8 Common HR Manager Interview Questions to Prepare

1. What is your management style?
2. How will you drive results as an HR manager?
3. What is your least favorite task as an HR manager?
4. How do you recruit the right candidates for the job?
5. How do you deal with conflicts within the team you are leading?
6. Why did you choose this career?
7. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
8. Why do you want to work for this company?
9. Conclusion

HR managers play a crucial role in any organization. With responsibilities like talent management, compensation & benefits, training & development, HR compliance, and workplace safety, the human resources department bears the responsibility to maintain a positive reputation of the company in the market, leading to a steep rise in HR manager jobs today.

It is one of the top fields to pursue in the country and offers impressive compensation. The HR manager salary in India is a proof of that! .

If you are someone aiming to land an HR manager position, here are 8 common HR manager interview questions to prepare before the interview.

What is your management style?

This is also one of the important interview questions for HR managers. Through this question, recruiters want to find out how you lead a team and if it is aligned with the needs of the current employees.

This is how you can answer this job interview question;

"I strongly believe that employees prefer to work in a team providing constant learning. A good manager should be motivational and encouraging, and I like to lead by example.

I enjoy pushing my limits and challenging myself as it helps me drive better results.

Also, I believe that if you don't leave your comfort zone, you will become stagnant and soon get bored. Therefore, using my transformational management style I aim to guide my team and encourage them to challenge themselves."

How will you drive results as an HR manager?

"How do you drive results?" is another important interview question for HR managers as it helps the recruiter understand how you meet goals at work and what motivates you to deliver results. Employers adore self-motivated candidates who can showcase positive contributions to the workplace.

Here's how you can answer this job interview question;

"To drive results, I prefer to assign short-term goals to long-term agendas. I call for weekly catchups where I check on everyone's progress and they are accountable for keeping the team on track.

I even opt for one-on-one meetings every fortnight with each team member for better guidance. I can discuss any shortcomings and how they can be reversed for better results.

This helps me build a rapport and trust with each team member and also encourages them to take the onus of their work and feel responsible for the team's progress."

What is your least favorite task as an HR manager?

Everyone has a few things that they do not like about their job profiles. But you cannot avoid it altogether as it is a part and parcel of your job profile.

Through this job interview question, the recruiter intends to discover how you deal with your dislike for a particular task.

Here is how you can answer this job interview question;

" I am not particularly fond of recruiting procedures as it is not one of my passions. However, I don't mind taking it as a responsibility since I understand recruiting is a very crucial aspect in the success of the company."

How do you recruit the right candidates for the job?

Hiring the right talent is extremely crucial for a business. Therefore, making it one of the critical interview questions for an HR manager.

You can answer this job interview question in the following manner;

"My first task is to understand the team and company's requirements and align them accordingly. This helps me to draft the job description correctly. After the candidates are shortlisted, I ensure that I effectively communicate the requirements and suggest a few ways to fill up the skill gaps if any."

How do you deal with conflicts within the team you are leading?

This is one of the common interview questions for HR managers since you will be expected to handle conflicts if any come up. Hence to test your conflict resolution skill the recruiter asks this job interview question.

Here's how you can answer this question;

"To resolve any conflict within the team or even out of it, I try to find the source of the issue by talking to the concerned parties separately first. Next, I hold a meeting with the concerned people where they can talk it out, while ensuring that the environment is neutral. Once they complete their dialogue, I try to offer a middle ground that is acceptable to both."

Why did you choose this career?

This is one of the most common interview questions irrespective of field. Recruiters ask, “Why did you choose this career?” to understand if you are genuinely interested in the field.

The primary aim of recruiting is to get the right candidate for the job role who will stay for a long time. Nobody wants to go through the ordeal of being hired for the same job role again in a short period.

Find out more about How to answer “Why did you choose this career?” to perfect this job interview question.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

This is another popular job interview question for candidates as recruiters through this question try to gauge your commitment to your job as an HR manager.

Here’s how you can answer this HR manager interview question.

“The coming five years are sure to be productive for me. I believe working in a positive environment in an esteemed organization will be rewarding. In the upcoming 5 years, I can see myself growing in my position through proper upskilling.

I believe this organization respects and acknowledges hard work and I can see myself utilizing my knowledge and experience to yield better results. I have made both short-term and long-term goals and each of the short-term goals will lead me to achieve my long-term goals. This is my plan for the upcoming five years."

You can find out more about framing the answer for this common interview question in How to answer “Where do you see yourself five years from now?”

Why do you want to work for this company?

"Why do you want to work for us?" is one of the most common interview questions asked to every jobseeker irrespective of the job profile.

The major reason for asking this interview question is to ensure that you are interested in the company and understand its values and not just apply for a job for the perks.

Find out more about How to answer "Why do you want to work here?" and even draw inspiration from the sample answers.

Conclusion

To conclude, these are 8 common HR manager interview questions to practice when preparing for the interview.

Apart from these, do brush up on your technical knowledge and practice other common interview questions like the 56 frequently asked interview questions and answers to be thoroughly prepared and ace your interview rounds.

Also, as a candidate for HR managerial position, we do not need to emphasize the point of the "first impression is the last impression." We have curated the Interview dress code for males and females for jobseekers to have clarity on how to dress well for a job interview.

All the Best!