team."

"Being available, present, and meet my commitments and deadlines. Using the camera function to build a deeper relationship than always communicating over email."

"I establish a set weekly meeting, and I keep it (without fail) - a virtual meeting. I complete all tasks that I commit to doing on time. It is often easier to call each other when there are questions, so I do that. One-on-ones are not negotiable. If the team knows I keep my commitments and make space and time for them, this builds trust."

"Intentions are complicated to convey over email as humans are highly evolved to respond most effectively when they have access to tone and non-verbal communication. I often worry about how I come across when communicating through email, so I try to offer other lines of communication like my phone or to hop on to a video chat in certain situations where I feel it would be beneficial to have a more effective conversation."

Do you have experience using HR data analytics for the purpose of compensation benchmarking?

"I understand the concept of salary benchmarking, and I look forward to learning the tools your organization uses to collect and track this data. The practice of benchmarking is important. I can see numerous benefits to benchmarking salary, including competitive hiring, better market value knowledge, and reduced talent loss due to better-paying roles with competitors. I believe that employee and candidate surveys could be a helpful way of collecting this data."

Compensation benchmarking, or salary benchmarking, is the process of matching the pay of private jobs to similar roles from other companies. For instance, you compare how much your company's competitor will pay for an electrical engineer with five years' experience to ensure your company is competitive in its compensation structure. The practice of benchmarking ensures that you are never out of touch with your company's offering and that your company can more easily attract top talent. Also, when you accurately benchmark, you can better plan for annual employee increases. Discuss the tools that you may have used in this process in the past.

"Compensation benchmarking is a critical task, ensuring that our company is competitive in their pay, allowing us to gain the best talent in the market. Luckily, our company is incredibly generous and competitive, and we pay on average 7% more than our top competitors. I have gathered this information in the past in a few different ways. I have talked with new staff from other employers to find out their compensation system. I have also conducted exit interviews to determine if the salary was a determining factor in an employee leaving. I also pay to participate in industry-specific compensation surveys, where I submit our salary information and then receive a final report tallying all employers that participated. Glassdoor and Salary.com can also be good resources."

"Yes, I have pulled information from my counterparts in the industry to compile compensation benchmarking. I have used data collected by third-party companies in the absence of local market intelligence to create appropriate wage rates and merit adjustments."

"I do not have experience in compensation benchmarking specifically, but in my current role, I use Lawson heavily and have become fairly proficient with Lawson reports. I have been able to pull a lot of important data for other's use from Lawson, so I believe this is a function of reports I can definitely learn quickly if needed."

In which HR software tools are you best versed?

"During my college coursework and my internship opportunity with a large manufacturing firm, I got to work within the Oracle and WorkDay HRIS suites. I would rank myself as a beginner-level user in these systems; however, I am technically inclined to learn your systems very quickly. During my internship, I gained a lot of experience in the Oracle Talent Acquisition system, where I helped work on new recruitment processes to be implemented in the system."

Before your interview, be sure to look at the job posting or job description for clues on the types of programs and software used in this position. If you have experience with these programs, discuss your exposure and rate your experience from beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert. This ranking will make it easier for the interviewer to understand your level of expertise with their programs. If you do not have experience with their preferred software or other tools, discuss how your current knowledge will work in their favor and express your enthusiasm for learning their systems. Keep in mind that your interviewer will be looking to hear your experience in the full HRIS experience, including managing current staff, payroll, talent acquisition, and performance management.

"I see in your job posting that you use ZohoRecruit and Sage HRMS. I have used the Zoho CRM in a previous role, and I am confident in my ability to apply that knowledge to other Zoho products. However, I have not used Sage; I am an expert user in other human resource management solutions such as ADP Workforce and Core HR. I am eager to learn and can begin taking online tutorials for Sage HRMS right away."

"ADP, PeopleSoft, Genesis, Ceridian, WorkDay, Marriott, and Starwood, LMS"

"I am proficient in using Lawson, HR Soft, BambooHR, the Office Suite, and social media for recruiting like Glassdoor, Linkedin, Facebook. I have experience posting positions on Indeed as well."

In your opinion, what are the core competencies of organizational effectiveness?

"From my experience in HR, and working for successful companies in the past, the core areas of focus should be to excel in areas of employee compensation, labor relations, continuous professional development opportunities, employee safety, and systems streamlining. There are other important sub-topics within those, but these are the core competencies for organizational effectiveness, in my opinion."

The interviewer is asking what you believe to be the makeup of an effective organization and really to hear your answer from a Human Resource professional's outlook. Your response will require insight, so draw upon what you have seen in your HR career regarding highly successful companies and those that have not. Discuss which core competencies divide the successful organizations from those that fall flat.

"For an organization to have advantages over its competitors, it often comes down to attracting the best talent in multiple departments. A company needs to be hyper-focused on hot employee topics such as attracting and keeping millennial employees, offering professional development opportunities and regular training, and having a stand-out diversity and inclusion program. Through my internship, I also found out first hand how important open lines of communication are in creating a healthy atmosphere for staff."

"Inspire and motivate others to do their bestSelect the best Talent at the Right Time for the Right JobProvide support to managers (so that they can empower and lead, remove obstacles so they can do their jobs)Provide training and development to your leadership teamPartner within and across teams (departmental and intradepartmental)Provide support without removing responsibility (promote accountability)Communicate"

Where do you see more innovation happening in the Human Resources field over the next five to ten years?

"In my mind, recruitment will be most impacted by innovation in the coming years, just like it has been over the last five to ten years as well. New and innovative sourcing will be essential to finding the right candidates for hard-to-fill positions, especially given the shortage of qualified candidates in a lot of important fields. To add to this, I am a proponent of hiring candidates with soft skills that include change management skills, innovation, and creativity. I think that employers need to focused on hiring the right people with these skills when they are often overlooked during candidate screening and interview processes."

As businesses and industries evolve, expand and innovate, the Human Resources staff need to keep up with innovation to implement new technologies, methods, and ideas to meet the needs of both the organization and its workforce. If asked this question during your interview, your interview definitely sees a growing need for innovation and will task their next HR Consultant for being an agent of change in this realm. Before your interview, be sure to study up and think of creative ways to see innovation impacting the HR world. If possible, do as much research on this organization to try and match new and innovative ways of thinking to help their business grow and thrive for years to come.

"A few months ago, I attended a conference on organizational learning and development and was thrilled to see all of the breakthrough innovations in that realm. Employers are now in a good position to offer cafeteria-style learning and development opportunities to their staff, thus enabling workers to customize their own career development paths. Given that today's workforce is more diverse and more mobile than ever, this is a huge breakthrough in helping to retain the top talent. If I were fortunate enough to be your next HR Consultant, this is definitely an area where I would be focused on new and innovative technologies in the near future."

As our next HR Consultant, what cost saving experience within HR would you bring to our team?

"Cost savings can and should happen in many ways in an impactful HR department. From recruitment costs to labor costs, I always keep an open eye to being wise with company spending. Two years ago, I led the charge to have my current organization join a benefits consortium and leave our own private health, dental and vision insurers. The new consortium was a win-win for both my organization and all employees as the company was paying lower costs per employee, and the staff had lower out-of-pocket premiums, lower yearly deductibles, and a larger provider network to choose from."

With many issues facing businesses and industries today, organizations are always looking to save expenses, and the Human Resources department can surely be tasked with helping the bottom line. While there are many ways you can talk about cost-saving measures in the work you will be doing in this role, it is vitally important that you reiterate that these cost-saving measures do not jeopardize the overall employee experience and engagement in their work. As you talk about cost-saving measures you are familiar with that are effective, highlight how they also can help the overall employee experience.

If hired as our next HR Consultant, what do you feel should be the single most important metric that we focus on for the next five years?

"Over the course of my career, I have found that measuring cost per hire and taking action on improving it can be extremely cost saving for an organization. By focusing on both internal and external recruiting costs like advertising, travel to recruitment fairs, recruiter time spent on a hire, referral bonuses, and interview costs, an organization can focus on putting their money to use in wise ways. I've tracked the effectiveness of different advertising campaigns to ensure we were getting the best returns for our dollars, and I've never hesitated to cut ties with methods that don't produce. It's also great for hiring managers to see hard data on the actual impact that turnover has on the overall bottom line of the organization."

In this day and age, HR professionals have more workforce data at their fingertips than they ever had in the past. The ability to put that data into action is vital for an organization to be successful. With this question, your interviewer is looking to hear your take on the importance of data within Human Resources and what you feel is the most important metric to measure, analyze and take action on. This is certainly an open-ended question that you can feel free to be open and honest on. Just be sure that you justify your answer by explaining why you feel it is vital for this organization.

