Human Resources Business Partner Skills Interview
Author:
Haya Bakour, MSc I/OAn HR Business Partner interview assessing key skills required for success. We've also included a few motivation and values questions to help you make the best decisions about your candidates.
Focus area:
Question
1
Why are you interested in making a career move to our company as HR Business Partner? How do you see this opportunity within the context of your career?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate exhibits fit and motivation to join the company
Explore tips
- Is seeking an opportunity to grow by applying and developing multiple skills
- Wants to make a defined impact on others and the organization’s success
- Is motivated to add value to the company's culture and work environment
- Is passionate when discussing how this connects with their strengths/interests
- Exhibits awareness of the role expectations and the organizational context
Question
2
Describe a time when you had to express your ideas in an important meeting. How did you communicate them effectively?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to convey ideas/messages confidently, clearly, and effectively
Explore tips
- Prepares beforehand to organize ideas and structure communications
- Acknowledges type of audience and how they tailored their communication
- Checks with the audience to ensure they are following/understanding
- Uses simple and concise language to communicate effectively
- Summarizes key points after communicating ideas
Question
3
What kinds of writing have you done in your job? Can you compare the similarities and differences between two different types of documents you have written?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate displays experience and proficiency with different formats of written communication
Explore tips
- Demonstrates breadth through different formats (e.g., blogs, reports, executive summaries, technical documents)
- Emphasizes the importance of an outline/structure in most documents
- Considers formality/informality in style of writing
- Tailors writing style and language to the relevant audience
- Emphasizes the importance of proofreading all work before disseminating
Question
4
Imagine you join our team as HR Business Partner. How will you consider our company's strategy, mission and vision in your work?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to connect with the company's strategy, mission and vision
Explore tips
- Discusses using industry and company knowledge to understand its objectives
- Correctly identifies the types of markets the company pursues
- Exhibits knowledge of the market and customer trends
- Discusses aligning themselves and their team with company goals
- Discusses prioritizing the company's financial and strategic goals
Question
5
Describe a time you made a significant difference to a business by implementing a HR policy or program. What was the outcome for the business?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to implement HR initiatives and impact business outcomes
Explore tips
- Describes the business context and their role in making the changes
- Discusses the specific changes they made to the HR policy/program
- Utilizes metrics to demonstrate the success of the HR policy or program
- Explains the impact on the business (e.g. enabling it to run smoothly)
- References key learnings and takeaways from the experience
Question
6
Imagine senior leadership informs you they are going to double the size of the company over the next twelve months. As HR Business Partner, how would you plan for this expansion and what would you do to ensure it was a success?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to design and execute strategies to manage growth/expansion effectively
Explore tips
- Develops a scope of work to identify process that need to be developed/improved
- Collaborates with other teams to coordinate timing of hires, onboarding, etc
- Ensures expansion plans align with available budget/resources
- Discusses how proposed strategies will be effective and efficient for growth
- Discusses risks associated with expansion and suggests ways to mitigate them
Question
7
Can you describe a strategy or initiative that you created in the past that helped your company achieve one of its main objectives? How did it align with the company's goals, and what was the outcome?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to take ownership over advancing the organization’s mission/goals
Explore tips
- Clearly describes how their strategy was connected to company’s main objectives
- Explains the steps they took to both develop and execute the strategy
- Shares specific metrics used to set goals and track progress
- Shares any challenges they faced and how they overcame them
- Describes the outcome and uses evidence (data) to demonstrate their success
Question
8
How would you convince company executives that a HR program was worth investing in? What metrics would you use?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to use business metrics to support HR programs
Explore tips
- Lists metrics for different HR functions (hiring, retention, diversity, etc.)
- Suggests showing how HR saves costs/boosts productivity, retention, profit, etc.
- Suggests backing up their points with evidence from their past roles/experience
- Suggests demonstrating how HR could be a profit center with a positive return
Question
9
Tell me about a time your recommendation helped senior management make a better decision. How did you influence the decision?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to influence business decisions
Explore tips
- Outlines the specific context and describes their recommendation
- Elaborates on how financial analysis assisted in decision-making
- Demonstrates the impact on decision-making and gives examples
- Discusses any strengths/weaknesses of the forecasting method and financial model
- Elaborates on business intelligence tools that can help convey complex messages
Question
10
Imagine you have just joined our company and are required to design a coaching and mentoring program for our new hires. How would you approach designing the program, and what would the most important elements be?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to design a coaching and mentoring program
Explore tips
- Clarifies the program goals (succession planning, learning, development, etc.)
- Promotes involvement with the program among existing employees
- Determines how to assign coaches/mentors to the new hires
- Determines the structure of the program (when, where, how it will be run, etc.)
- Identifies metrics to track and validate the program's performance
Question
11
Imagine we hire you for the HR Business Partner role. How would you go about keeping our [insert team/department] engaged?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to engage with others to drive motivation and increase performance
Explore tips
- Coaches team on process/practices to achieve high performance standards
- Understands personal/professional goals of individuals to motivate performance
- Fosters trust and open communication between all team members
- Recognizes failures and mistakes as opportunities for growth
- Communicates values and defines goals that inspire success
Question
12
Imagine we ask you to justify the importance of a program to a group of stakeholders in order to increase their involvement. What data would you analyze and present to meet this request?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to analyze and present data to stakeholders
Explore tips
- Proposes compelling data suitable for communicating the program's importance
- Discusses how to obtain, analyze and prepare the data for presenting
- Proposes a presentation strategy including showing implications for stakeholders
- Emphasizes the importance of sharing the ROI for stakeholder involvement
- References past experience to justify strategies to ensure success
Question
13
Tell me about a time you used data analysis to choose the best solution for a company's business development problem.
What does this question reveal?
Candidate has the ability to incorporate data analysis into business development plans
Explore tips
- Demonstrates attention to detail with a focus on data and statistics
- Explains how they shared recommendations based on data analysis
- Created a logical solution that directly addressed the company’s problem
- Examined different facets of data and used data from different areas/departments
- Created recommendations in line with the company's goals and values
Question
14
Based on your past work history and professional experience, in what type of work environment were you the happiest and most productive?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate shares preferences for organizational culture and workstyle aligned with your company
Explore tips
- Discusses attributes that align with your organization
- References different organizational factors (people, place, work, etc.)
- Highlights the values that shaped the environment/culture
- Shares a story from past experience to support their claims
- Justifies why it made them happy and productive
Question
15
What is one thing you wish I had asked you in our conversation today?
What does this question reveal?
Candidate displays self-awareness of unique strengths and value-add
Explore tips
- Gives a response that is relevant to the role in question
- Justifies their suggestion by explaining their value-add
- Exhibits strengths that were not previously covered
- Further demonstrates their value-add and competitiveness as a candidate
