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Payroll Specialist Mock Interview

Question 30 of 34 for our Payroll Specialist Mock Interview

Payroll Specialist was updated by on October 28th, 2022. Learn more here.

Question 30 of 34

Describe to me any payroll process that you have developed or revised.

Think of a payroll-related problem you helped solve. Give the interviewer a brief overview of the problem that was brought to your attention. Discuss the action steps you took to address the issue and any processes you put in place to ensure the problem did not occur again in the future. Explain why you chose this revision and be sure to include the result of your actions. If you are new to your career, think of a problem you faced in school, a team sport, or a volunteer activity. Talk about how you contributed to a solution.

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How to Answer: Describe to me any payroll process that you have developed or revised.

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Payroll Specialist job interview.

  • 30. Describe to me any payroll process that you have developed or revised.

      How to Answer

      Think of a payroll-related problem you helped solve. Give the interviewer a brief overview of the problem that was brought to your attention. Discuss the action steps you took to address the issue and any processes you put in place to ensure the problem did not occur again in the future. Explain why you chose this revision and be sure to include the result of your actions. If you are new to your career, think of a problem you faced in school, a team sport, or a volunteer activity. Talk about how you contributed to a solution.

      Written by Christine Pasqueretta

      1st Answer Example

      "While working for Company ABC as a Payroll Assistant, I realized that the timesheets were not populating correctly, and this was resulting in a problem with the calculations of the working hours for the employees. I solicited the help of the finance and IT department, and we worked together to troubleshoot the issue. We were able to repair a bug in the timesheet system, which resulted in well-sorted and accurate data for the employees' logged hours from then on."

      Written by Christine Pasqueretta

      2nd Answer Example

      "During my time as Payroll Manager for Company ABC, the organization was growing rapidly. As a result, the payroll department had to reevaluate the entire payroll process. At first, we were using Paychex and calling in the hours each week. As our locations expanded, our headcount increased, and our compensation packages became more complex and varied, we decided to upgrade our payroll technology and process. I led the project, pricing and negotiating a new contract with ADP. We also changed over our time clock system from manual to electronic to eliminate time and errors. It was a significant improvement to the overall process which solved a lot of payroll issues moving forward."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on March 6th, 2021

      1st Experienced Example

      When I joined my current company, it was very small and they were using paper timesheets. Each employee had to calculate their total hours and make their own calculations for time and a half. Then the owner of the company paid payroll through an old version of Quickbooks. I researched payroll systems and told my supervisor about one named Gusto. I arranged for a demo and gather a quote. She gave approval and I worked with a Gusto rep to have our employee data and previous payroll information exported to their system. Then I created the company announcement and facilitated training sessions with the Gusto team to have each employee trained.

      Written by Carrie Nelson on October 28th, 2022

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "There were some inaccuracy issues with our system when we processed payroll, which affected the employee's check. I realized that if the totals didn't match, then the error lay in the parts of the sum. I suggested that we customize a report that compared specific elements such as the hours entered and other relevant components with the timesheet to reconcile the data. We would implement a quick glance at it after completing payroll entry to ensure accuracy. This eliminated inadvertent errors immediately."

      Rachelle's Feedback

      Good thinking on your part! It would be great to include more detail in your story surrounding how you came to your idea. This way, you can take the interviewer through your problem-solving thought process.

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