Sample HR interview questions 1. What are the competitive challenges in Human Resource Management?

There are a number of competitive challenges that face human resourcesmanagement departments, six of which include; going global, embracing technology, managing change, developing human capital, responding to the market and containing costs. Going global In order for businesses to succeed in the modern world, it is necessary to try expanding into the global market. Many companies use the global market as a fantastic business opportunity to prosper and expand. This has an affect on human resources when finding new employees. They will need to look for candidates that understand international cultures, laws and business practices. Embracing technology Advanced technology has decreased the number of jobs that need little skill but increased the number of jobs that require specific technology skills. Technology is used to manage Human Resource Information Systems and present accurate information for staff. Managing change Change is a difficult thing for Human Resources departments to manage. Often companies are lacking leaders who are willing to initialize the changes or communicate their visions. They may not establish a sense of urgency or declare victory too soon. Developing human capital Success increasingly depends on an organization's ability to manage human capital. The Human Resources department has to try and manage jobs, technologies and projects in a way that is unnatural to them. Responding to the market It is essential that organizations aim to meet and respond to their customer's

expectations. The Human Resources departments must learn the strategies involved In this process; total quality management, six sigma and reengineering. Containing costs

One of the biggest challenges to the Human Resources department is to try and contain costs. Labor costs are the largest expenditures of any company and the HR department is in charge of downsizing or outsourcing, should the need to occur.

2. What is the Career Scope for the person working in HR. The Human Resource Management Department is known to be the heart of an organization. The HR manager plays a key role in any well established organization. This field is in the developing stage and is still facing challenges for its recognition in contribution to the business. This profession like other professions, need to be managed by professionals who play a crucial role in the growth of the organization and individuals. In the days of financial crisis and tight job market, HR profession is considered an important field. It takes responsibility to provide the human resources and becomes the strategic business partner in accomplishing the corporate goals. In the era of information technology, public sector and private sector companies have been focusing on this discipline and paying more to meet the challenges of an open market. At the strategic level the main function of HR is to develop the balancing act in the growth of the business of the company and its human capital. The HR function works like a catalyst in the organization. HR professionals act in the organization as a middleware between the management and the employees. The objective of HR professionals is to develop a positive and healthy working environment to increase the productivity and job satisfaction among the employees.

Functional Areas of Work : The main areas of work in HR function are : 1.Recruitment and Selection : Involves preparing job descriptions, attracting people with right qualifications and skills, with right mind set and attitude.

2.Manpower Planning : Assessing the present and future manpower requirements in the organization, succession planning and career planning. This area is very important in which the future strength of the an organization lies. 3.Human Resource Administration : Defining organizations HR policies and procedures and implementation thereof 4.Compensation and Benefits : Determining salary structures, employee perquisites etc, covers health, security, safety, terminal benefits, and employee welfare facilities. This area is very important for retaining the talent in organization. 5.Industrial Relations : Promoting healthy relationship between management and employees associations, addressing employees concerns, taking care of legal issues in the labour courts / labour commissioners. 6.Training and Development : Arranging employee orientation programmes and providing technical skills and behavioral training to employees for effective performance. This area is very important for career progression of an individual in the organization. 7.Performance Appraisal : Reviewing performance appraisal system of the employees from time to time using the assessment information for the purpose of trainings, promotions, and incentives etc. 3. How to conduct job analysis? Conduct a Job Analysis 1. Review the company's documents. 2. Research other job description resources. 3. Interview the staff currently involved with the position. 4. Have employees write job duties. 5. Review materials and reduce to minimum requirements. 6. Have employees evaluate the list. 7. Revise and submit for final approval. Step One: Review the Company's Documents The first step of a job analysis is to review all of the company's documentation on the job you want to write a new job description for. This includes the prior job description (if available), newspaper advertisements related to the job in question, recruiting brochures, and evaluation forms. These documents will give you a base to work from in generating a new job description. Step Two: Research Other Job Description Resources

The next step is to review other companies' descriptions of similar jobs. You may even want to check out a book containing job descriptions in order to locate standard duties for specific positions like secretary, executive assistant, accountant, clerk, etc. Use these resources to get a few ideas on how to word your job description, and how to generate a list of minimum qualifications. Step Three: Interview the Staff Currently Involved With the Position After you have a list of duties that are normally associated with the job in question, the next step is to interview the employee, or employees, who is or are currently occupying the position. Ask them what the minimum qualifications that are needed to successfully meet the requirements of the job, what tasks and duties the job normally entails, and any "as needed" duties that this job requires. After interviewing the employee you will also want to interview their supervisor or manager. Ask the manager or supervisor the same questions, and also ask if they expect to add or remove duties or responsibilities to the job in the near future. (i.e. If two jobs are to be combined in a few months then there may be several new responsibilities added to the job description that the current employee isn't aware of yet. If this is the case, you should also interview the person who occupies the position that will be combined with the original job that you are analyzing.) Step Four: Have Employees Write Job Duties When you ask the employees to write out the minimum qualifications and duties required to be successful in the position, try to stress the importance of only including "minimum" qualifications and only "essential" duties. For example, the current employee in the Accountant I position has an MBA and a CPA's license. However, the duties required to successfully perform the job really only need the skills developed through a Masters level program in Accounting, Business, Finance, or some other related field. For the purpose of the job description the qualifications listed should only include Master's Degree in Business, Finance, Accounting or a related field. You may also want to include other acceptable combinations of schooling and work experience. For example a masters degree is equal to 5 years work experience and a Bachelor's degree, or 10 year of work experience in a similar field and no higher education. Step Five: Review Materials and Reduce to Minimum Requirements At this point in the job analysis you should have quite a bit of information about the job you are analyzing. In this step you will want to compile all of the vital information and get rid of any unnecessary information. Also similar or related tasks should be compiled into a single duty title where possible and practical. For example the employee may say stated that their duties include: going to the post office, processing incoming and outgoing mail, and sorting and delivering mail to appropriate offices. The combined duty title for these listed specific duties could be simply "mail processing." As you go through the list of duties, eliminate duties that are duplicated or that are optional. For example the current employee may cover for another position when an employee is absent because of illness or vacation. However, the notes from the

supervisor don't mention this as a required duty for the position so it should be eliminated from your list because the next employee won't be required t take on that responsibility. When you are done with this step you should have a list of minimum qualifications and duties required to perform the job in question. Step Six: Have Employees Evaluate the List Give the employees occupying the job and their manager a copy of the list that you just generated. Have them review the list to make sure that it covers all of the duties needed, and all of the qualifications needed to perform the job. Have them make notes and return the list with their suggestions to you by a certain date. (Be sure to give them an adequate amount of time to complete their review and get back to, keeping in mind that they have other job related responsibilities to deal with. However, a deadline should be set, to avoid procrastination and to make sure that you get the evaluations back in a timely manner. Step Seven: Revise and Submit for Final Approval Use the notes from the employees to revise the job description list. When you have the final draft, next meet with the personnel manager for the final approval of the job description list. Once approved you'll be ready to write your official job description. How To Write a Job Description You can either follow your company's model for a job description, or you can use the one provided below as a template. Remember to include a "revised on date" and a mention who made the revision at the bottom of the job description to help make sure that personnel is using the most up-to-date revision. Job title: _________ Job Code: _________ Hours per Week: _________ Job Location: _________ Department: _________ Supervisor: _________ Qualifications: Responsibilities: Where to Apply: Contact Information: Revised on X/X/XXX By _________

4. How to measure effectiveness of workforce? Workforce productivity can be measured in 2 ways, in physical terms or in price terms. the intensity of labour-effort, and the quality of labour effort generally. the creative activity involved in producing technical innovations. the relative efficiency gains resulting from different systems of management, organization, co-ordination or engineering. the productive effects of some forms of labour on other forms of labour.

These aspects of productivity refer to the qualitative dimensions of labour input. If an organization is using labour much more intensely, one can assume it's due to greater labour productivity, since the output per labour-effort may be the same. This insight becomes particularly important when a large part of what is produced in an economy consists of services. Management may be very preoccupied with the productivity of employees, but the productivity gains of management itself is very difficult to prove. While labor productivity growth has been seen as a useful barometer of the U.S. economys performance, recent research has examined why U.S. labor productivity rose during the recent downturn of 20082009, when U.S. gross domestic product plummeted.[2] The validity of international comparisons of labour productivity can be limited by a number of measurement issues. The comparability of output measures can be negatively affected by the use of different valuations, which define the inclusion of taxes, margins, and costs, or different deflation indexes, which turn current output into constant output.[3] Labor input can be biased by different methods used to estimate average hours [4] or different methodologies used to estimate employed persons.[5] In addition, for level comparisons of labor productivity, output needs to be converted into a common currency. The preferred conversion factors are Purchasing Power Parities, but their accuracy can be negatively influenced by the limited representativeness of the goods and services compared and different aggregation methods.[6] To facilitate international comparisons of labor productivity, a number of organizations, such as the OECD, the Groningen Growth Centre, International Labor Comparisons Program, and The Conference Board, prepare productivity data adjusted specifically to enhance the datas international comparability. 5. How to be compliance with H&S regulation of local law? 6. How many are training methods? Technology-Based Learning Common methods of learning via technology include:

Basic PC-based programs Interactive multimedia - using a PC-based CD-ROM Interactive video - using a computer in conjunction with a VCR Web-based training programs

The forms of training with technology are almost unlimited. A trainer also gets more of the learner''s involvement than in any other environment and trainees have the benefit of learning at their own pace

Lecture A lecture is the method learners often most commonly associate with college and secondary education. Yet, it is also considered one of the least effective methods to use for adult learners. In this method, one person (the trainer) does all of the talking. He or she may use handouts, visual aids, question/answer, or posters to support the lecture. Communication is primarily one-way: from the instructor to the learner. Pros: Less time is needed for the trainer to prepare than other methods. It provides a lot of information quickly when it is less important that the trainees retain a lot of details. Cons: Does not actively involve trainees in training process. The trainees forget much information if it is presented only orally. Demonstration Demonstration is very effective for basic skills training. The trainer shows trainees how to do something. The trainer may provide an opportunity for trainees to perform the task being demonstrated. Pros: This method emphasizes the trainee involvement. It engages several senses: seeing, hearing, feeling, touching. Cons: It requires a great deal of trainer preparation and planning. There also needs to be an adequate space for the training to take place. If the trainer is not skilled in the task being taught, poor work habits can be learned by the trainee. Seminar Seminars often combine several group methods: lectures, discussions, conferences, demonstrations. Pros: Group members are involved in the training. The trainer can use many group methods as part of the seminar activity. Cons: Planning is time-consuming. The trainer must have skill in conducting a seminar. More time is needed to conduct a seminar than is needed for many other methods.

