Screening Interview for HR:

In the initial screening phase of a hiring process, candidates are asked a set of HR interview questions by the HR professional. The main motive of these questions is to access the candidates basic skills in the position, and to clarify all aspects about their application and resume.

Some Top Questions Asked in HR Interview:

Ques 1. What made you think about about this position?

This question is designed to access the candidate’s interest in the role. Do they really want to get selected for this specific job, or they just collectively apply for all the job positions?  Candidates must reveal that they are focus towards this application only.

Ques 2. What experience do you have that would be relevant to this role?

This question is asked so that the recruiters can assess, candidates truly understand the needs of the position and believes that they are qualified for it.  The best candidates would be able to easily explain the relationship between the previous experience and to the job ad.

Ques 3. Tell me about your experience in …

Although, it is similar to the previous question but it asks about the necessary aspects of the role. For example, if a company wants to hire a copywriter, they’ll ask questions about the candidate’s experience in different types of writing or editing.

Ques 4. Why are you leaving your current job? / Why did you leave your previous job?

The best candidates will answer good reasons for leaving the previous position. Being negative or speaking badly about your employer is a red flag. Obviously, there’s a trade-off: honest candidates usually give an honest answer, and sometimes, their former employer is really at fault which leads to the end of their employment relationship. Among these HR interviews, the most important thing is attitude and that to a positive one. For example, candidates can reasonably  mention that they left their previous job because their employer didn’t pay the workers at a  fair market price. However, if they make a long speech about their former employer’s fraud, it will be a red flag.

Ques 5. Describe the workplace where you’ll be most happy and productive.

This can take other forms as well, such as “What can we do to keep you happy if you were hired?” or “ Do you like your current job that you’d like to find here as well?” its objective is to evaluate if the candidate is suitable as an employee of the company or not. Usually, there is no right or wrong answer. It all depends on whether every candidate is a suitable for a particular company or not.

https://resources.workable.com/tutorial/hr-interview-questions

Pre-Screening Interview:

Before entering the interview stage, the application must through a pre-qualification or pre-screening process. This is to make sure that they meet the basic requirements of the position and you don’t waste time passing unqualified candidates through extensive face-to-face interviews. Shortlist interviews are widely used by companies, and your hiring process can greatly benefit from combined from shortlist interviews.

Pre Screening Interview Questions:

1. What about your current and past work experience makes you a great fit for our role?

A candidate’s previous jobs and career achievements will have a major impact on their suitability for the vacant position. It is almost impossible for you to hire people from other industries than someone within 20 years of experience in your field.

2. What type of work environment do you prefer? Management style?

In the screening process, by understanding how people like your work environment, you can understand how they fit into your workforce. If you know the company they used to work for, you may have an understanding of their past background. But it also helps to ask what type of environment they like and what they have experienced.

3. Have there ever been situations where you failed to meet a deadline? What happened? What would you do differently if given the chance?

For new employees, another important factor you need to consider is how they deal with stress and deadlines. Different employers have different requirements for dealing with projects that are about to expire, as well as how to submit assignments.

4. What does your typical work week look like in terms of responsibilities? How have these responsibilities changed over time?

Before choosing a candidate, you will want to know if you are qualified for the job responsibilities you are applying to fill. Use pre-screening questions to understand what experiences your candidate has accumulated.  Nowadays, the position doesn’t make much sense, because the company has  different requirements for the same position. Don’t ask about a person’s previous position, but let them define the roles and responsibilities they were responsible for in their previous job.

5. 5. Do you prefer working with a team, or are you better by yourself?

Some people like to work in a team while, other like to work alone. Before, taking the time for face-to-face interview, its best to understand which approach your candidate prefers. If a candidate works alone in an IT department, they may struggle to switch to collaborative roles among  multiple team members who must work together everyday.

https://www.lever.co/blog/pre-screening-interview-questions/

https://www.apollotechnical.com/pre-screening-interview-questions/

Conclusion:

Pre-screening interviews are short interview questions for potential candidates to determine if they meet the criteria for the vacant position. If the pre-screening conversation goes well, the candidate is brought to a face to face meeting. But these short questions can help to narrow our talent pool to the most qualified candidates, so you can cut down on the time to interview new applicants.

https://www.apollotechnical.com/pre-screening-interview-questions/

HR Interviewing 

You have delayed it as long as possible, but now you have to hire. So far your team has taken care for everything, with a little help here and there, but you drive too much alone. You have too many fires to put out; you need more people, good people, to deal with the gestation of some internal conflicts, welfare requirements and/or compensation requests and compliance (and you can also get some help in strategic planning as well).