"I think that one of the most overlooked metrics by organizations is performance management. Too many organizations today utilize an archaic performance management system that is only used a few times each year. I've helped develop performance appraisals that help managers and staff take action on performance daily so that staff is performing to the top of their abilities. I've included 360-degree feedback and both long and short-term goal-setting within performance reviews to achieve this. One of the objectives of the goal-setting process is to ensure that goals can be measured and tracked over time, so our supervisory and managerial team have a stake in the process throughout the yearly cycle."

How do you keep up with changes in legislature and human resource law?

"The best resource I have come across in my HR career is the Society for Human Resource Management. I have a subscription that I pay for, and along with that comes real-time legislative updates. Their website and newsletters are beneficial and also address hot topics and potential upcoming changes. I am an active member of my state's branch of SHRM, where I have led several training seminars for HR professionals across the state. I also subscribe to updates from the Department of Labor. With these resources, I never feel taken off guard."

You likely know that with labor and employment laws continually changing, it could be a full-time job to keep yourself up to date on the changes. If you serve an international team, this question can become even stickier. Show the interviewer that you have an interest in keeping up to date on changes in your industry. Perhaps you have a Google alert set up, a couple of specific resources you lean on, or even an HR lawyer for your company that keeps everyone abreast of changes in your region. Better yet, be sure to talk about the organizations you belong to or publications you receive that help keep you up to date on all legal aspects of the Human Resources field.

"My favorite resource and the most reliable would be my company's employment law attorney. She provides us with legislative updates regularly. I also have a Google alert set up for the Department of Labor and other related keywords. Could you share with me the resources your team uses to stay on top of changes related to human resource law and legislation?"

"I am an active member of CPHR and subscribe to Canadian Law Reporter and local employment law societies to keep up to date on current or trending issues. I also enjoy reading Leadership articles and reviews by HBR."

"I am a member of the HRPA, so I follow their legal updates and get the HR Reporter. They also have a lot of webinars with lawyers that are good refreshers on stuff I already know."

Tell me one valuable skill that you are currently working on improving to be a more complete HR Consultant.

"This year, I have been diligently working on my ability to create curriculum and new training programs for new hires. I hope to have my first course launched next month; however, I still have some technical writing courses to complete before I know it will be perfectly executed. I believe these resources will be beneficial to your organization, and I look forward to sending them your way for review."

Your interviewer wants to see your dedication to professional growth in the HR field by asking this question directly to you. When you are all about professional development, chances are you will pass that excitement onto the employees that you influence as a successful HR Consultant. Give an example of a skill that you wish to develop and may be working on now. Bonus points if you can tie that skill in with a talent mentioned in the job posting!

"I am working on my assertiveness. Sometimes I have a great idea, and I fumble in asserting myself, and I believe that the team would be much better off if I were to have lobbied for my idea. There are also times when I am too understanding to last-minute scheduling requests, which results in an employee shirking their responsibility and others having to pick up the slack. I know that this is a weakness of mine, and I have made it a point to work on it, including reading 'Nice Girls Never Get the Corner Office.'"

"I am currently on my project leadership. I was recently named the project leader for an A3 on overtime reduction. This is my first A3, where I am the leader, so I am excited to work with my team and the resources I have to lower overtime in our business successfully."

"I have been spending time working more on my written communications skills. This skill will become more important in future HR roles as we will rely more on email for communication. In further roles, I will need to talk about more complex issues requiring more tact and clarity, and having practice now would avoid a lot of issues in the future."

What do you believe to be the most prominent human resource trend of the year? Have you yet embraced it?

"With the events across the nation and world that have happened over the course of the last couple of years, I know that HR professionals really now have a focus on eliminating racism in the workplace and eliminating bias when it comes to hiring and promotion decisions. I'd love to be part of this movement with your organization as the subject is very near and dear to my heart."

The HR industry is ever-changing, with trends in technology, appropriate workplace communication, and social issues. The interviewer would like to see that you remain on top of prevailing trends and topics in the industry, ensuring that your knowledge and approach are consistently relevant. Share with the interviewer what you believe to be the hottest topic or trend in human resources this year. As well, be sure to show an interest in this trend by talking about why it is so important to the success of HR professionals and this organization.

"I recently read a Forbes article addressing how companies should be looking at streamlining HR operations with artificial intelligence. I believe that companies who ignore the inevitable AI trends will quickly fall behind. Actions could include blind hiring solutions through machine learning as a service (MLaaS) or further intelligence within applicant tracking systems (ATS). AI is the future of many industries as a whole, and I truly believe that it can be a great tool in the HR world."

"I have seen a lot of resources online lately regarding 'finwelltech' solutions for employees. This term refers to financial wellness technology and how a company can assist with the financial wellness of its employees. These tools offer micro-savings, financial planning, retirement planning, 401K, investments, debt, and even mortgage management. I agree that when an employee feels financially healthy, they will perform better in the workplace, so this is a fascinating topic to me."

"Online learning - yes and no. Not all credentials required for accreditation are available online or by distance education. Cafeteria-style benefits - none of the companies I have worked with has adapted this style Work from home or flex work schedules - yes, with professional services"

"Determining the future of work after COVID-19 seems to be one of the biggest trends in the industry currently. COVID has allowed us to progress to a remote work model much faster than would have been possible before. In this transition, there have been many workplace issues that we are still working through. I have embraced the view that we will go mostly remote after COVID with some in-office time, and I believe we are almost at the place we need to be to make our department functional in this model."

Hiring smart is the key to an organizations' success. What interview techniques do you lean on to ensure effective new hires?

"One of the most significant differences between myself and other HR Consultants is that I have a special set of questions for each role within an organization. It's important that I have a consistent grading system while also keeping an eye out for red-flag responses and never ignoring those. I also look at references and background checks not as a be-all, end-all decision-maker. Lastly, I use personality assessments as a tool to uncover potential issues and strengths, then form 2nd and 3rd interview questions around an individuals' results."

In looking to bring you on as their next HR Advisor, your interviewer wants to ensure that you have a firm handle on effective recruitment and interviewing by hearing how you use the latest and greatest techniques that help you uncover exceptional talent and leave behind the duds. Perhaps you have developed a particular method for tracking and evaluating interview responses. Discuss what techniques you deploy to ensure that your hiring recommendations are solid.

"It's important that results and responses can be accurately measured, in an unbias way, so I will lean on data tools and software geared for measuring responses. Also, I have a background in psychology which seems to help me hone in on particular responses to behavioral questions. I like to interview in a friendly and conversational way that helps a candidate let their guard down, resulting in them showing bits of their genuine personality. It's also important that a hiring decision is never made solely by one person. From my experience, hiring decisions made by search committees of key stakeholders are most successful."

"When interviewing, we were conscious of asking the same questions on phone screens and interviews with all candidates applying for the same position. That way, we ensured we were assessing everyone against the same test. We also tracked how interview scores related to later ratings from clinical and account managers on caregiver performance to see if our questions were effective."

Do you think honesty is always the best policy?

"Sometimes full disclosure can damage someone's self-esteem, and reality isn't always best expressed in full as it can be self-indulgent based on the person's intention. In those instances, honesty isn't always the best policy."

Your interviewer would like to know if you genuinely feel that honesty is the best policy in work as an HR Consultant by posing this question to you. Many will argue that honesty is not always the best policy. Some food for thought - when you are terminating an employee, do you tell them all the reasons why they are being let go, or do you see value in disclosing only what you must disclose. Talk to the interviewer about your thoughts on honesty in the workplace and make sure that you can back up your answer with sound reasoning.

"Honesty is always the best policy. Often, it is just a matter of how you communicate and deliver your message, so managing this with each employee situation is critical to building honest and trustworthy workplace relationships. I've always been a proponent of being open and hones in even the toughest of situations."

"I believe in almost all cases that honesty is essential to maintain the integrity of the relationship between the employees and HR. HR professionals also need to be aware of balancing honesty with confidentiality and legal concerns. However, most of the time, if you are operating ethically and within the law, then there usually should be no problem with being transparent about a process, policy, or decision."

"Always. My dad instilled this in me my whole life, and I find it still to be the right thing to do. I do this throughout every aspect of my life - personal and professional."

What questions do you have for me?