Conference The conference training method is a good problem-solving approach. A group considers a specific problem or issue and they work to reach agreement on statements or solutions. Pros: There is a lot of trainee participation. The trainees build consensus and the trainer can use several methods (lecture, panel, seminar) to keep sessions interesting. Cons: It can be difficult to control a group. Opinions generated at the conference may differ from the managers ideas, causing conflict. Panel A panel provides several points of view on a topic to seek alternatives to a situation. Panel members may have differing views but they must also have objective concerns for the purpose of the training. This is an excellent method for using outside resource people. Pros: Trainees often find it interesting to hear different points of view. The process invites employees to share their opinions and they are challenged to consider alternatives. Cons: It requires a great deal of preparation. The results of the method can be difficult to evaluate. Role Playing During a role play, the trainees assume roles and act out situations connected to the learning concepts. It is good for customer service and sales training. Pros: Trainees can learn possible results of certain behaviors in a classroom situation. They get an opportunity to practice people skills. It is possible to experiment with many different approaches to a situation without alienating any actual customers. Cons: A lot of time is spent making a single point. Trainers must be skilled and creative in helping the class learn from the situation. In some role play situations, only a few people get to practice while others watch. Case Studies A case study is a description of a real or imagined situation which contains information that trainees can use to analyze what has occurred and why. The trainees recommend solutions based on the content provided. Pros: A case study can present a real-life situation which lets trainees consider what they would do. It can present a wide variety of skills in which applying knowledge is important.

Cons: Cases can be difficult to write and time-consuming to discuss. The trainer must be creative and very skilled at leading discussions, making points, and keeping trainees on track. Simulations Trainees participate in a reality-based, interactive activity where they imitate actions required on the job. It is a useful technique for skills development. Pros: Training becomes more reality-based, as trainees are actively involved in the learning process. It directly applies to jobs performed after training. Simulations involve yet another learning style, increasing the chance that trainees will retain what they have learned. Cons: Simulations are time-consuming. The trainer must be very skilled and make sure that trainees practice the skills correctly. Only perfect practice makes perfect. Projects Projects require the trainees to do something on the job which improves the business as well as helps them learn about the topic of training. It might involve participation on a team, the creation of a database, or the forming of a new process. The type of project will vary by business and the skill level of the trainee. Pros: This is a good training activity for experienced employees. Projects can be chosen which help solve problems or otherwise improve the operation. Trainees get first-hand experience in the topic of the training. Little time is needed to prepare the training experience. Cons: Without proper introduction to the project and its purpose, trainees may think they are doing somebody elses work. Also, if they do not have an interest in the project or there is no immediate impact on their own jobs, it will be difficult to obtain and maintain their interest. Common individual training methods include: Self-discovery Trainees discover the competencies on their own using such techniques as guided exercises, books, and research. Pros: Trainees are able to choose the learning style that works the best for them. They are able to move at their own pace and have a great deal of ownership over their learning. Cons: Trainees can easily get side-tracked and may move slower than the trainer desires. It is also more difficult to measure the employees progress.

Movies/videos/computer-based training Content for the training experience comes primarily from a videotape or computerbased program. Pros: It is easy to provide this training and the trainer can follow-up with questions and discussion. It is also easy to assure that the same information is presented to each trainee. Cons: It is expensive to develop. Most trainers choosing this option must purchase the training from an outside vendor, making the content less specific to their needs. On-the-job training This is the most common method of training. The trainee is placed on the job and the manager or mentor shows the trainee how to do the job. To be successful, the training should be done according to a structured program that uses task lists, job breakdowns, and performance standards as a lesson plan. Pros: The training can be made extremely specific to the employee's needs. It is highly practical and reality-based. It also helps the employee establish important relationships with his or her supervisor or mentor. Cons: Training is not standardized for employees. There is often a tendency to have a person learn by doing the job, providing no real training. Mentoring A mentor can tutor others in their learning. Mentors help employees solve problems both through training them in skills and through modeling effective attitudes and behaviors. This system is sometimes known as a buddy system. Pros: It can take place before, during, or after a shift. It gives the trainee individual attention and immediate feedback. It also helps the trainee get information regarding the business culture and organizational structure. Cons: Training can be interrupted if the mentor moves on. If a properly trained mentor is not chosen, the trainee can pick up bad habits. When choosing from among these methods, the trainer must decide which one best suits the trainees, the environment, and the investments available. Many trainers will choose to combine methods or vary them. Others will select a single method that works best for them and never vary. With so many options, a trainer is limited only by his or her creativity.

7. How do you motivate your employees?

1. Ask your employees what they want. Conduct a company survey. Listen to them. Hold weekly meetings for each department and monthly meetings for the whole company. Find out what's on their minds. Set up a suggestion box and, where appropriate, use their suggestions. 2. Pay them well. To keep the best people, you're going to have to pay the highest possible wages and commissions. Check out your competition to find out what they're offering. Give them opportunities for spiffs/perks. Put these in writing, and keep the plan simple. 3. Provide for them. Give your employees the best health insurance possible. Shop the insurance market and offer them options. Take care of their families. Offer health insurance options that include family coverage, and provide disability and life insurance protection. Let them enjoy vacations and holidays. Although you may want to limit vacations during peak seasons, make sure they get time away from work to unwind and recharge. 4. Show them a future. Outline employees' career paths with your company. Provide for internal growth as well as future change. Promote from within and, if possible, offer alternate opportunities to help employees find the right fit. Help them secure their retirement by offering a 401(k) or profit-sharing plan. 5. Make them part of a team. Be selective when hiring new employees. Have a written hiring plan and always be aware of the image of your company that you want employees to convey. Create opportunities for department goals that support team building. Make it fun, come up with team names, t-shirts, etc. 6. Reward them.

Give your employees gifts for excellence. The gifts don't have to be extravagant. For example, give a new tool or movie tickets to the technician who has the cleanest vehicle, or who consistently turns in the neatest paperwork. Let them know their value. Take employees out for breakfast, or visit them in the field and treat them to lunch. Go above and beyond. Think up contests that can make work more interesting and fun. Sponsor company get-away trips, cookouts, etc. 7. Commend them. Create a "Wall of Fame" for employees' certificates, awards, and letters of thanks. Write about your employees in your company newsletters or on your website. Have an employee of the month and an employee of the year. This works particularly well if the winner is chosen by the other employees. 8. Thank them. Always acknowledge employees' anniversaries with an anniversary card and an announcement at a company meeting. Make a note of employees' birthdays and give them a card or gift. Give employees thank-you cards for suggestions they share at company meetings. Visit with employees in their offices or on jobsites to find out how things are going. 9. Challenge them. Use report boards to show employees "the numbers." Let them see how they stack up against others in key performance indicators (you can determine which indicators are most important at your company). Teach employees how to set goals. This can apply to company, department and individual goals. Make sure the goals are S.M.A.R.T.: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. 10. Empower them. Set up committees for benefits, safety, and training. This allows employees to write their own procedures manuals, and cross-train each other.

Don't make them be perfect. If you want employees to try new things, there are going to be failures as well as successes. Don't forget that both bring growth. 8. What is more important to you money or position? position 9. How many methods are used to pay employee? 1. Profit sharing 2. Salary 3. Time-rate pay 4. Commission 5. Fringe benefits: Fringe benefits are financial benefits that are not paid out directly in cash (or cash equivalents such as shares). Examples of these include: Company cars Discounted season tickets Health insurance Pensions Holiday and other entitlements to take time off work Childcare provision Staff uniforms Staff discounts Benefits in kind have become a much more popular and widespread form of remuneration. This is partly because businesses pay less tax on providing them, but also because they cause a business less hassle and can help to differentiate the remuneration package. People management - Ways to pay employees and management There is no doubt that most people are motivated (at least in part) by the financial rewards they gain from their work. So, getting employee pay right (often referred to as the remuneration package) is a crucial task for a business. Why is pay important?

It is an important cost for a business (in some labour-intensive businesses, payroll costs are over 50% of total costs) People feel strongly about it Pay is the subject of important business legislation (e.g. national minimum wage; equal opportunities) It helps attract reliable employees with the skills the business needs for success

Pay also helps retain employees rather than them leave and perhaps join a competitor

Because pay is a complex issue, there are several ways in which businesses determine how much to pay:

Job evaluation / content; this is usually the most important factor. What is involved in the job being paid? How does it compare with similar jobs? Fairness pay needs to be perceived and be seen to match the level of work Negotiated pay rates the rate of pay may have been determined elsewhere and the business needs to ensure that it complies with these rates. Market rates another important influence particularly where there is a standard pattern of supply and demand in the relevant labour market. If a business tries to pay below the market rate then it will probably have difficulty in recruiting and retaining suitable staff Individual performance increasingly, businesses include an element of performance-related reward in their pay structures.

Structuring the financial package With so many methods of pay available, how should a business decide to structure the pay package it offers to employees, and what rate of pay should it use? The starting point is usually to find out what the market rate is. Factors that help determine the market rate for a job include:

Whether the skills that are required are widely available The overall level of unemployment in the employment catchment area Whether the job requires specialised (or even highly specialised) skills

There are several ways in which a business can obtain data on market rates:

Local employment agencies & job centres Job adverts Industry associations (who often perform annual surveys of pay in an industry)

The next question is should the business pay MORE or LESS than the market rate? Factors to consider here include:

Does the business need above-average employees (e.g. salesmen with an industry reputation for being strong performers) Does the business need trained employees or is it prepared to invest in training beginners? Are the skills wanted by the business needed urgently (in which case the business would probably want to pay more)

Do factors affecting the mobility of labour need to be addressed e.g. are there transport problems that need to be solved (e.g. pay for a rail season ticket) or relocation allowances to be offered to encourage new employees to move home?

The third important question is how to structure the remuneration package.

Should employees be paid on the basis of time spent working (e.g. time-rates) or the amount they produce (e.g. piece rates) or some other measure of performance? Should the remuneration package be a combination of approaches (e.g. some basic pay per month + a commission-related incentive)?

