General HR

The purpose of this question is to understand your knowledge of the role.

The responsibilities of an HR manager include:

Recruitment, Training, Organizational Development, Communication, Performance development and management, Salary and benefits, Team Building, Building Employee relationship, Developing Leadership, Motivational exercises, Developing companies policies and procedures, Managing the health care program for employees etc.

Depending on the size of the organization, the HR manager has a team performing each of these roles.

Personnel management is managing welfare and performance of persons who are a part of the operations.

There are many people who actually get into HR after graduating in a totally different stream. To some people it just happens while for others it is a deliberate move.

If it just happened to you, you can say that I was on a look out for a job when I got the first opportunity in HR. I took it up and slowly realized that I have started liking it. I brushed up my skills by keeping myself updated about the new developments in the field and acquiring a professional degree (If you have got one.)

If it was a deliberate move, you can discuss your reasons for moving into this role.

Some of the responsibilities of a personnel manager include:

coordinating benefit programs and employee training,managing the recruiting process, conducting exit interviews and salary surveys,coordinating recordkeeping and payroll, and administering personnel policies.

Management in simple terms can be understood as the process of bringing people together to achieve the desired goals. The essential functions of management include: Planning, Organizing, Budgeting, Resourcing, Directing, Controlling and Reviewing.

Salary can be termed as the fixed remuneration you are offered for your services while incentive means some extra benefits that you are offered based on your performance. Incentive can be in cash or kind.

Span of Management or Control in easy terms means, number of subordinates a manager manages.

Following factors determine the Span of Management:

1. Size of the organization

2. Different tasks that are performed to keep the work going

3. Complexity of the production process

4. Extent to which IT can help in the process.

Fringe benefit can be defined as the benefits provided by the employer to its employees in addition to the regular salary. These include health plans, paid holidays, cafeteria, company transport etc.

Since I'd be coming from an altogether new environment, I am bound to possess a new perspective towards everything here including the company, product, customers, environment, strategy etc. This will enable me to constructively question things which anyone else here might not do. This will help in improving the things and making the product & company better.

Having worked closely with product development team I understand how the research for product development is carried out and how is customer requirement analysed; I'd be able to provide a value addition there too.

Yes, I was feeling exhausted after years of non-stop work. So, I decided to take a break and spend some time with my family on a rejuvenating vacation. I am happy to have returned fully recharged.

You might feel that I possess more degrees than you require for this position. But, I believe that I grow everyday when I talk to my staff, customers and superiors. So, basically the learning process continues through out the life - I don't think I am over qualified.

Yes, it happened once. I was quite friendly with a colleague of mine from the other department. While talking to him during the lunch hour, I casually told him about the new marketing strategy that the marketing team was thinking about. He mentioned it to his boss and that caused a lot of confusion between the two departments. This taught me a lesson that you must not discuss any departmental strategies with anyone from other department unless you have been authorized by your boss.

If I am selected for this position, I'll use my initial 90 days in understanding my role carefully in terms of the contribution to the business and increasing the overall profitability. I'll sit with my line manager and other juniors to understand what has already been done and what its impact has been. From there on, I'll formulate my strategy to growth in close conjunction with managers and see that it is properly implemented.

There are many people who do not change their jobs for years and when they go out looking for a new employer, this is one of the most important questions they are asked. Some people might look upon staying with the same employer for long as "lack of ambition.

A good answer to this question can be something like, Yes, you are right. I stayed with my last employer for almost 5 years but I was continuously growing in the company, doing new things, handling bigger challenges. So, I was quite happy working with them for these many years. You can then talk about how you grew with your last employer.

I believe that at one point of time in career salary becomes secondary and self actualization become more important. While taking up any new job, it will be my priority to ensure that the work culture, chances to contribute and grow are sufficient along with the money I am paid. I also believe that any good company who cares about its employees ensures that they are paid well.

Yes, there have been many such instances. I like people who challenge my decisions rather than following me blindly. This keeps me ensured that I am surrounded by thinking brains rather than just a set of dumb followers.

When someone challenges your decisions, you are bound to rethink over it and the chances of reaching the best option are brighter.

I have been working at a senior level since last many years. These roles have always needed me to make real time decisions. Sometimes the facts, figures and other information in real time cases are not complete & still we have to make a decision. In such cases, there exists a probability of making inaccurate decisions.

Knowing this, I usually run down my old decisions to see the outcome. It makes sure that I don't repeat a mistake ever again in future. While carrying out one such exercise, I realised that the product promotion strategy that I recommended would have been different, if I had had the complete data and figures but there was no way to get them in real time.