"I would like to ask if there is anything in my background or answers today on which you need clarification. If there are, please don't hesitate to have me clarify. I'm curious if you would have any hesitancy in hiring me for this role because, on my end, I know that I am a perfect fit to join your team of Human Resources professionals to take this organization to the next step."

From your experience being on the other side of the interview table, it's always a great idea to have questions ready for the interviewer. Review the company website and other online resources to ensure that your queries are not mundane or redundant. The last thing an interviewer wants to hear is a list of items you could have found the answers for from merely watching a video on their company site! As always, your interview will gain great insight into your interest in becoming their next HR Consultant if you come to the interview with some great questions.

"Thank you for asking; I do have a few questions. I wonder if you can share what the top two or three goals would be for the person you hire in their first year on the job. As well, I'm looking to hear about some history of this position regarding major accomplishments over the last five to ten years."

"What kind of cross-functional teams will this person be working in?Are there any immediate future changes coming?"

"What is the timeline for this position to be filled? What is your feedback with regards to my candidacy for this position? What do you see as the most significant change for your company in the next 6 - 12 months? What do you enjoy most about working here? Is there any reason you would not hire me?"

What is your perspective on work-life integration and how would you bring them to our organization?

"Work-life integration, or work-life balance, means creating and keeping an important balance between work and personal matters. These days, technology keeps us more connected than in the past. I believe it is more important than ever for an employer to connect with their employees on various topics over and above workplace performance. This approach means offering flexibility around family issues, personal stress, and other forms of conflict. When an employer can meet those additional needs both physically and emotionally, they invest in that employee's future which positively impacts turnover and retention numbers. Last year, I helped develop a policy at my current organization on vacation time usage and carry over days to the following year. We were having an issue with staff not utilizing vacation time because they feared falling behind in their work. I am a firm believer that time away from work is important to cleanse the soul and ease the mind, so our leadership was on board with changing our vacation policy to encourage staff to use their days off. In hand with this policy, we encouraged our department leaders to ensure that coverage was given to all staff who were taking days away from work."

'Work-life balance' has become one of those phrases often used in interviews. The interviewer wants to see that you understand what it truly means and how you can help bring a standardized philosophy to their organization. True work-life integration takes the ability to genuinely meet the complex needs of your employees while listening to the changing workforce demographics. Discuss how you feel an employer can meet the needs of an employee by acknowledging the critical synergy between family and work life. If you have any examples of policies or procedures you've implemented to help promote a healthy work-life balance for staff, don't hesitate to talk about those.

"I genuinely believe that every organization should work hard at addressing the needs of their employees in a multitude of ways. When an employer shows that they care, the organization sees an improvement in retention, turnover, and absenteeism. An organization should focus on work-life integration and be unafraid to tackle family issues and personal stress, dependent care issues, marital conflict, and parental demands. They should also focus on how they approach organizational demands and measuring workplace performance. We are all very plugged in, in this generation. With Millennial workers now making up the majority of the workforce, I feel every company needs to work diligently to meet the social and demographic changes that influence work and family life today."

"Everyone has different relationships with their work; some are happier devoting more energy to work than others. However, I believe that for anyone to be most effective at work, you need sufficient time for yourself to rest and turn your brain off. I think it is part of the job of HR to step in where people might be spread too thin and provide a solution, offering time off, hiring a new person, etc."

Being our next HR Consultant will often require you to inspire excellence in others. What does greatness mean to you?

"To me, success comes when you accomplish a goal, but that goal needs to be something specific that you have your eyes set on. I often encourage my team to set specific goals for themselves. Second, greatness ties into that because without believing that you are great, you will not likely succeed and meet your goals!"

This question is a discovery-based inquiry, genuinely focused on how you think versus what you do. Go with your initial instinct when it comes to how you define success and greatness for your interviewer. There is no right or wrong answer. Show your interviewer that, as an HR professional, you find fulfillment in inspiring others to do their best, and you do this by leading through example.

"I teach my team that greatness and feelings of success come from setting lofty goals and working hard to achieve them. I know the sense of accomplishment when I can make that work, and it makes me feel like I am on top of the world. To help inspire this greatness on my teams, I like to set lofty yet achievable goals that staff members have to put in extra effort to achieve. This sense of achievement helps promote greatness for the entire team."

"Associates trust their leaders and feel inspired to do their best every day. Leaders set the best example to motivate others and inspire others to excel. Clients rate their experiences as exceptional and return to this place of business. Individuals attained their professional goal (promotion, next position), market segment."

Do you possess the knowledge and awareness required to communicate in a multicultural workplace?

"I have a great deal of exposure and experience when it comes to identifying various dimensions of differences, and the significant consequences that come to organizations who do not embrace those differences. Whether it be altering my communication style or creating educational workplace programs which address discrimination, prejudice, and ethnocentrism; I am an active advocate and ally to all employees regardless of their background, lifestyle, or beliefs."

The interviewer wants to know more about your exposure to diversity and a workplace that values the inclusion of all into their workforce. If you have ever developed a workplace culture surrounding intercultural engagement, this is the time to discuss that experience. Show that you have a full understanding of the term 'cultural diversity' and that you are sensitive to the belief systems, values, and identity of those different from you.

"Today, diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of our society as a whole, and organizations need to display a firm commitment to them to be successful. For me personally, I believe that my college education and years of experience working in a variety of industries have helped me to form excellent skills when it comes to communicating with those different from me. Whether those differences come from a language or cultural divide, a person's core identity, or their belief systems, I am highly aware of best practices for sensitivity in the workplace when it comes to communication and more."

"Yes, I have completed cultural diversity management studies and inclusion programs."

If hired at our organization, how would you help incorporate best practices in diversity and inclusion as our next HR Consultant?

"By having a diverse and inclusive workforce here, I am a firm believer that staff will be more engaged in their work and more productive on the job. If hired to be your next HR Consultant, a diverse workforce would start in the recruitment and selection process of new staff. To help ensure an unbiased approach to recruitment, I would look to implement blinding of resumes for hiring teams and recruitment advertisement that reaches a diverse candidate pool. For current staff, I would look to implement training of all staff on unconscious bias, encourage all to accept others from multiple religious and cultural backgrounds and to create employee networks for people to connect with others."

In recent years, diversity and inclusion in the workplace have become an imperative initiative, and the HR professionals within the organizations are often seen as the agents to bring this change in focus to the forefront. Because you will be tasked with recruitment, retention, and employee development at this organization, your interviewer wants to hear specifically what strategies you will help implement to ensure a diverse and inclusive workforce. As you answer, talk about some of the strategies you would consider implementing if hired for this role. Talk about your own personal feelings on why diversity and inclusion are so important for this organization to be successful for many years in the future.

"Five years ago, I attended a national conference on implementing D&I into HR practice and learned a lot of great things. Since then, I've learned that a diverse and inclusive workforce becomes highly adaptable, creative and attracts the best staff possible. If hired to join your organization, my first important goal would be to educated all staff on the importance of D&I in the workplace because being inclusive starts with the firm belief in the philosophy of all involved. To educate all staff, I would conduct training sessions on fair treatment of all staff, business agility, and equal access to opportunity. Once staff education happens, and D&I is a well respected and followed philosophy, the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce would be a much easier goal and process."

Have you ever led a workplace investigation related to discrimination, bullying, or sexual harassment?

"I am new to workplace investigations, but still, I fully understand the importance of creating a safe workplace environment for all. I am looking for a role with an organization that is proactive when complaints arise and are committed to upholding a zero-tolerance policy for sexual misconduct, bullying, or discrimination. I would love to hear more about your organization's approach to handling investigations in these serious matters."

Social issues happen in the workplace from time to time. We are dealing with human beings, after all! At some point during your interview as their next HR Consultant, your interviewer would like to know if you have exposure to the stress and discomfort associated with workplace investigations. Whether you have this experience or not, you can show the interviewer that you are well-trained in professionally handling employee grievances and official complaints. Show that you take these situations seriously by having a set methodology in place.

"I have led two workplace investigations in my career. One situation was related to sexual harassment, and the other was related to bullying. It is unacceptable that these situations still happen, despite endless sensitivity training amongst our teams. I recently brought in a professional speaker to present the fine line between being friendly and harassing someone sexually. This presentation seemed to help somewhat. Now, we have a zero-tolerance policy, and any investigation that finds proof of the accusations results in immediate termination without severance."

"Yes, I have led several work placement investigations, with a few leading to terminations."