In deciding the answers to these questions, a business should try to construct a pay structure that issimple (to help employees understand it), logical and fair Time-rate pay Time rates are used when employees are paid for the amount of time they spend at work. This is the most common method of payment in the UK. The usual form of time rate is the weekly wage or monthly salary. Usually the time rate is fixed in relation to a standard working week (e.g. 35 hours per week). The employment contract for a time-rate employee will also stipulate the amount of paid leave that the employee can take each year (e.g. 5 weeks paid holiday). Time worked over this standard is known as overtime. Overtime is generally paid at a higher rate than the standard time-rate reflecting the element of sacrifice by an employee. However, many employees who are paid a monthly salary do not get paid overtime. This is usually the case for managerial positions where it is generally accepted that the hours worked need to be sufficient to fulfil the role required. The main advantages of time-rate pay are:

Time rates are simple for a business to calculate and administer They are suitable for businesses that wish to employ staff to provide general roles (e.g. financial management, administration, maintenance) where employee productivity is not easy to measure It is easy to understand from an employees perspective The employee can budget personal finance with some certainty Makes it easier for the employer to plan and budget for employee costs (e.g. payroll costs will be a function of overall headcount rather than estimated output)

The main disadvantages of time-rate pay are:

Does little to encourage greater productivity there is no incentive to achieve greater output

Time-rate payroll costs have a tendency to creep upwards (e.g. due to inflationrelated pay rises and employee promotion

Piece-rate pay Piece-rate pay gives a payment for each item produced it is therefore the easiest way for a business to ensure that employees are paid for the amount of work they do. Piece-rate pay is also sometimes referred to as a payment by results system. Piece-rate pay encourages effort, but, it is argued, often at the expense of quality. From the employees perspective, there are some problems. What happens if production machinery breaks down? What happens if there is a problem with the delivery of raw materials that slows production? These factors are outside of the employees control but could potentially affect their pay. The answer to these problems is that piece-rate pay systems tend, in reality, to have two elements:

A basic pay element this is fixed (time-based) An output-related element (piece-rate). Often the piece-rate element is only triggered by the business exceeding a target output in a defined period of time

Commission Commission is a payment made to employees based on the value of sales achieved. It can form all or (more often) part of a pay package. Commission is, therefore, a form of incentive pay. Commission, like piece-rates, is a reward for value of work achieved. In most cases, the employee is paid aflat percentage of the value of the good or service that is sold. The rate of commission depends on the selling price and the amount of effort required in making the sale. For example, commission rates could range from 5% where the product sells easily (e.g. household goods sold door-to-door) to 30% where the effort is substantial. The main advantage of commission from an employees point-of-view is that it enables high performing sales people to earn huge amounts. The main advantage to the employer is that the payroll cost is related to the value of business achieved rather than just the amount produced. After all, businesses exist to sell goods and services for profit not just to make things. However, there are several drawbacks with using commission payments:

Sales people may cut corners to make sales (e.g. not explain the product or service in enough detail to potential customers) i.e. customers are misled & missold High commission earnings enjoyed by some of the sales team may be resented elsewhere in the business particularly if the sales actually depend on a team effort It is difficult to change what proves to be an over-generous commission structure without upsetting and demoralising the sales team Once commission payments have been made, the sales force may lose some motivation until they begin to focus on the next payment (which might be up to 12 months away)

As a result of the above disadvantages, most businesses that use commission as an incentive payment method offer a basic pay plus a moderate commission level. In this way, if sales and profits justify the change, the commission rate can always be increased slightly. Performance related pay Performance-related pay is a financial reward to employees whose work is considered to have reached a required standard, and/or above average Performance related pay is generally used where employee performance cannot be appropriately measured in terms of output produced or sales achieved. Whilst the detail of real performance-related schemes varies from business to business, there are several common features:

Individual performance is reviewed regularly (usually once per year) against agreed objectives or performance standards. This is the performance appraisal At the end of the appraisal, employees are categorised into performance groups which determine what the reward will be The method of reward will vary, but traditionally it involves a cash bonus and/or increase in wage rate or salary

Performance-related pay has grown widely in recent years particularly in the public sector. This is part of a movement towards rewarding individual performance which reflects individual circumstances. There are several problems with performance-related pay:

There may be disputes about how performance is measured and whether an employee has done enough to be rewarded Rewarding employees individually does very little to encourage teamwork

There is doubt about whether performance-related pay actually does anything to motivate employees. This may be because the performance element is usually only a small percentage of total pay

Fringe benefits Fringe benefits are financial benefits that are not paid out directly in cash (or cash equivalents such as shares). Examples of these include:

Company cars Discounted season tickets Health insurance Pensions Holiday and other entitlements to take time off work Childcare provision Staff uniforms Staff discounts

Benefits in kind have become a much more popular and widespread form of remuneration. This is partly because businesses pay less tax on providing them, but also because they cause a business less hassle and can help to differentiate the remuneration package. Profit sharing Profit sharing refers to any system whereby employees receive a proportion of business profits. Profit sharing is generally accepted as having many advantages, providing that all employees are able to participate. Key advantages include:

Creates a direct link between pay and performance Creates a sense of team spirit- helps remove them and us barrier between managers and workers if all employees involved May improve employees loyalty to company Employees more likely to accept changes in working practices if can see that profits will increase overall

10. What are compensation and benefit setup for senior positions at our industry? 11. How to set up corporate culture in our industry? 1. Take responsibility. Every business has a corporate culturea collection of shared values, traditions and goals that make it unique. The difference is, strong corporate cultures arise consciously, shaped by the business owner, while weak ones arise accidentally from neglect.

2. Create a mission statement. Your companys mission statement, which clearly conveys your businesss goals, philosophy and unique differentiators in a sentence or two, will be a reference point for developing and maintaining your corporate culture. 3. Keep it authentic. Corporate culture should be a natural outgrowth of your businesss mission, your industry, your customers and even your Personality. Dont try to force a corporate culture thats not authentic. IBM has one corporate culture; Zappos has a very different one. Each is authentic to the business involved. 4. Involve your team. Although you are a key driver of your businesss corporate culture, that doesnt mean you can impose it from the top down. Involve your employees in fine-tuning your mission statement and determining what kind of culture they want to create. 5. Create rituals. Rituals, stories and rites of passage help create and sustain corporate culture. Whether its a weekly Friday pizza lunch, a celebration for employees who reach certain milestones or just the stories you tell when you welcome new employees to the team, create rituals that convey your corporate culture. 6. Hire for fit. Look for job candidates whose personalities and attitudes mesh with your culture. Fit is more important than skill. A job candidate might have years of experience, but if he or she is uptight and rigid while your culture is loose and fun, the new hire wont be happyand neither will you. 7. Express your corporate culture in everything you do. Everything from the design of your office or stores, to the appearance and tone of your marketing materials, to the way your employees interact with customers should clearly convey your corporate culture to the outside world. 8. Dont confuse culture with crazy. Wacky corporate cultures get a lot of attention these days, but being zany on the outside doesnt mean slacking off. Build rigor, ethics and responsibility into your corporate culture to create a firm foundation for growth. 9. Check in periodically. Three out of four executives in an MWW Group survey say their corporate culture is the major driver of their businesss reputation, but just 5 percent felt their companys culture was strong enough to prevent a reputational crisis. Assess your corporate culture periodically to make sure its still working for your business. 10. Be ready to change. Nothing stays static in business today, and the corporate culture that works when your company is in the early stages may need to evolve as your business grows. If your corporate culture needs a tune-up, dont be afraid to make changes. 12. What is core competency of HR? Negotiation Skills Effective human resource managers have communication and relationship skills that allow them to negotiate win-win situations for the company and the employees they hire. Whether large or small, each business has certain constraints on its budget for salary, benefits and placement for employees. Workers too, have certain needs and minimums

that must be met. Human resource managers listen to the needs and even unspoken desires of employees and help the company exceed those requirements without stretching itself too thin; they know creative ways to accommodate each partys needs. Improving working conditions for employees isnt always expensive, it can often be as simple as rearranging furniture, ordering supplies that workers prefer, reorganizing a workspace or providing updated technology. Job Knowledge Human resources is an information-heavy field; companies must comply with labor laws, safety concerns, health issues and local, state and federal policies that change regularly. A must-have core competency for successful human resource managers is the ability to stay updated on legislation related to employment and to be cognizant of violations, harassment or hardships that employees undergo. The dissatisfaction many workers feel on the job is due to conditions that are hard to detect but can cause disgruntled employees to be less productive and to eventually leave their jobs. Core competencies relating to detailed job and industry knowledge help human resource managers find and eliminate problems that cause unfavorable working conditions for employees. Qualified Recruitment In human resources, qualifying is the process of narrowing down potential applicants to the prospects that can best fill all open and future job opportunities. This may include finding candidates from college campuses, other companies or people who hold certain interests and skill sets. Recruitment core competencies mean that human resource managers limit the money a company spends on marketing to, or attracting, unsuitable workers, while still finding skilled applicants. Effective Training The human resources department is often responsible for creating the training programs that help employees fulfill their daily job functions, advance to other positions within the company or respond well to company changes and industry shifts. Human resource managers must have the ability to foresee the training needs of their company and develop materials that a wide range of employees will respond well to. With a range of learning styles and interests in the workforce, human resource managers must tailor workshops, communication and training to meet employee needs. Influential Power Leadership, or the ability to influence people, is a core competency of human resource managers. They must be able to motivate employees and show them how to excel at their jobs, embrace change and make ethical decisions. During difficult transitions in a company, such as new management or major layoffs, a human resource managers ability to train and influence employees to stay on course is essential to a companys productivity and to individual employees job satisfaction. 1. Personal drive and effectiveness: the existence of a positive, 'can-do' mentality, anxious to find ways round obstacles and willing to exploit all of the available resources in order to accomplish objectives.

2. People management and leadership: the motivation of others (whether subordinates, colleagues, seniors or project team members) towards the achievement of shared goals not only through the application of formal authority but also by personal role-modelling a collaborative approach, the establishment of professional credibility, and the creation of reciprocal trust. 3. Business understanding: adoption of a corporate (not merely functional) perspective, including awareness of financial issues and accountabilities of business processes and operations, of 'customer' priorities, and of the necessity for cost/benefit calculations when contemplating continuous improvement or transformational change. 4. Professional and ethical behaviour: possession of the professional skills and technical capabilities, specialist subject (especially legal) knowledge, and the integrity in decision-making and operational activity that are required for effective achievement in the personnel and development arena. 5. Added-value result achievement: a desire not to concentrate solely on tasks, but rather to select meaningful accountabilities - to achieve goals that deliver added-value outcomes for the organisation, but simultaneously to comply with relevant legal and ethical obligations. 6. Continuing learning: commitment to continuing improvement and change by the application of self-managed learning techniques, supplemented where appropriate by deliberate, planned exposure to external learning sources (mentoring, coaching, etc). 7. Analytical and intuitive/creative thinking: application of a systematic approach to situational analysis, development of convincing, businessfocused action plans, and (where appropriate) the deployment of intuitive/creative thinking in order to generate innovative solutions and proactively seize opportunities. 8. 'Customer' focus: concern for the perceptions of personnel and development's

customers, including (principally) the central directorate of the organisation; a willingness to solicit and act upon 'customer' feedback as one of the foundations for performance improvement. 9. Strategic thinking: the capacity to create an achievable vision for the future, to foresee longer-term developments, to envisage options (and their probable consequences), to select sound courses of action, to rise above the day-today detail, to challenge the status quo. 10. Communication, persuasion and interpersonal skills: the ability to transmit information to others, especially in written (report) form, both persuasively and cogently, display listening, comprehension and understanding skills, plus sensitivity to the emotional, attitudinal and political aspects of corporate life.