How to interview someone in HR Industry

Ideally you want this person to come in, read your thoughts, make your life easier and more reliable. Anyone that you interview must have the minimum qualifications, let’s suppose you have jumped that hurdle; Now unless you are mind reader, you will need some help to ask the right questions to determine who has the passion, the desire, and the courage to be the best candidate.

Here are a few of my favourite interview questions and why.

1. What do you like about human resources? Why do you want to be an human resource professional?

This question describes that they want passionate people! They want someone who loves this profession, not just for salary. They don’t want anyone mailing it and feel proud rather, they expect the HR innovators to use the latest trends to help achieve the goals.

2. Tell me about a time you made a mistake and what was the resolution and outcome?

This question is really about responsibility. You need an honest person who is not afraid of past mistakes and the correct measures they applied to ensure that it happens again and the lesson are learned. Its natural to make mistakes at work. No one is perfect; so if the candidate says, “ I don’t make mistakes, or I can’t think of any, or I have so much experience that I don’t make mistakes” –  that is a FAIL.

Some tricky questions are also asked such as:

1. What person living or dead would you most like to have dinner with?

This question is a problem and bothers me a lot because it leads the candidate to a situation where they can be discriminated. You want to stay away from entertainment icons, religious leaders and athletes. For example: If we think of Jesus Christ or Elvis Presley or Michael Jordan, but the interviewer may not like any of these leaders; Now you are not in “shape”. Candidates, if you encounter this problem, I recommend go with your family member.

2. Tell me something that you probably shouldn’t tell me. 

In my opinion, there is no point to this question. This again, leads the conversation to something inappropriate such as, “There are some simple people here.” Candidates, please consider bringing back the conversation related to work , such as, “I’m huge fan of Macs. What type of computers / operating systems does the office use?” For an HR Position you need to make sure you are searching for people who are a passionate for the work because it reduces the risk of getting frustrated and quitting. You want someone who is knowledgeable and resourceful. You need someone who is confident in both the skills and experience, because situations change quickly and a person who is open-minded and can adapt himself/herself to the environment quickly is always preferred first as compared to others  .

https://www.smartrecruiters.com/blog/how-to-interview-a-human-resource-professional/

Tips for HR professionals:

1. Have a vision: It is important to know what you want to achieve and why. Don’t wait for your organization to define what HR should be. There are so many examples that are available and can be found after doing some research. Make it your business to know what’s possible. Research everything you can find and connect with others to become your own expert. If you are being interviewed, state your objectives and If you are already working, please describe them whenever you get an opportunity. Discuss your ideas with your leadership team to get their input and support.

2. Be a strategic thinker: Every organization needs an HR leader who understand the company’s aims and objectives and support them. At Wynn, we hope that the HR is more than just a department. That meant employees at every level should know and understand their part in supporting the culture and Human Resource philosophy.
3. Be a full partner: I often hear that HR just wants to feel the power of the position. Guess what? You have to earn it. This means people see you as a clear thinker, a good leader and a smart business person, all of which is needed to be successful in your career. Here’s how:

• Collaborate individually with each department head in order to understand their needs and expectations from HR. Collaboration is the best way for HR ideas and practices accepted and implemented in your organization.
• Spend time working across departments, leading focus groups, running trial programs to assess the acceptance and usability of your ideas, and starting an advisory group to provide information to your planning process.

4. Inspire others: The word I mostly use to describe my HR style is inspirational. HR professionals represent “the rules,” and we are often seen as technocrats or policy experts, somehow disconnected from the real world of organizational needs. Of course, this works, but the more you inspire others to understand how and why human resources are required, and how we can work to their benefit, the more you become a recognized leader in your organization. If you have passion, there will be passion in your corporate culture will have passion. Otherwise, it will be just another job for you and people working for your organization. This is not a fun at all, and is not the kind of leadership that is required by HR professionals in present time.

https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-news/pages/arte-nathan-hr-success-tips.aspx