"I took a phone call from a crying personal support worker (PSW) who was being bullied by an RPN who worked on another shift with her client. Content of her texts confirmed she was called incompetent, stupid and negligent over a treatment the RPN believed the PSW should be doing on her shift. One of our RNs helped us investigate the care notes and care plan and determine the care was more than satisfactory on both sides, and the treatment was not in the PSW scope of practice but was to be completed by the RPN once a day. We found a new client for the PSW who asked to be moved out of working with her, and we spoke to the RPN about the scope of practice and appropriate communicating with coworkers."

Are you familiar with the term 'outplacement'? Have you ever utilized outplacement services?

"I did learn about outplacement services while gaining my human resources degree and in my internship. I believe it's responsible for a company to provide these support services to any employees they terminate or lay off because it is simply the right thing to do. With that said, it's important to have these services come from a legitimate agency or third party."

Outplacement support is when an organization will help a former employee transition to a new job after being terminated or laid off. These outplacement services occur through an independent consultant or agency and may include solutions such as resume and cover letter writing, LinkedIn profile creation, career coaching, and interview coaching. Discuss your experience working with or offering outplacement services.

"I have a go-to outplacement agency that I refer all former employees to, immediately after their termination or lay-off. An organization must be responsible for the well-being of former employees, doing what it can to assist with the transition to unemployment. I'm curious to hear if this organization offers any outplacement services to former staff."

"Yes, on two occasions as part of a non-culpable separation of two senior associates. They had been with the company for 15 plus years, and through no real fault of their own, they were being separated from the company. I suggested that we included outplacement services as part of the final parting agreement. I generally provided a capped amount to be used within a set period upon completion of employment."

"Outplacement services are provided to help an employee leave involuntarily, finding their next job opportunity and helping mitigate their damages and start their next job as soon as possible. I have used the services of employment centers that offered these services from a recruiter's perspective to find talent with certain locations and skills I had difficulty finding with online applicants."

Have you had to handle a company merger or consolidation at any point during your career? What role did you play if you did?

"While I don't have experience with this a new HR Consultant, I have been a part of a departmental consolidation when I was working my way through college at a food production facility. As a part-time employee there, I saw firsthand how some employees resist change because of the lack of communication. Not considering the team dynamics and culture of those merging can make for a struggle for many parties involved. I learned a lot from this situation that I can bring to your organization as your next HR Consultant. If I were to ever manage a large merger or consolidation, the most important things I would consider and work towards unification on would be team dynamics, culture, and open lines of communication."

Organizational mergers and consolidations occur when businesses look to become more efficient and save costs. Whether large or small, departmental and organizational consolidations are becoming more commonplace in just about every industry, and HR professionals play a huge role in ensuring that they are a success. By asking this question, your interviewer is looking to understand how you would handle a merger or consolidation as the next HR Consultant with their organization. As you answer this question, be sure to highlight how you have the ability to analyze organizational cultures and boost employee morale by any means necessary if you're having trouble thinking of an example to use for this question, keep in mind that consolidation can be something as simple a transfer of staff to a different department as mandated by an organization. This will work as a great example if you can show that you played a part in making a move successful.

"In 2016, the software company I was working for purchased a smaller outfit, and all operations were being merged onto our campus. This involved onboarding 16 new people onto our staff. I was given about two months' notice. I knew that I had to boost our typical onboarding and orientation procedures because the new staff was likely under a great amount of stress. During their onboarding process, I worked to put together a nice welcome package to go to the new staff's houses, and included in the package was a welcome letter from our CEO that outlined our mission, values, and culture. For their orientation period, we made sure that we matched each person with a mentor, and the mentors received training on how to effectively teach and lead others on our mission, values, and culture. The updates that were made to bring these new staff on board were a huge success as we had zero turnover of that staff within the first year."

Which workplace culture development strategies have you explored during your career as an HR professional?

"I have read books and many articles on workplace culture development. One process that has worked for me, time and time again, begins with anonymous employee surveys. Rather than guessing what our employees want, I've always believed in taking that approach of asking them for genuine feedback. From there, I have created data sets focused on analyzing the top three things we need to do as an organization to meet those needs. Some of the actions taken include more professional development and education opportunities for staff, further flexibility on work hours and work from home opportunities, and better mental health support for employees."

Despite it being a hot topic for many years now, companies often still struggle with developing a workplace culture that is positive, energetic, and one that attracts their industry's top talent. Discuss with the interviewer the strategies that you have explored, from an HR perspective, to improve upon an organizations' workplace culture. While organizational culture can entail many different topics, try to stay focused on an HR approach to this topic by talking about ways that you have developed programs and policies to better the organization's overall culture.

"Some of the workplace culture development strategies that I have explored include company retreats, hiring motivational keynote speakers for the day, and having fun events like family picnics. What I have found to be the most effective and responsible use of dollars is incorporating programs and initiatives that invest in employees' day-to-day lives. One of the most effective strategies I have implemented was an in-office daycare option for new parents returning to work after parental or maternity leave. See, I am a firm believer that when you invest in your team, they will return the favor ten-fold."

"Flex work schedulesJob SharingDepartmental challenges for fundraisingCollective efforts towards unique fundraising ideasPaid personal days"

What familiarity would you bring to our team on staff surveys and evaluating survey data?

"During my college studies, I have taken in-depth courses on survey data collection and questionnaire design for social surveys. I have great knowledge of the tools needed to gather and analyze data to put it into action. In this HR Consultant work with your organization, my experience and knowledge would be very beneficial in the administration of staff surveys."

Conducting staff surveys is an excellent way to allow team members to express real opinions and thoughts on their job, the organization, and the culture in which they work daily. If asked this question during your interview, there's a strong chance that the organization you are interviewing with puts a strong focus on surveying their staff. You, as their next HR Consultant, would be expected to conduct and analyze surveys. Talk about the experience you have in working with staff surveys and be sure to include details on the processes you have used for developing surveys, any types of software you used, and how you used the survey results to take action. As you answer this question, be sure to reiterate to your interviewer that you see staff surveys as a vital tool for organizational improvement.

"In my current role, I use REDCap to put out staff surveys. Every year for the past eight years, I have developed a staff satisfaction survey that highlights job satisfaction, company communication, supervisor satisfaction, and use of technology. I've learned over time that response rates to surveys are best when the survey itself is short and simple, involves employees in the design, and focuses on specifics we are looking to measure. The REDCap site is great at recapping and categorizing survey feedback. I believe in sharing anonymous survey results with all staff and have done so in the past through town-hall-style meetings. In the last couple of years, some of the action items I have taken based on survey results are implementing a new paid time off policy, an employee of the month award, and supervisor conflict management training."

Have you ever led performance reviews or employee coaching sessions?

"I look forward to the opportunity to lead performance reviews and coaching sessions. I believe this is an incredible leadership skill to grow and possess, and I look forward to implementing my knowledge and helping others succeed in the workplace. I recently read 'Leaders Eat Last' by Simon Sinek, which taught me a great deal about overcoming traditional assumptions on how great leaders effectively guide their teams. This book gave me a few excellent ideas on how to approach employee coaching, once presented with the opportunity."

As an HR Consultant with their organization, your interviewer wants to get a feel for your familiarity and experience with managing performance review processes and leading the coaching of employees. If you are newer to your HR career, you may not have exposure to employee coaching and performance review processes. Regardless of your level of exposure to these tasks, the interviewer is looking for further knowledge of your leadership experience. Speak about your experience with coaching and motivating those on your team. If you have recently read a book on performance coaching, you could discuss it and how it has helped you. If you bring experience to these important pieces of performance management, talk in detail about the experience you would bring to this organization.

"In my current role, I have a significant part in performance reviews for our team of 35 individuals. The executive team is also involved in these reviews, so I play an important role, although I am not the lead. I am a strong advocate of a 360-degree feedback process, where colleagues and internal customers have a chance to review staff performance and have implemented this process in the past. I am a good coach as I love to inspire and motivate others to do their best in all aspects of their lives. I would say that I have led about 200 coaching sessions in total throughout my HR career."

"I have led two full-cycle performance reviews. This included the beginning of the process with re-launching SMART goals for KPIs. In my current role, I am completing coaching sessions almost daily. I had a coaching session yesterday with a Zone Leader on the perception of his leadership style not feeling collaborative. We brainstormed together on ways to be more inclusive with his team in conversation."

"I've had some training and performance coaching of new Recruiting interns coming in at my previous job. Additionally, it was part of my role as an HR Specialist for a few months to coach employees on performance issues such as poor attendance, use of PPE and proper protocol, and discussing complaints from clients."

How would you uncover the core competencies of a candidate?