13. Tell us how many selection methods are used in recruitment and selection process? Application forms and CVs Online screening and shortlisting Interviews Psychometric testing Ability and aptitude tests Personality profiling Presentations Group exercises Assessment centres Reference 1. 2. 3. 4. Campus Employee Referrals Consultants Walk in

5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Existing Data Base Advertisement Job Fairs Portals Websites

10 Call back 14. How many recruitment channels in this ? Major Job Boards: When I say major job boards, I mean mostly Monster and CareerBuilder but there are others that can fit this description as well. These boards offer tremendous amounts of applicant volume to employers and can be quite an asset if used correctly. Niche Job Boards: Niche jobs boards can provide a good deal of value to jobs that are highly specialized or if you are targeting a small percentage of the workforce. College boards and industry specific boards are great examples. Social Networks: Social recruiting has a tremendous amount of buzz right now in the industry. Recruiting through Twitter and Facebook can be a great way to engage with and recruit top talent. The two necessities with social recruiting, however, are time / labor cost and engagement. Social recruiting is free only to the degree that it doesnt cost any money. A great social recruiting strategy only happens when theirs effort to engage with qualified candidates. Social networks are NOT job boards and should not be used just to post jobs. You need to provide value to receive value in the social space. Email: A great way to reach your Talent Network when new opportunities and positions. Candidates have opted in to this process so you reach a qualified and receptive audience. SMS (text messaging): Mobile Recruiting is a channel that is becoming more important in recruiting every passing day. I believe this channel will become the most popular among the youngest generation of job seekers. Heres an article I did on why Mobile Recruiting is important. Resume Sourcing: There is a tremendous amount of quality resumes out there on job boards and on the web that are just sitting out waiting to be found. Utilizing technology

to source these resumes for certain keywords and job positions can be a great way to find quality talent. Search Engine Marketing (SEM): SEM provides a great way to reach job seekers that are searching Google for specific jobs and positions. The Pay per click model also enables you to pay only for performance. Referrals: In most cases, the best candidates come from internal employee referrals. Make sure to build out an internal process to let employees know when you are looking to fill positions. 15. Describe recruitment and selection process? Recruitment Recruitmentis the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating to apply for jobs in the organization. Recruitment is the process to discover the sources of manpower to meet the requirements of the staffing the sources of manpower to meet the requirements of the staffing schedule and employ effective measures for attracting the manpower in adequate numbers to facilitate effective selection of an effective working force. Recruitment is the process of finding and attracting capable applicants for employment. The result is a pool of applicants from which new employees are selected . Recruitment Process include: 1] Manpower Resource Planning Considering Job-Analysis Feedback 2] Specification of Job Requirements & Identification of Vacancies 3] Developing Employee Profile and Selection of Recruitment Method & sources: A] No New Recruitment: But Overtime, Job Redesign, Prevention B] RecruitmentProcess RecruitmentProcess 1] Contingency:

a] Temporary Lease Contract 2] Core: a] Internal and External Sources 3] Identification of Target Population a]All qualified Applicants b] Segmentation of Applicatcants Population 4] Notification Of Targeted Population 5] Screening, Intrviews, checking of references, etc. 6] Other

Selection Once the potential applicants are identified, the next step is to evaluate their qualification , qualities,experiences, capabilities,etc..&make the selection. It is the process of offering jobs to the desired applicants. Selection means choosing a few from those who apply, It is picking up of applicants or candidates with requisite qualifications and qualities to fill jobs in the organization. Selection Process include

1) Initial screening interview 2) Application blank or application form 3) Written examination & other selection tests 4) Comprehensive interview 5) Medical examination 6) Checking the refernces 7) Final employment dececision 8) Placement

The Difference between Recruitment & selection is Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective and it helps to create a pool of applicants from which certain required number is selected. Selection is the process of choosing the most suitable candidates from those who apply for the job. It is a process of offering jobs to desired candidates.

16. What is HR scorecard? An HR scorecard is a visual representation of key measures of human resource department achievements, productivity and other factors important to the organization. Factors measured include costs, hiring, turnover, training, performance management and alignment with corporate goals. Most HR scorecards are tied to corporate goals or strategic plans and are designed to track and measure the efficacy of human resource activities and enable managers to make targeted investments in HR and organizational structures. Scorecards include current data and comparisons to previous time periods, such as the previous quarter or year, and historical data to show improvements toward goals.

They say that it is impossible to evaluate something without measuring it. In business terms, performance is measured in different values, often by money to time ratio. Thus, to investigate performance of your business, you need to find aspects of the work to be measured. Almost all businesses use IT support. Moreover, many firms use special software to evaluate performance of the company to find out what wants to be improved. All business professionals would declare that H.R.D. is an important part of any business structure. You may have the best technologies, output capacities and equipment but you may be not getting suitable profits because you personnel is poorly managed. When HR management works at its best you will immediately see positive results. However, the work of HR department also needs to be evaluated. HR managers should always get better and develop performance. When it concerns companies and departments with 200+ employees it is not so easy to discover out who or what makes the company perform poorer than expected. Employee A is responsible for negotiations, employee B does the calculations, employee C goes through paperwork. If one of them fails, the entire chain fails. This influences the company's overall revenue. Businesses must always get superior; otherwise they will be wiped out by smarter competitors. In terms of HRM, one should always get better way of dealing with people and streaming their skills in the right direction. Many companies are using Balance Scorecard metrics to evaluate performance of their HR department by key performance factors. So, let's examine how Balance Scorecard metrics can help HR managers and HR departments. In order to perform an overall investigation we need to analyze KPIs, i.e. those factors influencing performance of HR department. Cost per Hire By evaluating this factor you will be able to see how costly the recruiting process is. This process starts from posting job offer to the moment when a new person is officially employed in the company. Logically, the shorter this process is, the least expensive is cost per hire. This is a very important value, especially if the company counts hundreds and thousands of employees. This amount includes expenses related to advertising, agent's fees, recruiter pay, relocation etc. to follower the average cost, a new person must be employed as quickly as possible. Turnover Cost These are the costs connected to termination, new hire and learning. In other words, these are expenses related to integrating a innovative person into the company. Turnover Rate

This value represents the condition in your company related to leaving and hiring new employees. Many people would agree that it is not good to change personnel too often. If the earnings rate is very high, then maybe you are treating your personnel wrong? Or is it something wrong with your business in general? Find out. Time to Fill Basically, this is the time needed to fill a vacant position in the company. Of course, this time depends on how well HR managers are working with recruiters, publicity and people in general. The shorter this time, the better performance of your HR department. Length of Employment This indicator is very easy to understand. It is likely to calculate an average value. For instance, in average an employee works 5 years for your company. Of course, everything depends on the place. If you are changing couriers or secretaries, this is not a big trouble. But if chief managers work for your company less than a year, this is definitely not good. Training and Development Even if you hire the best specialist you need to integrate him into your company and guide. Of course, you bear costs, related to preparation. If you manage to cut this cost without injure quality of training, then your HR department is doing a great job. Salaries, compensation, bonuses It is very important to know that you are not overpaying and allocating recourses wisely. This also concerns HR department of any company. With Balanced Scorecard you will be able to see how efficiently company's funds are being used in HR branch. Cost Effectiveness It all comes to cost efficiency after all. All above-mentioned factors influence performance of HR department which has one goal minimize costs and boost presentation. If you HR department manages to cut costs and at the same time increase effectiveness, you can be proud of your HR specialists who know how to keep pace with the modern bsuiness. Balanced Scoreboard will help you assess performance of HR managers and find solutions to problems. Once you enter all data, you will see graphs and values in percents which will indicate how well HR department is performing. Sometimes, it is difficult to find what takes the department down or what causes losses. With Balanced Scorecard you will be able to estimate all KPI to see what needs to be improved. The Seven-Step Model for Implementing HR's Strategic Role

Ulrich et al. discuss a seven step model for formalizing the strategic role of HR. They are summarized below:

Clarify and articulate the business strategy HR managers should focus on achievement of strategy. By doing so, they can facilitate discussion about how to communicate the firm's goals throughout the organisation. When strategic goals are not developed with an eye towards the implementation detail, they tend to be too generic and abstract. These vague goals will tend to confuse employees and they would not know how exactly to implement the strategies. The important thing for HR managers is to state the goals in such a way that the employees understand what exactly their role in the organisation is and thus the organisation knows how to measure success in achieving these goals. Develop the business case for HR as a strategic asset: Once a firm clarifies its strategy, HR professionals need to build a clear case for the strategic role of HR. In concrete terms, they must be able to explain how and why HR can hold the strategy. It is important to look at as much of case histories and internal as well as external research while leaving through this phase. Although it is not wise to imitate others, one can learn a lot by looking through past experiences of others. Basically, the direct impact on the HR systems' high performance characteristics is nonlinearly related to the increase in market price. This is because in the lower ranges of performance, increase in market value is basically because HR stops making mistakes it used to make in the past. It is almost like it is getting out of the way and avoids

blunders and wrong practices that worsen the situation. In the center range of performance, HR starts consolidating its efforts. It is learning from its mistakes and in the process does not actually add much to the market value of the employees and the company, but once a certain threshold is crossed indicating that the firm has adopted the appropriate HR practices and implemented them effectively, the market value soars exponentially. This is mainly because the HR system starts getting integrated into the overall strategic system of the firm. Basically, the firms must consolidate the appropriate HR policies and practices into an internally coherent system that is directly aligned with business priorities and strategies that are most likely to make economic value. This can lead to significant financial returns to the company. It is this plan that must be made concrete and shown as a strong case to make senior management believe in HR's potential. It is important to note however, that simple changes in an HR practice do not make a difference. The HR measures explain the whole HR system and changing the system to cross the threshold mentioned above needs time, effort, insight and resolve since results are not directly proportional. This clearly indicates the requirement of an HR transformation rather than a change. It is this very character of transformation, which is difficult and lengthy to achieve, that makes HR a strategic asset. Along with value creation, there must also be a strong case for HR's role in strategy completion. Strategy implementation rather than strategy content separates the successful from the unsuccessful firms. It is easier to choose an appropriate strategy than to implement one. This once another time shows the strategic nature of HR's role in performance improvements. Successful strategy implementation is driven by employee strategic focus, HR's strategic alignment and a balanced performance measurement system. The most significant HR performance driver is a strategically focused workforce. Effective knowledge management combined with the above-mentioned factors creates a strategically focused organisation. Create a strategy map for the firm: The first two steps clarify the firm's strategy. This paves the way for the achievement process. But, before this is done, the firm must get a clear understanding of its value chain. The value chain is the complex cumulative set of interactions and combinatorial effects that create the customer value in the products and services of the firm. It is important that the firm's performance management structure must account for each of the links and dependencies in the value chain. The Balanced scorecard framework refers to this process and creating a strategy map. These are basically diagrams that show the links in the value chain. It shows how different components in different layers interact. It is what provides managers and employees the big picture of how their tasks affect the other basics in the firm and how it affects overall strategy. This process should involve managers from all over the organisation, not just HR. The broad participation is required to improve the quality of the strategy map. It also allows each