"I believe that attracting candidates with the right core competencies begins with a well-crafted job posting. A job posting should address both the organizational competencies required and the role-specific competencies. I want to make sure that a candidate can meet the needs of the company and its culture while also excelling in their job. I achieve this through personality and skills testing by the second interview. This practice weeds out the candidates who are not a fit and alerts me to candidates that best align with our company's needs."

As an HR Consultant, you may be responsible for hiring new talent, which means interviewing a ton of candidates. The interviewer wants to gauge how skilled you are in uncovering a candidates' skills and talents for a particular job. The better you are at discovering a candidate's core competencies, the faster you can select new hires, moving the interview process along. Discuss what you look for when meeting new candidates and what tools you use for discovering their potential.

"From what I have seen, structured interviews are a much more effective way of interviewing versus unstructured interviews. When I have a structured question list for each candidate that focuses on the position-specific competencies and the organizational competencies required for success, I can better identify my top candidates. On top of these prepared questions, I will also ask specific interview questions based on the candidate's experience and past behaviors. Utilizing questions that get to the core of the actual job description works the best for any position that I am interviewing candidates for."

"Ensure the job posting is well articulated and reflects the current work environment. I ask the candidate to tell me about a specific time they have demonstrated that competency (i.e., leadership, dealing with conflict). I am looking for a particular situation, obstacle, action they took, and a result."

"I would first look at the resume and see what tasks they have done in the past and their education. In the interview, where you would get most of the information, I would ask both situational and behavioral questions to gauge their experience handling certain tasks and how they conduct themselves in certain situations."

Tell me your most proven strategy for motivating under-performing employees.

"If an employee is underperforming, but they are usually a high performer, my approach will be different than with that of someone typically unmotivated. I would schedule a one-on-one meeting and bring up their past performance compared to their current performance. Then, I would directly ask what was affecting their motivation to succeed. For the most part, an employee will open up, and we can make a plan of action from there. This plan could include more responsibility, additional training, or the opportunity to teach another employee something new. When people feel important and seen, they tend to perform at a much higher level."

No matter how incredible the workplace culture and overall opportunity, every organization will have people that don't want to perform up to the expectation of their job. Those individuals likely face termination. Your interviewer will be looking to hear that you can develop those employees who have potential, but for some reason, are performing below expectations. This underperformance could be a result of a personal issue or a demotivating factor within the workplace environment. Discuss how you have tackled performance issues like this in the past to show your interviewer that you would bring a solid ability to work with under-performing employees at this organization.

"I have seen underperforming employees become absolute superstars with a little extra TLC. This motivation approach can include crafting a performance improvement plan with the employee, with a specific timeline attached to the goals laid out within the plan. Also, I have found that linking the employee's interests, hobbies, and talents with the work they perform can be an excellent strategy. There are many great strategies for developing under-performing employees, some of which I recently read in Jon Gordon's book, 'The Energy Bus,' where he addresses the top 10 rules to fuel life, work, and team with positive energy."

"Hold a one-on-one meeting with the employee. Discuss the purpose of the meeting (allow them to respond). Ask them to share how they feel they are performing, what they like, or dislike? Share the real picture, where they are, with what is expected. What are they willing to commit to doing to be better? Provide resources if needed. Summarize discussion and the next steps of measuring "” state confidence in their ability to improve."

"I found that a lot of the time, when we were having an issue with a certain employee, sometimes other things were going on in their lives that played a large role. Taking a chance to listen to them and hear what issues they are facing really helps them care about you in return. If I try to do what I can to help them out, they will want to help me in return by improving their performance (i.e., fewer late shows, better note-taking on shift, etc.)."

What type of employees do you find most challenging?

"Every employee brings their challenges and strengths to teams. It is difficult for me to influence associates who are disinterested or resistant to engagement with the team. Over time, these people often have realized that my organization is not a great fit because being engaged in work is a core value that all staff holds near and dear to their hearts. Luckily I do not encounter this often. The people who I have led are motivated and hardworking, each in their unique way."

An HR Consultant will encounter every possible personality type in their career. By posing this question, your interviewer would like to know more about the kinds of employees that you find difficult to manage, and more importantly, how you handle them. As an HR professional, you will be required to collaborate successfully with various personality types. Discuss with the interviewer the types of personalities that you find most challenging to manage. As you answer, be sure to keep your answer in a positive light and clearly describe how you effectively work with this type of personality. This will prove to your interviewer that you can overcome and work effectively with anyone at their organization.

"I feel as though I can adapt to most employees, but the personality type that challenges me the most in my work is the type that is constantly seeking and promoting unnecessary drama around the workplace. As an HR professional that relies on hard facts, data, and an even-keeled attitude, drama in the workplace can make life unnecessarily difficult for me. To effectively work with the dramatic personalities around the workplace, I take a calm approach and be forthright about my expectations and communication with them. While it can be hard at the dramatic things, I don't roll my eyes or push people off."

"I find negative employees to be challenging. I try to find the root cause of their negativity and do everything I can to change it, but sometimes I have to be overly positive if it's just their mood."

"This is a great question. The two most challenging types have been the conspiracy theorist and the other more mature individual where English is their second or third language, and they refuse a translator. For both types, active listening was key, along with patience and empathy. I adapted a very calm and soothing voice, closer body language, direct eye contact, and if it were highly emotional, I would ask what they needed at the time to feel heard."

"Employees who are extremely rude to other staff or the HR/payroll team are usually the most challenging. Unfortunately, I have over 10 years of experience with rude customers and employees alike. In my HR roles, I try to empathize and see a reasonable reason why they might be lashing out in this way. I explain the process that is causing them aggravation and hear their side of what is going on. In my HR role, if this is not an isolated incident, I would let their manager know as their behavior could be impacting other employees on their team and might be occurring without their knowledge."

What type of long-term incentive programs have you leveraged to drive employee performance?

"In my current company, we offer stock-based compensation to our sales executives, after three years of tenure. This compensation structure is a significant award to our loyal, trustworthy employees and has consistently given return value to the organization. The program launched ten years ago with incredible success. I believe this is because people love to see financial rewards while also feeling like they are a part of something big."

Employee performance can be a tricky subject. A top employee can become an underperformer in a snap, and employees who are not doing well could suddenly have a stellar month. The interviewer would like to know if you have knowledge and experience with long-term incentive programs to encourage high-performance, along with consistent results, from your teams. Some examples of long-term incentive programs include stock options, cash bonuses, or performance shares.

"I have worked for a company that offered year-end cash bonus' which seemed to be a significant performance driver. Employees would often check where they were on the leaderboard, and if they were in the top 20, they knew they would receive a bonus. I am also a big proponent of utilizing recognition incentives because simple a simple thank you or shout out to an employee on a job well done can often be the biggest motivators of performance. Two years ago, I implemented a program for our management staff to recognize frontline employees that received great customer reviews. This program created awareness for our entire company, and the public recognition really created a lot of buzz with staff."

How do you ensure a professional yet fair approach to disciplinary action?

"In my experience, the most effective way to approach disciplinary action is to work with the employee on a performance plan, based on the fact that they are not meeting expectations. I like to solve an issue rather than put a band-aid on it. One time I had a sales employee who had missed their target two months in a row. Three months meant termination of employment, so it was vital that we got her back on track. We crafted a plan together, set her up with a senior salesperson for additional training and mentorship. Then, I checked in every week on her goals. She ended up being one of the top salespeople that year which was very satisfying to see."

If asked this question during your interview with their organization, your interviewer will not be looking for an HR Consultant who will throw the hammer down or overreact when situations arise. When it comes to disciplinary action, show the interviewer that you can be diplomatic and fair while remaining effective in your role. If you have an example to give, this is a great time to discuss what you have done in the past. If possible, show that you take all of the necessary steps to document the issues leading to the disciplinary action and then take swift and fair action professionally.

"I have a very progressive approach to disciplinary action. One example I can give you is when I am facing a poor attendance issue. I recently sat down with one employee and mapped out their days off, showing them, with actual data, where they would be in their career two years down the road if their attendance remained the same. This data showed that he was missing nearly 1/4 of the time compared to other top performers in his department. I challenged him on that by simply asking, 'What could you do with your career if you fully applied yourself?' I documented our conversation as a verbal warning, and this conversation gave him his fire back."

"Develop a clearly outlined policy that is progressive Provide appropriate interactive training that uses various situations and role plays Define and gain buy-in on what are considered infractions and what is considered grounds for immediate termination Ensure that the expectations of work conduct are communicated to all existing associates and new members When performance discussions occur, collaboratively create the performance improvements plan"

"I would start with a more informal check-in conversation with them regarding the issue. Starting with a more collaborative approach to improving performance/workplace behaviour would usually result in the most motivation from the employee to improve. If this approach doesn't work, we would have a more formal conversation with them and the manager about improvement and explain what will be expected of them and what will happen if they do not correct their behaviour. Depending on the behaviour or consequences, it might warrant a more escalated approach. Still, it is important to stay calm and take the time to develop a plan with the manager to address the given situation."

Tell me about your exposure to team building exercises. What team building skills would you bring to our organization?

"Team building activities in our office are entertaining because we have such an expressive group of people. One time, we built an entire obstacle course out of office supplies, and everyone had to participate. We had awards and prizes. I believe these small things make an employee engaged in their job, even on the toughest of days. I have also participated in a few fun team-building activities where using teamwork to solve a problem was necessary. I've participated in a department escape room night. This was a great opportunity for us to get to know each other better on a personal level while also seeing how we all uniquely think to solve a common problem."

If you have ever participated in a ropes course or a trust fall, then you have engaged in team-building exercises! Of course, most examples of team-building do not need to be that extreme. Any activity or company effort that motivates teams and builds trust among co-workers is considered a team-building exercise. Many companies will offer team experiences to help build stable groups that collaborate and communicate better. If you have experience as a participant or leader, share your knowledge and highlight your biggest takeaway from your experiences that you can bring to this team.

"I initiate a few team-building events per year with my team and also promote their use among other departments. Sometimes it's a family potluck or picnic in a park. Other times, it's a group volunteer effort at the soup kitchen. We do a lot together as a group. When a department has the chance to bond both personally and professionally, overall employee satisfaction is greatly increased."

"I do not have a lot of exposure to leading team-building exercises. However, setting up group activities to get people to connect over more than just work can be very effective. An example is I once was in a fantasy basketball league at work; I don't even watch basketball, but we all got really into it, and it helped break down the silos between certain departments, which was important."

Do you have experience in mass-layoffs or terminations? What is your view on job eliminations?

"Mass layoffs are new to me; however, I have led approximately 20 terminations in the past. When I have the termination conversation, I will have my conversation well documented and set out a clear approach, so the conversation remains on point. I share details of the 'why' and am sure to provide resources and support post-termination. While I had a tough time with the initial few terminations I took part in, I received a great piece of advice from a senior colleague who told me to always remember that employees terminate themselves. I just bring the bad news to them. Now I know that if performance issues are documented, and a pattern of malfeasance exists, I am helping do the right thing."

Most HR professionals will agree that terminating an employee is one of the worst aspects of the job. In the event of mass layoffs, the experience is often compounded tenfold. However, this is a reality that you may need to face in your human resources career at some point. If you have experience with handline mass layoffs, discuss what led to the decision and the processes you worked with in the situation. If you do not have experience with job eliminations, discuss the approach you believe you would take in such a situation. If you have a rapport with the interviewer, you may want to ask if a mass-layoff is something this company has ever experienced or is currently facing.

"Job eliminations are never fun, especially regarding mass-layoffs. About ten years ago, I worked for a telecommunications company that needed to lay off about 40% of its workforce. We held one-on-one meetings, and the process felt organized. We softened the blow as much as possible, offering ample severance pay and outplacement services for those losing their jobs. These factors made the task easier, but it was still a challenging circumstance. Has your organization faced the task of mass layoffs in the past?"

"I have not had to terminate people in any of my roles aside from terminating people who have abandoned their positions. However, I also went through a large layoff at my previous company, where about a quarter of the office was let go. I didn't handle it directly, but I helped gather their personal effects to assist and informed our team of those who had departed in my manager's absence. When it comes to having difficult conversations, I have had to speak with people about improving their performance at different stages of their time with us."

Tell me about the most significant people issue you have encountered in your HR career.

"If I think about the most significant people issue I come across, and one that I continue to battle, it would be employees who decide to ignore laws and regulations when it comes to the labor board, their union expectations, or their employment contract. When I come across a repeat offender, I will write them up, keeping the information on their permanent employee record. After three offenses, I put in a recommendation for termination. If I did not keep on top of this, my employer could end up in an audit or a costly lawsuit. Having worked so closely with unionized labor relations in a unionized setting, I have developed a lot of great skills that I can bring to your team."

To get a feel for how you would handle the most challenging times as their next HR Consultant, your interviewer is looking to hear about the most significant people-related issue you have handled during your career. As you prepare for your interview, be sure to think of when you were tested the most and still worked through it to provide the best outcome possible. The way you respond to this question will show the interviewer the complexity of problems you faced in your role as an HR Consultant, quickly revealing your level of expertise in your field.

"I would have to say that the most difficult people issue I have faced during my career was coming aboard an organization that was having significant employee retention issues in a highly competitive field and the job market. While I had worked in a highly volatile workforce in the past, what made this situation difficult was that the upper level of management and leadership didn't see the high amount of turnover as a bad thing. They shrugged it off as a normal business. I knew that I first had to sell them on the amount of money thrown away during the recruitment and training processes for new staff. I also relied on some business leaders to show negative customer feedback on regularly having new sales and service reps. When presented with real data and numbers, the leadership team was excited to have me proceed with a sharp focus on new programs and procedures to aid in staff retention over the next five years."

"We were being pressured to hire a home health aide coming with a client by sales despite a failed background check and a poor interview. I had to convince the executives that our rejection of her protected us from liability and equity issues. We developed a plan to communicate with the client that we wouldn't move forward. We lost the client initially, but they eventually returned to us when things didn't work out through private care."

We have suffered from staff burnout in recent years. What are some strategies you have used to help prevent burning out employees on the job?

"First and foremost, I am confident that the monitoring of workloads and department scheduling is crucial in preventing staff burnout. In my current role, I work closely with managers and department supervisors to coach them in monitoring staff through frequent one-on-one meetings. This effort allows staff to openly discuss happenings in their work so managers can evaluate and reassign work if needed. I also keep a very open-door policy for staff to come directly to me with any issues impacting their stress on the job. Another important factor in preventing burnout is encouraging staff to use their vacation time. I have heard employees way too many times speak to how taking paid time away from work often creates more work and stress when they return. Being a believer that time away from work is important, I have worked closely with leaders and staff to ensure that proper coverage is provided when a staff member is out of the office."

Study after study has proven that work is a key source of stress for many people. A heightened amount of employee stress can bear an extreme financial burden on employers with turnover, absenteeism, lowered productivity, and workers' compensation claims. In asking this question, your interviewer is looking to hear your experiences and overall philosophies in helping to prevent burnout and stress among staff to ensure a healthy, happy, and productive workforce in their organization. As you answer, try to be creative in your answer by talking about unique techniques you are familiar with that help promote a stress-free workplace. Don't hesitate to talk about new trends in employment like teleworking options and how they are positively impacting workforces throughout the world.

"Over the last ten years, a lot of workforce changes have taken place, and organizations that have been unwilling to make changes in their staffing and HR policies have faced extreme burnout. Adding the recent pandemic to that, stress levels are at an all-time high for workers everywhere. Because full-time employees spend so much of their waking hours on the job, wellbeing in the workplace is vital. I help promote wellbeing in the workplace by focusing on several elements of wellbeing. The social aspect of the workplace is important, and I like to hold social activities for staff to get to know each other on a personal level. Financial wellbeing is vital for any person, and I've provided financial resources to staff and financial perks for great performers. Physical wellbeing is vitally important as well, and I've promoted this through healthy eating and exercise challenges with staff."

If you were to encounter a new or unfamiliar situation that needed to be solved on your end here, how would you go about solving that issue?

"In solving a problem or issue that I was unfamiliar with, I wouldn't hesitate to discuss with my HR colleagues at your organization. During my internship, I learned and worked with some great online resources like the HR Bartender website and the HR Morning website. The HR Director that I worked closely with exposed me to these sites. While Human Resources professionals work in every type of business and industry, we can learn and grow from each other across industries."

Even as an experienced HR Consultant, your interviewer expects that you may likely encounter a new and challenging situation if hired at their organization. Whether you will be jumping into a new industry or a different set of roles you will be supporting, your interviewer will expect you to be resourceful in pulling from your experience and other great resources available to you. As you answer this question, you can take the time to talk about your well-rounded experience and how it will apply to your role in this industry. Be sure to talk about the professional connections you have made along the way and the HR publications and groups you belong to that can help you find the answers you will need in this role.