member of the team who is an authority in his or her domain to provide his or her own insights into what is accomplishable. The following questions have been recognized as the key ones to be asked during the strategy map creation process. * Identify the dangerous strategic goals from the generic ones. * Identify the performance drivers for each goal. * Think about how one can compute progress towards these goals. * Identify barriers to the achievement of each goal. * Recognise the employee behaviours needed to make sure that the company achieves its goals. * Identify missing employee competencies and check if HR is providing the necessary competencies. * Finally, decide what needs to change. These basic questions generate a wealth of information about how well a firm's HR has been contributing to the achievement of the organisation. Along with these discussions, it is useful for the company to conduct surveys within the organisation to identify the extent to which each employee understands the organisational goals. Once the whole picture of the firm's value chain is highlighted, the firm can then translate the information into a theoretical model using language and graphics that make sense to the members of the organisation. The model should then be tested for understanding and acceptance amongst the leaders and the employees. The strategy map essentially contains predictions about which organisational processes drive firm performance. The company can validate these hypotheses only after achieving the goals set for each of the performance drivers and then measuring their impact on overall firm performance. The graphical nature of the strategy map helps the higher management as well as the employees have more confidence in the strategy implementation plan. Identify HR deliverables within the strategy map HR creates much of its value at the points of intersection between the HR system and the overall strategy implementation system of the organisation. Thus, to leverage this to the maximum possible coverage it is important that there is a clear understanding of both sides of this intersection. In the past, HR managers lacked the required amounts of knowledge about the business side and general managers did not fully appreciate the HR side. It is HR's responsibility to depict HR deliverables including performance drivers as well as HR

enablers in the strategy map of the firm. Performance drivers such as employee competence, motivation and availability are very fundamental and so it might be difficult to locate these precisely on the strategy map. It is important to identify those HR deliverables that support the firm-level performance drivers on the strategy map. The focus should be on the kind of strategic behaviours that depend on competencies, rewards and work organisation. E.g. Employee stability improves R&D cycle time, the latter being a firm-level performance driver. Thus, employee stability becomes an significant HR enabler. Once this enabler has been identified, the firm can plan policies such as bonus schemes etc. that would encourage R&D staff to carry on working for the firm. Align the HR architecture with HR deliverables: The above-mentioned steps encourage the top-down thinking approach, whereby strategy decides what HR deliverables the firm needs to focus on. It is also important to consider how the HR structure made up of the rewards, competencies; work organisation etc. needs to be structured to provide the deliverables that are recognized in the strategy map. This step enhances the value creation aspect of the firm by aligning the HR system with the firm's larger strategy implementation system. For this, internal alignment and external position are important. Internal alignment refers to the aligning components within the HR system. External alignment refers to the position of the HR system with the other elements in the firm's value creation process. These two are not isolated processes. They are closely related. Internal alignment is necessary but not sufficient in itself for external alignment to occur. Basically, highly cohesive HR strategies will work as long as they are associated well with the overall strategy of the company. It will fail if it is not periodically reshaped so as to align it with the overall strategy. However, for a particular fixed overall strategy, all firms need an internally aligned HR strategy in order to achieve the overall goals. Misalignment between the HR system and the strategy implementation system can destroy value. In fact, the wrong measurement system can have the precise opposite effect than intended. Design the strategic measurement system: The above steps guide the development of the HR building and lay the groundwork necessary to measure the performance relationship between HR and the firm's strategy. The next step is to design the measurement system itself. This requires a new, modern perspective on measuring HR performance. It also requires HR to resolve several new technological issues that it might not be familiar with. To accurately measure the HRfirm performance relationship, it is imperative that the firm develops valid measures of HR deliverables. This task has two dimensions. Firstly, HR has to be confident that they have chosen the correct HR deliverables. This requires that HR have a clear understanding of the causality in the value chain for effective strategy implementation. Secondly, HR must choose the correct measures for those deliverables. During this process of rising the HR scorecard, the firm might go through several stages of increasing sophistication. The first stage is normally the traditional category of measures. These mainly include operational measures such as cost per hire, activity

counts etc. These are not exactly strategic measures. In the second stage, HR measures have a strategic importance but they don't help much in creation a case for HR as a strategic asset. Firms may declare several people measures such as employee satisfaction as strategic measures and these might be included directly into the reward systems. In this stage, there tends to be a balance between financial and non-financial measures but there is less of an agreement on how exactly they combine together to implement the strategy. These are normally hasty decisions and the firms might have not gone through all the previous steps mentioned above. The next stage represents a transition point whereby the firm includes non-financial measures such as HR measures into its strategic performance extent system. The links between the various measures are also identified i.e. they are placed appropriately in the strategy map. The HR measures now actually track HR's involvement to strategy implementation. In the final stages, the HR measurement system will enable the firm to estimate impacts of HR policies on firm performance. If the value chain is short and the strategy map is relatively simple, the complete impact of HR on the overall performance can be measured. For more complex value chains, the impact can be more exactly measured on local segments or sectors of the strategy map. These local impacts can then be assimilated to give a good measure of the total impact on the firm's performance. Thus, each level of sophistication of the measurement system adds value to the non-financial measures and services in the firm and enables a better performance appraisal. Execute management by measurement The previous step completes the HR scorecard development process. The next step is to use this powerful new management tool in the right way. This tool not only helps the firm measure HR's contact on firm performance, but also helps HR professionals have new insights into what steps must be taken to maintain HR as a strategic benefit. It helps the HR professionals dig deeper into the causes of success and failure and helps them promote the former and avoid the later. Implementing the strategy using the HR scorecard requires change and flexibility as well as constant monitoring and re-thinking. The process is not a one-time event. HR professionals must regularly review the procedures and their impacts. They must review the HR deliverables identified as important and see to it that the drivers and enablers and internally as well as externally aligned. Special reviews of the HR enablers must be conducted as these have the maximum direct impact on specific business objectives. Enablers that do not be likely to play a helpful role should be replaced.

17. How to set up HR strategy? The first step is to develop a HR strategy based on the following 4 dimensions: organization (structure, job roles and reporting lines of the organization), people (skill levels, competencies, and management capability), culture (values, norms and

management style of the organization), HR processes and systems (the mechanisms which deliver the strategy). Like all of the other major business functions, human resources must accomplish a wide range of activities well from basic transaction processing to strategic planning in order to be successful. The importance ascribed to each of those functional activities in large part represent your human resource strategy. Delivering a strategic impact requires development of a strategy that supports the corporate business objectives, aligning and prioritizing each of the various activities to support and help accomplish those objectives. While an infinite number of HR strategies can be formulated, most in use today fall under a relatively small number of models. While I don't recommend using a strategy just because of major firm uses it, it is helpful to know what the range of strategies available to VP's of HR are. This article highlights the various HR strategy models and provides some insights into the advantages and disadvantages of each. What Are The Most Widely Used HR Strategies? If you study successful organizations around the world, you'll find that there are a finite number of HR strategies in use. Although each of the strategies listed below is a distinct category, many firms use them in combination in order to arrive at an approach that best fits their situation. For example, stable business units that provide the core revenue base for an organization may operate under one strategy while a business unit that focuses on future development may operate under another. Widely admired firms like Intel, General Electric, Cisco, Nucor and Microsoft have found that a "performance culture" is the best approach to drive their success. While other excellent companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Oracle and Dell Computer have adopted an e-HR strategy where technology permeates everything they do in HR. Other successful companies have achieved good results using the more traditional business partner or personnel strategy. Each category has its advantages, costs and disadvantages so be sure and compare and contrast them before deciding that any one is the overall best. Summary Of The 10 Basic HR Strategies The 10 basic HR strategies or models are: 1. Personnel 2. Generalist 3. Business Partner 4. Call Center 5. Outsourced 6. Centers Of Excellence 7. Self-Service 8. Fact-Based Decision-Making 9. e-HR 10.Performance Culture Strategy Models Defined

1. Personnel Model Priority And Focus:

Low costs, basic transactions and legal compliance. The traditional approach to HR and the most common strategy. HR serves as an employee advocate. A strong emphasis on managing centralized transactions including payroll and benefits. HR is "reactive" with little outreach, change management or the use of generalists. Minimal impact on profitability and employee productivity. Small businesses or medium to large firms attempting to minimize costs. Often used when a single person runs HR or in a union environment.

Description: Likely Strategic Impact:

Appropriate For:

Advantages/ Benefits:

Transactional excellence Simple and easy to manage structure Little HR technical knowledge required High customer contact Low HR operational costs

Disadvantages/ Risks: Structure And Organization:

Slow identification and reaction to problems Difficult to globalize Functional silos and lack of cooperation The minimal use of metrics makes it difficult to prove economic value during budget reductions There is no emphasis on rewarding great people management HR is centralized and organized by functional units.

Largest Budget/Time Non professional hiring, payroll, legal compliance and Allocation: benefits. Lowest Budget/Time Organizational development, training, technology, call Allocation: center, workforce planning, generalists. Line Management Participation: Minimal, all HR work is done by HR.

Low. Available technology focused on centralized payroll Use Of Technology: and benefits administration. 2. Generalist Model

Priority And Focus:

Excellent hands on localized service delivered by generalists. A decentralized approach that attempts to provide "different" services that fit the unique needs of the business unit or local facility. It relies primarily on the generalist to deliver most HR services. Centralized HR serves primarily as support staff for generalists, and aggregators of standardized transactions. Medium due to the slow transfer of innovative solutions between various business units. Medium to large size firms that are geographically dispersed. High customer contact Solutions that fit the unique needs of the business unit Rapid reaction to local problems High "personal" credibility with local senior managers

Description: Likely Strategic Impact: Appropriate For:

Advantages/ Benefits:

Disadvantages/Risks:

Generalists can become too loyal to their business unit leadership and less so to corporate leadership Generalists can do too much "hand holding" Generalists may have insufficient technical knowledge to solve complex one of a kind problems Information transfer between generalist in different business units is often limited and most information is never captured in central HR The reliance on paper and at the lack of technology means answers are slow to get The generalist's model is relatively expensive compared to most other strategic models The minimal use of metrics makes it difficult to prove economic value during budget reductions There is no emphasis on rewarding great people management

Structure And Organization:

Generalist do most HR work. Generalists are physically located in each major business unit or facility. This local HR generalist often reports directly to the general manager of their unit.

Largest Budget/Time Generalists and "business unit" HR staff.

Allocation: Lowest Budget/Time Allocation: All centralized HR functions. Line Management Participation: Use Of Technology: High because they service providers are well known and trusted by local management. Minimal with most transactions handled at the local level.