"I feel very fortunate to have several solid resources at my fingertips as an experienced HR professional. As a member of SHRM and NHRA, I have many great resources and publications that I can tap into. Through my connections with my local SHRM chapter, I have several professional connections that I network with regularly. They don't hesitate to contact me for advice, and I never hesitate to contact them. If a situation were confidential on an internal basis here, I would talk to members of senior leadership for their input as well."

Discuss a time when you explored organizational gaps and created new opportunities for employees.

"I recently assisted my senior HR Manager after she discovered a significant performance gap in our warehousing department. Being newer to my career at the time, I should point out that I was not the one to discover the organizational performance gap; however, I did assist with the recovery plan. After performing employee testing, we created a list of the top 6 behaviors and habits causing concern. We then developed a performance strategy with a timeline attached to the behavior corrections. Additional training opportunities were provided to many employees, as were other resources for professional development. All in all, we were able to repair the majority of the performance issues with minimal employee eliminations."

Often, meeting organizational gaps may not require a workforce increase. Sometimes, these issues can be solved by creating new opportunities and thinking outside of the box. Discuss with the interviewer a time when you met the needs of a company, addressing a specific gap. The example you give of organizational gaps can include skills, profit, or performance gaps. In the end, you need to prove your ability to diagnose a performance gap and take action to improve.

"My current company had a glaring skills gap when I first started around five years ago. Some critical roles had been reduced from two employees down to one to save on workforce expenses. However, there was never an offer of additional training to the remaining person in the role. I identified this gap through employee skills testing and benchmarking. With those results, I created a plan for employee development and training. Eight months later, I performed another company-wide employee skills test and found that we performed over the previous benchmark. The project was a success, and I was able to fill those skill gaps with minimal expense and zero new hires."

"I noticed that there was a gap in candidates to fill middle management positions (vacant postings). Yet, we had co-op graduates expressing that they wanted to be GM in five years. Still, they were not qualified for the jobs as posted. I created a leadership development program targeted to develop these internal individuals and groom them to fill these roles. The two-year program was very comprehensive."

"We had many clients who practiced Judaism and needed caregivers who had an understanding of Kosher meal preparation. We were having trouble finding caregivers with this skill set, so we developed a plan to create our own in-house training on Kosher practices to provide to our caregivers so any caregiver could gain this skill. It was a win-win, as we had a larger pool of already hired caregivers to choose from, and the caregivers could use this skill to get jobs in the future."

Think about a demanding boss or coworker you've had during your career. How did you successfully interact with this person?

"I once worked for an executive who was very difficult in meetings and with interacting with groups of staff in important meetings. I didn't hesitate to talk to her personally about how others took her harsh orders at times. I took it upon myself to help this person interact better with others. When she would bark orders, I would reiterate what she was trying to say to the group more professionally. It took some time, but she learned to behave in a way that made people want to work with her."

As an HR professional, one of your most significant traits should be your ability to be diplomatic in the workplace. The interviewer wants to know how you interact with people who may have challenging personalities. Think about that one person at work who is seen as hard to please. Perhaps there was someone at work who tried to intimidate others. Show the interviewer that you work well with most personalities even though you recognize some people are quite difficult to please. Avoid speaking poorly of anyone, and be sure to end your response on a positive note.

"The most difficult person I ever worked with was my boss a few years back. She received a promotion to VP of Human Resources from the position I had been hired to fill and was unwilling to listen to my ideas to change the department. I believe she felt personally offended that I did not think her processes were the most efficient, but it was not personal. I sat with her for a one on one meeting when there were very few people in the building, and we had a nice chat about the positive changes she made to the department and my ideas to continue to grow what she began."

"I had a boss who wanted to be kept abreast of all things at all times. On occasion, this was not feasible, as it kept me from doing my job. So we met, and we walked through examples of information she needed to be looped in on daily and others that she could be updated on weekly. I also reiterated what I needed for success and asked her if this was feasible. We came to an agreement, and things worked from there."

Have you ever had a particular circumstance where you needed to deviate from HR policy? How did you approach the dilemma?

"I had an employee last year who needed extended leave after his mother passed away. It was an exceptional circumstance because his mother lived in England, and he needed to take care of many family matters. I requested that he receive a 30 day leave with 50% pay since he had been very dedicated to the company for many years. This request was a first for the company, but we all agreed that it was an offering well deserved. One piece I had to fight for in this process was sign off by our CEO."

Many organizations find it challenging to be flexible, so this question is also an opportunity to learn more about this organization. Your interviewer wants to know whether you prefer an environment where rules are set out, and everything is black and white or whether you feel there should be wiggle room in policy, depending on particular situations and personalities. Discuss a time when you have deviated from HR policy and make sure to explain that you were in the right in doing so. You do not want to talk about anything illegal, or actions you took that may have been detrimental to your company. This question offers an excellent opportunity for a 'feel good' story.

"I have outstanding judgment when it comes to HR policies and employee requests. I have offered some flexibility on things like time off requests and vacation days, and the gray area surrounding requests comes down to urgency and seriousness in my book. No matter what, I always keep excellent documentation to ensure that our company is never being taken advantage of by employees."

"We were in dire need of some HHAs to start with Kosher experience, and we have a policy that we could not have the employees start their first shift without having all the medical documents submitted and verified as per the DOH. I proposed to the Chief nurse that we have them present their last TB test record for now and then give them 30 days to get a new test, and we suspend them if they don't submit it by then. This ended up working well as we could get them working immediately after orientation, and they did get the tests in time."

At times, our HR Consultants need to work on tight deadlines and short turnaround times with projects. How do you handle working under tight deadlines?

"When I am faced with a tight deadline for a project or other last-minute priorities, I rely on my ability to stay organized, create checklists and prioritize my work. During college, I had to work under tight deadlines frequently, and staying organized was critical to my success. If I had duties with others that needed to be rescheduled, communication was key. Another thing that I found helpful was handling critical work during what I consider to be my productive period, which is in the late morning. I've always been a morning person since I was young, so after I have my morning coffee, I get to work on the high-priority tasks."

Deadlines are notoriously the number one cause of stress in the workplace. Due to the nature of the beast in the field, HR Consultants are often tasked with short turnaround times on project work. At some point during your interview process, your interviewer will be looking to get a feel for how you handle working with tight deadlines. As you prepare to answer this question, try to focus on the necessary skills required to multitask many things at once and be able to reprioritize work as you go along. Then, if at all possible, talk about a specific time where you had to handle a tight deadline and be sure that your example describes the situation and shows how you took action to help provide a great result.

"Throughout my career, I have displayed the ability to handle last-minute deadlines and short-term projects with ease, and I owe this all to my ability to stay organized and on-task with all of my work. I use the tools available to me to block project work time and set aside time for other projects that can come up. Last year, my current organization was awarded a large contract, and the contract required increasing production by 33% in just a few short months from the announcement. Knowing that we would be adding close to 35 new employees in a short amount of time, I had to quickly work to plan our recruitment approach with my team and put that plan into action. Right away, I talked with other stakeholders I was working on projects with to delay them since this new hiring venture was a top priority. I set a timeline for important milestones in the recruitment effort and let my team get to work. Under my leadership, we had 32 of the 35 expected staff able to start when production increased. The final three staff started just two weeks later. This was a huge win for our department and organization as a whole."

Do you feel employees should be paid based on performance, or should they be rewarded for years of experience?

"I feel that employees should be paid, and rewarded, based on their performance. A new employee will find motivation in being rewarded for performance, and it encourages healthy competition with tenured employees. I have seen this to be true on many occasions in my HR career."

The interviewer would like to know your thoughts on paying employees based on work performance versus compensating them based on years of experience and loyalty. As millennial employees continue to dominate the work scene, more and more employees are requesting compensation based on delivered results. The interviewer wants to know if you feel that employees should be paid based on tenure or results. Before you get too far into your own personal philosophies as an HR professional, you must research the organization you are interviewing with and their industry to get a feel for the standard compensation for them. You don't want to make it sound like you would come in hoping to reinvent the wheel when it comes to compensation.

"As an HR Consultant, I feel that both performance and experience should be weighed when deciding compensation, pay increases, and promotions. I am a firm believer in set pay ranges for positions and bringing new staff into the pay range based solely on their years of experience. From there, I believe that merit increases should be based on meeting performance expectations for the role. You want to ensure that you compensate your highest performers appropriately but that their growth is stable and manageable in the long-term."

"I believe they should be paid for their performance. I think this drives the right behaviors to move the business forward. I don't think seniority translates to performance. I do believe seniority should be taken into a factor for some things, like job bidding."

"A starting salary should reflect what I bring to this role, which is a combination of experience, skills, and knowledge. In terms of bonuses or incentives, this should be paid only if certain job-specific metrics are achieved within this position's control."

"Performance should be the main determining factor of salary increases after an employee is hired, as this is how you motivate performance effectively. If they are going to get the same increase just due to the passage of time, you wouldn't be getting any increased motivation for your money and would be retaining the wrong people. However, I believe yearly COLA increases for all, especially in a city, are good practices for retention, although not performance-linked."

Talk about an ethical dilemma that you had to face during your career. How did you handle that situation?

"I see my role in general ethics as an HR Consultant to be knowing and abiding by the law, keeping things confidential that need to be and eliminating conflicts of interest. Last year, the board of directors at my organization was considering reducing a few important employee benefits, and one such benefit was the 401k match that the company was making. I feared that a dramatic reduction of retirement contributions from the organization would greatly impact our staff retention and ability to hire new staff. Added to that, it felt morally wrong to pull that from staff who had put many years of time and effort into the organization's work. I presented detailed facts and statistics about how our industry competitors handled their entire benefits package, including 401k matches. I researched all of this information on my own and ended up convincing the board that cost-saving measures would need to come in other ways."

HR Consultants can face personal and societal ethical dilemmas in their work regularly. In looking to bring you on board with their organization, your interviewer wants to hear that you can handle the ethical situation with ease and grace by doing what is right for all parties involved. Because the HR profession deals with managing relations between both people and the organization, ethical situations can arise when determining the rights of all involved, and you will often be relied upon to make the judgement call. In the example, you talk about with your interviewer, make sure that you clearly describe the ethical issue at hand and how you used your critical thinking skills to make the best decision possible.

"Early in my career, I was responsible for all recruitment efforts for a large manufacturer. I was approached by a member of senior management about hiring a friend and was urged that this hire needed to happen. Having been well educated on the importance of a fair and just hiring process, I reiterated to the manager that their friend would have to apply, be reviewed, and interview for the position with other candidates. While frustrated with my response that I would not directly hire the individual, we went through a standard recruitment process for our next openings in production where we were looking to hire five individuals. After going through the standard application process and interview with peers, the candidate ended up being hired, and the manager eventually thanked me for educating them on the fair hiring practices."

HR Consultant Interview Questions

Go Back

1. When a major HR problem arises, what is your first reaction?
2. How do you develop trust among your team in a virtual, or work-from-home, setting?
3. Do you have experience using HR data analytics for the purpose of compensation benchmarking?
4. In which HR software tools are you best versed?
5. In your opinion, what are the core competencies of organizational effectiveness?
6. Where do you see more innovation happening in the Human Resources field over the next five to ten years?
7. As our next HR Consultant, what cost saving experience within HR would you bring to our team?
8. If hired as our next HR Consultant, what do you feel should be the single most important metric that we focus on for the next five years?
9. How do you keep up with changes in legislature and human resource law?
10. Tell me one valuable skill that you are currently working on improving to be a more complete HR Consultant.
11. What do you believe to be the most prominent human resource trend of the year? Have you yet embraced it?
12. Hiring smart is the key to an organizations' success. What interview techniques do you lean on to ensure effective new hires?
13. Do you think honesty is always the best policy?
14. What questions do you have for me?
15. What is your perspective on work-life integration and how would you bring them to our organization?
16. Being our next HR Consultant will often require you to inspire excellence in others. What does greatness mean to you?
17. Do you possess the knowledge and awareness required to communicate in a multicultural workplace?
18. If hired at our organization, how would you help incorporate best practices in diversity and inclusion as our next HR Consultant?
19. Have you ever led a workplace investigation related to discrimination, bullying, or sexual harassment?
20. Are you familiar with the term 'outplacement'? Have you ever utilized outplacement services?
21. Have you had to handle a company merger or consolidation at any point during your career? What role did you play if you did?
22. Which workplace culture development strategies have you explored during your career as an HR professional?
23. What familiarity would you bring to our team on staff surveys and evaluating survey data?
24. Have you ever led performance reviews or employee coaching sessions?
25. How would you uncover the core competencies of a candidate?
26. Tell me your most proven strategy for motivating under-performing employees.
27. What type of employees do you find most challenging?
28. What type of long-term incentive programs have you leveraged to drive employee performance?
29. How do you ensure a professional yet fair approach to disciplinary action?
30. Tell me about your exposure to team building exercises. What team building skills would you bring to our organization?
31. Do you have experience in mass-layoffs or terminations? What is your view on job eliminations?
32. Tell me about the most significant people issue you have encountered in your HR career.
33. We have suffered from staff burnout in recent years. What are some strategies you have used to help prevent burning out employees on the job?
34. If you were to encounter a new or unfamiliar situation that needed to be solved on your end here, how would you go about solving that issue?
35. Discuss a time when you explored organizational gaps and created new opportunities for employees.
36. Think about a demanding boss or coworker you've had during your career. How did you successfully interact with this person?
37. Have you ever had a particular circumstance where you needed to deviate from HR policy? How did you approach the dilemma?
38. At times, our HR Consultants need to work on tight deadlines and short turnaround times with projects. How do you handle working under tight deadlines?
39. Do you feel employees should be paid based on performance, or should they be rewarded for years of experience?
40. Talk about an ethical dilemma that you had to face during your career. How did you handle that situation?

HR Consultant Interview Questions

1. When a major HR problem arises, what is your first reaction?

2. How do you develop trust among your team in a virtual, or work-from-home, setting?

3. Do you have experience using HR data analytics for the purpose of compensation benchmarking?

4. In which HR software tools are you best versed?

5. In your opinion, what are the core competencies of organizational effectiveness?

6. Where do you see more innovation happening in the Human Resources field over the next five to ten years?

7. As our next HR Consultant, what cost saving experience within HR would you bring to our team?

8. If hired as our next HR Consultant, what do you feel should be the single most important metric that we focus on for the next five years?

9. How do you keep up with changes in legislature and human resource law?

10. Tell me one valuable skill that you are currently working on improving to be a more complete HR Consultant.

11. What do you believe to be the most prominent human resource trend of the year? Have you yet embraced it?

12. Hiring smart is the key to an organizations' success. What interview techniques do you lean on to ensure effective new hires?

13. Do you think honesty is always the best policy?

14. What questions do you have for me?

15. What is your perspective on work-life integration and how would you bring them to our organization?

16. Being our next HR Consultant will often require you to inspire excellence in others. What does greatness mean to you?

17. Do you possess the knowledge and awareness required to communicate in a multicultural workplace?

18. If hired at our organization, how would you help incorporate best practices in diversity and inclusion as our next HR Consultant?

19. Have you ever led a workplace investigation related to discrimination, bullying, or sexual harassment?

20. Are you familiar with the term 'outplacement'? Have you ever utilized outplacement services?

21. Have you had to handle a company merger or consolidation at any point during your career? What role did you play if you did?

22. Which workplace culture development strategies have you explored during your career as an HR professional?

23. What familiarity would you bring to our team on staff surveys and evaluating survey data?

24. Have you ever led performance reviews or employee coaching sessions?

25. How would you uncover the core competencies of a candidate?

26. Tell me your most proven strategy for motivating under-performing employees.

27. What type of employees do you find most challenging?

28. What type of long-term incentive programs have you leveraged to drive employee performance?

29. How do you ensure a professional yet fair approach to disciplinary action?

30. Tell me about your exposure to team building exercises. What team building skills would you bring to our organization?

31. Do you have experience in mass-layoffs or terminations? What is your view on job eliminations?

32. Tell me about the most significant people issue you have encountered in your HR career.

33. We have suffered from staff burnout in recent years. What are some strategies you have used to help prevent burning out employees on the job?

34. If you were to encounter a new or unfamiliar situation that needed to be solved on your end here, how would you go about solving that issue?

35. Discuss a time when you explored organizational gaps and created new opportunities for employees.

36. Think about a demanding boss or coworker you've had during your career. How did you successfully interact with this person?

37. Have you ever had a particular circumstance where you needed to deviate from HR policy? How did you approach the dilemma?

38. At times, our HR Consultants need to work on tight deadlines and short turnaround times with projects. How do you handle working under tight deadlines?

39. Do you feel employees should be paid based on performance, or should they be rewarded for years of experience?

40. Talk about an ethical dilemma that you had to face during your career. How did you handle that situation?