3. Business Partner Model Becoming more strategic and building strategic Priority And Focus: relationships. The model made famous by Dave Ulrich defines the basic role of HR into four areas (service delivery, employee commitment, change management and strategic actions). The business partner model is the next step in HR evolution after the traditional "personnel" or generalists model. The strategy is interpreted by many to emphasize strategic initiatives and to de-emphasize transactions. When it is effective, HR becomes more important and earns a seat at the executive table. Moderate because the strong strategic relationships might not be enough to directly impact employee productivity or profit. Medium and large businesses that need to move away from the "personnel" model. Strong interpersonal relationships and high visibility with executive management Fast response time to major corporate problems Smaller sized HR with lower headcount

Description: Likely Strategic Impact: Appropriate For:

Advantages/ Benefits: Disadvantages/ Risks:

De-emphasis on transactions minimizes customer interactions. Many HR professionals evolving from the personnel model may not be capable of becoming strategic. The emphasis on outsourcing may mean reduce HR headcount. The emphasis on corporate strategic issues can make the cadre of generalists feel "isolated" from corporate. The highly centralized corporate unit can become

averse to taking risks and may evolve into a "meeting culture". The minimal use of metrics makes it difficult to prove economic value during budget reductions There is no emphasis on rewarding great people management The strategic elements of HR are centralized and while there are a moderate number of generalists, their responsibilities are generally non-strategic. This model generally has a top-heavy senior HR management staff.

Structure And Organization:

Largest Budget/Time Strategic consultants, high-level corporate HR staff, Allocation: outsourcing, legal compliance. Lowest Budget/Time Allocation: Payroll, transactions, workforce planning, metrics. Line Management Participation: Medium

Use Of Technology: Medium, mostly reliant upon standard enterprise suites. 4. Call Center Model "Free up" generalist time (from answering basic HR questions) so that they can focus on more strategic issues. Maintain ownership of transactions but minimize their costs with a telephone call center. The call several model generally evolves from either the personnel or the business partner strategy. Its primary focus is shifting the answering of basic HR questions to a centralized HR unit. The call center staff is cheaper and is continually available during working hours. Minimal, due mostly to the fact that once freed from basic transactions, few generalists actually transition to strategic work. Large corporations The call center gives more accurate and consistent answers Managers and employees do less answer shopping and spend less time waiting Call center staff are relatively low cost per hour

Priority And Focus:

Description: Likely Strategic Impact: Appropriate For: Advantages/ Benefits:

Some call center is also handle HR transactions Call centers serve as a central depository for HR "answers" Call centers can help in breaking down HR silos

Disadvantages/ Risks:

More difficult and complicated HR problems cannot be solved by call center personnel Set up time and costs can be significant There can be conflicts between generalist and call center staff Many managers and employees may resist shifting from "their" generalist to a call center

Structure And Organization:

Call centers general report directly to HR operations. The generally operate relatively independently of both generalist and other HR functional departments. Although call centers shift some degree of HR work away from generalist and functional HR units, it has little direct impact on how the rest of HR is organized.

Largest Budget/Time Call center staff, call center consultants, intranet and Allocation: generalists. Lowest Budget/Time Technology, benefits administration and other HR Allocation: transactions units, outsourcing. Line Management Participation: Minimal, since most HR "answers" are answered by centralized HR.

Minimal, emphasis on telephony and knowledge base Use Of Technology: systems. 5. Outsourced Model Outsourcing HR transactions and where appropriate, a majority of a firm's existing HR functions, so that the remaining HR team can focus on increasing strategic impacts. In an effort to free up a senior HR management and generalists time and to increase HR's strategic impact, HR managers identify the different HR functions that provide us with no competitive advantage. These functions are then outsourced to vendors with superior capabilities. The net result is that HR managers now have increased bandwidth because they have fewer "average" things to worry about. With less functions and responsibilities to oversee, HR

Priority And Focus: Description:

managers can focus on the relatively narrow areas within HR that have a realistic chance of having a strategic impact. Likely Strategic Impact: Moderate to high, if the narrower HR focus actually results in solving the remaining complex people problems. All businesses but especially small and large businesses. Outsourcing is more appropriate in the US where a great deal of sourcing support is available. An increased focus means more of a strategic impact Outsourcing allows external experts that specialize in efficient transactions to handle things that internal HR can do as well Takes advantage of" economies of scale" that vendors might have in handling transactions Reduces the need for HR to invest it's limited capital resources in, call centers, HR software and other HR technologies by taking advantage of the investments that have already been made by outsource firms

Appropriate For:

Advantages/ Benefits:

Disadvantages/ Risks:

HR may select the wrong functions to outsource as a result, the firm loses its competitive vantage HR must be skilled at vendor management Outsourcing firms cannot handle the most complex HR systems (with their customized workaround's), forcing HR to adopt the "vanilla" approach You can't outsource "broken" systems until they are fixed Outsource vendors may be unstable Because vendors must make a profit, the overall costs might not be lower Outsourcing services can seldom be tailored to the unique needs of a company or business unit Outsourcing transactions reduces HR's contact with its internal customers Without transactions, that were once the training ground of "future" HR managers, HR may weaken its internal talent pipeline

Structure And Organization:

Outsourcing can reduce or eliminate entire HR functions. The net result is generally a streamlined HR organization. The area of vendor management may become crucial, depending on the degree of outsourcing that you undertake

Largest Budget/Time The remaining strategic HR functions, outsourcing, vendor

Allocation:

management and outsourcing consultants

Any HR function that are partially or totally outsourced Lowest Budget/Time (generally benefits, pensions, payroll and sometimes Allocation: recruiting, compensation and training) Line Management Participation: Minimal because much of the HR work is now done outside the company.

Low Within HR, most of the functions that require technology are outsourced, although many vendors utilize web sites to provide their services to managers and Use Of Technology: employees. 6. Centers of Excellence Model Providing internal "consulting quality" help to solve Priority And Focus: advanced HR problems. Because generalists only have the opportunity too solve "local" problems, they must often bring in outside consultants to help them solve advanced or unique HR problems. Centers for excellence brings the expensive outside consulting inside in order to directly solve the " most difficult 20%" of the current HR problems. By utilizing internal consultants, the knowledge gained after the problem is solved remains within the corporation (which increases the likelihood that solutions are shared). Inside consultants are presumed to be more successful because they understand the culture and how to get things done within the organization. Some organizations couple the centers of excellent model with the call center model so that the net result is better and cheaper answers at the low end and higher-quality solutions for the more difficult higher-end HR problems. The self-service model differs from other technology-based strategies (the fact-based and the e-HR model) in that it uses technology just for answering simple questions and completing basic transactions. High, if the centers of excellence maintain the same quality standards as external consulting firms. Large and global corporations that use a large number of external HR consultants.

Description: Likely Strategic Impact: Appropriate For: Advantages/ Benefits:

HR problems are identified and solved faster External consulting costs are reduced

Improvement in HR's internal image and exposure because it is directly attacking major HR and management problems

Disadvantages/ Risks:

External consulting may be superior because they have already experienced similar problems at other firms "Excess HR staff" may be transferred to the centers of excellence, which may degrade the quality of the help they can provide Budget pressure may, over time, reduce the centers of excellence staffing levels were staff quality to the point where they are unable to be responsive Set up costs and time can be significant Most of the established centers of excellence have not succeeded in practice Managers may resist using internal consultants because of their existing relationships with external consulting firms If a center of excellence fails it sends a clear message that HR can't "handle" the most difficult problems which will negatively impact our image and their ability to be strategic in other areas

Structure And Organization:

Centers of excellence generally operate independently of other HR functional units. They general report to a senior HR manager or the VP of HR. In some cases, centers of excellent strategies that also have strong call centers components reduce or consolidate other HR functions because most of their high and bottom level work is now handled by others.

Largest Budget/Time Allocation: Centers of excellence Lowest Budget/Time External consultants, the most experienced staff within Allocation: existing functional HR departments, outsourcing. Line Management Participation: High, because HR is more capable of handling their most difficult "people problems".

Use Of Technology: Minimal 7. Self-Service Model Priority And Focus: Shifts most HR answers and transactions to the intranet to "free up" generalist time and to make managers and employees more self-sufficient.

Description: Likely Strategic Impact: Appropriate For:

Often an advanced variation of the call several model where HR answers and transactions are shifted to the firm's intranet. Managers and employees are provided access to easy to use HR web sites so that they can do their own transactions and find their own simple to moderately complex HR answers. Using the web allows answers to be available globally and 24/7. Minimal because providing simple answers and transactions (no matter how easy or cheap) is hardly ever strategic. Global businesses, firms with strong IT staffs and large businesses Employees and managers may have their own "personal portal" which may also help increase their productivity because of the tailored information it can provide Using the web sends a message that HR understands the importance of technology Answers and transactions can be done anywhere and at anytime Web technology can make transactions "foolproof" resulting and fewer errors than the "people dependent" call center model M managers may argue that doing transactions "outside of HR" isn't the best use of managers and employees time

Advantages/ Benefits: Disadvantages/ Risks:

Shifting "HR work" to managers and employees may decrease their productivity. Their time may also be more expensive than HR staff time More difficult and complicated HR problems cannot be solved on the intranet HR loses a great deal of interaction with its customers The set up costs and time are significant HR may not have the capability to do the web site and it may be "less than cooperative" so delays may occur Not all managers and employees have easy access to the company's intranet Not all managers and employees are comfortable using computers and the intranet. The significant amount of training may be required

Closing down a recently opened call center can be expensive and politically difficult Generalists may resist the shifting of a portion of their former workload to the web and they may not use their extra time to produce strategic results Many managers and employees may resist shifting from "their" generalist to a web site

Structure And Organization:

Although self-service shifts some degree of HR work to managers and employees, it has little direct impact on how the rest of HR is organized.

Largest Budget/Time Allocation: Web technology and Web consultants Lowest Budget/Time All HR transactional units, benefits administration and call Allocation: centers Line Management Participation: High because managers and employees "own" their transactions and accept the responsibility for finding most basic HR answers.

Use Of Technology: High 8. Fact Based Decision Model Making HR more "scientific" through the use of measures, analytics and metrics. The goal is to continually improve everything done in HR through the more "intelligent" use of Priority And Focus: data. The goal is continuous improvement in every people management process. The fact-based model follows the supply chain and 6 sigma models in that it shifts the emphasis from "emotional" or "personal experience based" decision making to "fact-based" decision making. Because metrics permeate everything HR does, most HR decisions can be made more accurate by basing them on facts and data. In addition, by providing data directly to line managers, the process allows more people decisions to be made "closer to the customer" by the line manager. Some advanced HR departments add forecasting in order to anticipate problems as well as "R&D" teams to analyze and develop new people management tools. The fact based model uses technology for decision-making but technology does not permeate every area of HR like it does in the e-HR model.

Description:

Likely Strategic Impact: Appropriate For:

High, because much of the "guesswork" is removed from HR decision-making and decisions are made closer to the customer. Technology driven companies, medium and large size firms with enterprise wide software applications. Increases HR business impact by "educating" managers about what works and what doesn't Shows that HR is "businesslike" because it uses the same types of metrics and analytics that the rest of the organization already utilizes Allows managers to be more involved and more successful in people decision making Allows corporate HR to closely monitor and compare people management "success rates" between regions and business units and therefore increase the speed of learning and the adoption of solutions that work throughout the business

Advantages/ Benefits:

Disadvantages/ Risks:

Requires close cooperation with it and HR it Requires the organization to have existing ERP and other data collection and data mining tools HR must become experts in metrics and analytics. Providing data about what works doesn't always incite managers to change and improve

Structure And Organization:

The fact based decision-making model requires no special organizational structure but metrics and analytics managers must report directly to the senior decision maker in every HR functional unit.

Largest Budget/Time Allocation: Metrics, reporting and HRIT Lowest Budget/Time Allocation: Functions that fail to improve or that have a low ROI Line Management Participation: High because managers are provided with the data they need to make "intelligent" decisions.

Use Of Technology: High, emphasis on business intelligence type solutions. 9. e-HR Model Priority And Focus: Uses technology to make everything in HR paperless as well as faster, cheaper, better and globally capable. It

provides managers with new computer-based tools in the areas of employee relations, workforce planning, compensation and recruiting. It also shifts most HR decisions away from HR people and it gives them to managers. Technology and its related software are the mainstay of every HR function and system. By eliminating "paper" within HR, it instantly becomes cheaper, faster and more globally capable. E-HR also takes advantage of new capabilities in e-learning, workforce planning, analytics, online candidate assessment, applicant tracking systems and Web based management reports. The e-HR model follows the supply chain and 6 sigma models to improve decision-making and productivity by using computer generated data to improve day-to-day decision-making. The e-HR model goes far beyond the "selfservice" and "fact based" HR models. In addition to using technology to handle all transactions and to answer benefit questions, e-HR shifts almost all day-to-day HR decision making to line managers. Decisions like compensation, candidate assessment, retention and employee relations are no longer made by HR. Managers take "ownership" of their HR problems and they are able to make better people related decisions because of the laptop tools and information provided by HR. High because it allows HR to do things that are not possible without technology. Informed (and more accurate) people decisions are made closer to the customer. Large and global corporations Globalization is not realistically possible without technology in HR Paperless systems are cheaper and faster the line managers can access to all HR information which allows them to make better HR decisions "closer to the customer"

Description: Likely Strategic Impact: Appropriate For:

Advantages/ Benefits:

Linked databases can "learn", therefore reducing our future failure rate Technology can identify potential issues and" alert" managers of upcoming problems

Disadvantages/ Risks: Structure And Organization:

e-HR set up time and costs can be significant IT can drag its feet or refuse to cooperate

HRIT manages the e-HR effort. Eventually every process and HR function must be computerized

Largest Budget/Time Allocation: HRIT Lowest Budget/Time Allocation: Call centers Line Management Participation: Use Of Technology High because most people management decisions are shifted to managers. High

10. Performance Culture Model HR assumes the responsibility for shifting the entire corporate culture so that every aspect of it reinforces performance and results. The net result is that excellent people practices become a sustainable competitive Priority And Focus: advantage. HR shifts the responsibility for "owning" people programs and employee productivity to employees and managers. HR ensures that every "people" related system focuses on measuring, recognizing and rewarding productivity and results. It makes sure that "performance" rather than "trying" or "effort" permeates the entire culture and everyone's way of thinking. The Performance culture strategy is the broadest and most impactful of all HR strategies because it takes the "captain of the ship" approach to employee performance. As a "captain" of the ship" it assumes responsibility, even though it doesn't have complete authority or control, over maintaining and increasing the productivity of the company's workforce. High, if HR can successfully influence the entire organization. Firms that operate in a highly competitive environment and that wish to be number one in their industry in employee productivity.

Description: Likely Strategic Impact:

Appropriate For: Advantages/ Benefits:

In assuming the role of strategic leader in increasing

employee productivity, it sends the message that it will do what strategic leaders do... take responsibility for actions across all business units. It uses it's expert knowledge to influence others that it has no formal control over. Instead of focusing on" HR problems" instead it focuses on 'business problems" (and opportunities). It uses its knowledge of people management to find and then implement people management tools that will make a major contribution towards solving these business problems. By shifting the responsibility and ownership for people problems and worker productivity, it actually increases its strategic impact because "ownership" forces managers and employees to take people issues more seriously HR increases its visibility throughout the organization because it becomes a consultant and expert rather than just a transaction specialist and information provider. HR shifts from a function that the" does HR" to a function that advises and influences others. Instead of focusing on transactions and providing information, HR focuses on identifying and solving business problems through the use of people management tools Many HR professionals might not be able make the transition from "doer" to leader Managers and employees may be unwilling to accept the responsibility for "owning" people issues HR might not have the skills or knowledge required in order to "influence" the entire organization The "old corporate culture" might resist changing to a Performance culture Low performers and people that resist change are likely to fight the transition Within HR there will be tremendous pressure to maintain the status quo Many traditional HR processes, approaches, programs and tools will need major revision if they are to contribute to a Performance culture

Disadvantages/ Risks: Structure And Organization:

The structure of HR must be changed to become more like a consulting organization. Traditional "doer" functions like compensation, recruiting and employee relations must be completely reorganized to provide advice and metrics rather

than direct service. Largest Budget/Time HR consulting, strategic planning, forecasting, metrics, HRIT Allocation: and workforce planning. Lowest Budget/Time Allocation: All traditional transaction and "doer" HR functions. Line Management Participation: High because the ownership of people problems they shifted to them.

High because managers must be provided with easy to use "always available tools" and daily performance information in order to allow them to make better people decisions and Use Of Technology: to continually improve workforce productivity. Each of the ten distinct HR models that are outlined above has made a significant impact in some organization because they fit the need at the time. Its important to emphasize that there are no good and bad strategies, just ones that are appropriate for the organization and the goals that it sets. Before selecting a strategy or transitioning into a new one, it is important to study your organization's business goals and the competitiveness of the industry you are in. It's easy to assume that the best one is the most strategic one but in fact developing a strategic HR function within a commodity business for example, may actually be a mistake. Whatever path you take, it is important to remember that being strategic in HR means having a direct impact on business problems and results. So, in that light, select the strategy that is most likely to have a significant impact on workforce productivity and profits.

18. What is competency mapping? Competency mapping is a way of assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a worker or organization. It's about identifying a person's job skills and strengths in areas like teamwork, leadership, and decision-making. Large organizations may use some form of this technique to understand how to best use each worker or how to combine the strengths of different employees to produce the highest quality work. Individuals may also find that this type of assessment can help them prepare for a career change or advance in a specific job field. Functional and Behavioral Models Many competency mapping models break down strengths into two major areas: functional and behavioral. Functional skills include all of the practical knowledge that a person needs to perform a job. For instance, functional requirements for a secretary might include typing ability, familiarity with computer systems and office machinery, and bookkeeping knowledge. These skills are generally easy to measure through skill tests or task-specific questions,

and can help define whether a worker is capable of carrying out his or her basic responsibilities. Behavioral assessment is sometimes more difficult to quantify, and is the focus of most competency studies. This type of analysis examines personal skills such as leadership, active listening, teamwork, and morale. Crafting questions and tests that accurately identify behavioral strengths and weaknesses can be difficult, because a worker may try to answer in a way that makes him look his best rather than providing an honest response. This type of testing is important for getting a complete picture of an individual's skill-set, however. Questions might focus on how the person sets goals for himself, how he adapts to changing situations, or how he deals with failure. Work History An analysis of a worker's past performance and work history can give the results of competency mapping better context. If a worker scores poorly on leadership in tests, for example, but has a long, documented history of being an excellent leader, it is possible that the test did not measure this ability accurately. Considering testing scores in the light of real performance helps create a balanced view of a worker's capabilities. Benefits for Businesses In large organizations, competency mapping models are often used to improve employee performance, to help with hiring or promotion decisions, and to provide a critical look at the current workforce. The process can be complicated, but typically begins with identifying those competencies that are most important for a specific position. For example, if an executive wants to internally promote a new manager, he might begin by listing the required job skills and ideal behavioral traits needed for the position. From this list, he could create a questionnaire that maps a candidate's competencies in the desired areas. After all the candidates answer the questionnaire, the executive can then compare the results using the competency scores to determine the best person for the promotion. How the questions are worded can be critical to the overall usefulness of the process. Good questions are generally very specific to the job and carefully worded to eliminate vague answers. For instance, an ineffective question might ask "Are you good at time management?" People may interpret the term "good" in many different ways, and may be tempted to answer positively to make themselves appear to be better workers. A better question might be "Do you finish projects before their deadlines most of the time?" Since this question can be verified by work history and allows a "yes" or "no" answer, it may provide more useful information. Challenges for Businesses While this technique can be quite useful to large organizations, it does require thought, time, and analysis, and some companies simply may not want to do the work involved. When enough time is not put into preparing a questionnaire, the results may not be very

useful. Some companies choose to hire a external consulting team to handle the modeling, testing, and analysis process for them. This type of skill analysis can also backfire if the workplace does not respond to the results. Companies that engage in competency mapping need to be prepared to make changes to take advantage of the skills and abilities revealed in the assessment. This may mean that job descriptions and responsibilities are changed or swapped, and departments are merged or split as needed. Training and incentive programs may be needed to improve core skills for workers who are struggling with performance issues. While these changes can cause initial confusion and anxiety, actively responding to the results can often improve employee performance, raise morale, and create a more efficient workplace. Benefits for Individuals Competency mapping can also be used to help those seeking employment show the specific skills which would make them valuable to a potential employer. Many employers now purposefully screen applicants for specific characteristics, so once a person knows her strengths, she can emphasize them on an application or in an interview. A company may be looking for someone who can be an effective team leader or who has demonstrated great active listening skills, for example. Knowing that she has these strengths and being able to discuss personal examples of them with prospective employers can give job-seekers a competitive edge in the market. Usually, a person will find that he or she has strong skills in five or six areas. Employees who want to increase their worth may find that an area identified as a weakness is worth developing. In other cases, the process may reveal that a person needs to find a new type of work or a different work environment that is better suited to his or her abilities. Challenges for Individuals One potential limitation of personal testing is that individuals often have a few blind spots regarding their own skills and personality. People tend to overestimate their abilities, which can limit the usefulness of any test. They may also have difficulty accurately answering questions that ask how others view them in the workplace. This gap between how a person sees himself and what his skills really are can sometime make the results of self-testing assessments questionable. For the most accurate results, test-takers must be prepared to answer questions candidly and resist the temptation to overestimate their abilities.

The steps involved in competency mapping with an end result of job evaluation include the following: 1) Conduct a job analysis by asking incumbents to complete a position information questionnaire (PIQ). This can be provided for incumbents to complete, or you can

conduct one-on-one interviews using the PIQ as a guide. The primary goal is to gather from incumbents what they feel are the key behaviors necessary to perform their respective jobs. 2) Using the results of the job analysis, you are ready to develop a competency based job description. A sample of a competency based job description generated from the PIQ may be analyzed. This can be developed after carefully analyzing the input from the represented group of incumbents and converting it to standard competencies. 3) With a competency based job description, you are on your way to begin mapping the competencies throughout your human resources processes. The competencies of the respective job description become your factors for assessment on the performance evaluation. Using competencies will help guide you to perform more objective evaluations based on displayed or not displayed behaviors. 4) Taking the competency mapping one step further, you can use the results of your evaluation to identify in what competencies individuals need additional development or training. This will help you focus your training needs on the goals of the position and company and help your employees develop toward the ultimate success of the organization. attribution http://www.citehr.com/313-competency-mapping.html#ixzz2N2sto27v 19. What are retention strategies? Five strategies for employee retention 1. Working environment The primary employee retention strategies have to do with creating and maintaining a workplace that attracts, retains and nourishes good people. This covers a host of issues, ranging from developing a corporate mission, culture and value system to insisting on a safe working environment and creating clear, logical and consistent operating policies and procedures.

Environmental employee retention strategies address three fundamental aspects of the workplace: the ethics and values foundation upon which the organisation rests; the policies that interpret those values and translate them into day-to-day actions, and the physical environment in which people work. The overall goal is to make your company a place where people want to come to work. A sampling of environmental employee retention strategies includes the following:

Clarify your mission. Create a values statement. Communicate positive feelings. Stay focused on the customer. Be fair and honest. Cultivate a feeling of family. Promote integrity. Do not tolerate sub-par performance. Insist on workplace safety. Reduce the number of meetings. Make work fun.

These employee retention strategies all relate in one way or another to corporate culture. However, one environmental issue tends to stand out above the rest. More than ever, employees want a culture of openness and shared information. They want to know where the company is going and what it will look like in the future. How is the company doing financially? Where does it stand in the marketplace? Above all, employees insist on knowing how their specific jobs fit into the grand scheme of things and what they can do to help the organisation get to where it wants to go. If you operate in an open environment where managers share information, you can expect reduced turnover rates. To assess your culture's level of openness, ask questions such as:

Do our employees know how the company is doing in key areas such as sales, financials, strategy and marketing? Do we promote open-book management (or something approaching it), or do we keep information a closely guarded secret among the top management team? Do employees understand our vision, mission and values? Do we have a values statement that clarifies and supports a culture of openness? Do we give performance feedback on a regular basis or only at annual review time? Do we encourage individuals and departments to share information with each other?

Take the pulse of your people on a regular basis. From time to time, bring in an outside third party to get a more objective view of how your people really feel. Find out if they really know the vision, mission and values. At the same time, give employees plenty of information about how the company is performing and where it is going. When people buy into your clearly stated corporate values and have the information they need to get the job done, they tend to stick around. 2. Employee relationship strategies Employee relationship strategies have to do with how you treat your people and how they treat each other. Developing effective employee relationship strategies begins with three basic steps:

Give your managers and supervisors plenty of relationship training. Recognise that (in all but the smallest companies) people work for their supervisor, not you. Their pay cheque may say "XYZ company", but their primary work relationship is with their supervisor. If your supervisors have the knowledge, training and sensitivity to work effectively with people on an individual level, you'll probably get the bonding you need to retain employees. Ask employees why they work for you. When you do, two things happen. One, employees reinforce to themselves why they work for you. Two, you gain a better understanding of what attracts people to your company. You can then use that information to recruit new employees, saying: "Here's why people work for us. If you value these things, perhaps you ought to work for us, too." Once you have the information about why people work for you, ask: "What can we do to make things even better around here?" Do it in a positive way so that it doesn't become a gripe session, then listen closely to what your employees say. Out of these conversations will come many good ideas, not only for improving conditions for your employees but for all facets of your business.

Some top employee relationship strategies:

Use behavioural style assessment tools, such as Myers-Briggs or DISC, to help people better understand themselves and each other and communicate more effectively. Help employees to set life goals and get focused on where they want to go. Then help them to see how their goals match up with company goals and that they can achieve their goals by staying with the company. If people believe they can achieve their goals and objectives by working in your organisation, they will think twice before going somewhere else to work. Whenever possible, get the family involved:
o o o

Write a letter of commendation and send a copy to the family. Write a letter to the family thanking them for supporting your employee. Have an open house. Invite the families for a tour to see what the spouse/parent does.

o o o o

Hold social activities such as family picnics, holiday parties, special events. Celebrate birthdays. Take people out to dinner to celebrate an achievement. Hold public celebrations when the company hits major milestones.

Other employee relationship strategies that impact employee retention:

Build mentoring relationships with people to increase their emotional ties to the organisation. Be firm and fair. Avoid second-guessing employees. Celebrate longevity. Encourage humour in the workplace. Focus on building individual self-esteem. Stick up for your people. Give recognition strategically and deliberately.

Ultimately, employee relationship strategies help to build a sense of family. In families, people have conflict and disagreements but they learn how to work them out. They stick together through good times and bad and support each other's growth. Families have an "all for one and one for all" mentality. It's a lot harder to leave a family than to leave somewhere where you just go to work. 3. Employee support strategies Employee support strategies involve giving people the tools and equipment to get the job done. When people feel they have what they need to perform, job satisfaction increases dramatically. All employee support strategies stem from three basic principles:

People want to excel. People need adequate resources to get the job done. People need moral and mental support from you and your managers.

Employee support strategies start with your and your managers' attitudes. Do you see employees merely as cogs in a wheel, or as valuable resources that make the company go? Do you expect high performance or mediocrity from them? Believing that people want to excel (they do!) rather than perform at minimum levels will lead you to treat them in a much more positive manner. Information is another key area in employee support strategies. The more information you give people about what they are doing, what the company is about and why you do things the way you do, the more valuable it becomes. Help people to understand all the nuances of their jobs. Why is what they do important to the company? What are the expectations of the customer?

Let people know what is going on. Give them sales figures and some of the financials. You don't have to disclose salaries and other sensitive information, but let them see performance measurements, particularly as they affect their jobs. Other employee support strategies include:

Give people productive work to do. Provide challenges. Remove obstacles and barriers to getting the job done. Adjust jobs to fit strengths, abilities and talents. Keep the promises you make. Establish effective communication systems. Clearly define job responsibilities and accountabilities. Encourage people to take initiative. Encourage, recognise and reward creativity and innovation. Avoid micro-management. Reduce reporting requirements. When possible, offer job flexibility.

4. Employee growth strategies Employee growth strategies deal with personal and professional growth. Good employees want to develop new knowledge and skills in order to improve their value in the marketplace and enhance their own self-esteem. However, don't just "throw" education and training at your people in a random fashion. Instead, organise and structure your training so that it makes sense for the company and the individuals who work for you. Take time to explore your employees' different needs and the best way to meet those needs. There are many ways to help your people with personal growth that not only make a difference in their lives, but bond them more closely to the organisation. Training and education can include:

in-house curriculum for skills training and development outside seminars and workshops paying for college and continuing education CD/DVD, podcast and online learning cross-training having employees present workshops in their areas of expertise bringing in outside experts to educate employees about subjects that affect their personal lives.

The last bullet point above offers a real opportunity for employers to differentiate themselves and have a big impact on employee retention. For example, most people

own a car. Yet, how many really know how to buy car insurance? Set up a brown-bag lunch that teaches people the ins and outs of car insurance and how to get the best buy. When you offer these kinds of learning opportunities, it sets you apart from other employers and shows that you truly care about your employees. It's one thing to provide training that helps them to do a better job because your company benefits from it. It's another thing altogether to offer education on how employees can improve their lives. They don't expect that. It shows that you care about them as people, not just as workers who can make money for you. Other recommended employee support strategies include:

Establish a learning culture. Create individual learning plans. Encourage people to join professional and trade associations. Invest in career planning. Operate a corporate mentoring programme. Provide incentives for learning. Take advantage of internet learning.

5. Employee compensation strategies Effective employee compensation strategies stem from one fundamental principle: money alone will not retain most employees. In the old days, companies essentially paid people for their time. Today, more and more companies pay for performance in every position, not just sales. To retain employees, your compensation plan needs to incorporate this trend. Pay-for-performance plans come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they all involve two basic activities: defining the job and checking performance against expectations. When people exceed expectations, give them a bonus. It helps to lay the plan out ahead of time so that employees understand your expectations and know what they have to do to get the bonus. But make sure you base it on predefined profit goals, so that you don't pay out if the company doesn't make money. If you're not offering some type of incentive or pay-for-performance plan, you're putting your company at a terrible disadvantage. Smart employers use a variety of hard (monetary) and soft (non-monetary) employee compensation strategies to make it difficult for other companies to steal their people away. These include:

Discuss total employee compensation (salary, benefits, bonuses, training, etc.). Design reward systems to stimulate employee involvement. Use flexible employee benefits to respond to a changing workforce.

Offer stock options. Offer time off, sabbaticals and other forms of non-financial employee compensation. Provide childcare and/or eldercare. Provide employee assistance programmes. Arrange for discounts on purchases. Arrange for professional services. Fund fitness club memberships.

Keep in mind that employee compensation constitutes only one piece of the puzzle. If all the other pieces the environmental, relationship, support and growth strategies don't fit together into one interlocking whole, you won't be able to pay people enough to work for you. In today's market, employees have control. They say: "You're lucky to have me working for you." If you don't believe that and treat them accordingly, they will quickly find another employer who will. That's why you need to have all five of these employee retention strategies in place. The main reasons employees leave are: Management: This would have to be the single biggest reason people leave their job, and its because a persons manager can directly affect most if not all the following reasons. Career Prospects/Development: If you dont have a system in place to develop an employees potential, they will find it with your competition.Government funded training is a great way to start. Work/Life Balance: I have known people to take positions for less money in order to have a balanced lifestyle. Over managed / under managed: These terrible cousins can clear a workplace faster than a Friday afternoon. You need to develop a good balance between necessary direction and trust/responsibility. Unachievable Targets: Make sure the targets you set are achievable; take into account economic conditions (national and local), demographics, local competition and business infrastructure. Focus on what it takes to achieve the target rather than the target itself. Unappreciated: Small rewards and recognition. When was the last time you stopped, looked your employee in the eye and sincerely said thank you on a job well done? Never underestimate the power of this small but often forgotten courtesy.

Induction and Training: Many new employees never receive an effective induction or an acceptable level of initial training. These employees have usually been to a few interviews, and if they impressed you then chances are they impressed someone else. They are likely to be offered another opportunity at the same time, one they may consider if you have not lived up to expectations. Ways to improve staff retention Improved staff retention should be the result of adopting a mix of the following:

Ensure those being recruited have a more realist idea of what the job entails. Improved career development opportunities. Effective appraisals Strong diversity policies. A practicable means of dealing with bullying. A good work/life balance. A mechanism for staff to register dissatisfaction, whether it be appraisals, grievance proceeding and so on. Leadership training for managers.

20. Which one is more better mentoring or coaching? The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) lists some characteristics of coaching in organisations that are generally agreed on by most coaching professionals: It consists of one-to-one developmental discussions. It provides people with feedback on both their strengths and weaknesses. It is aimed at specific issues/areas. It is a relatively short-term activity, except in executive coaching, which tends to have a longer timeframe. It is essentially a non-directive form of development. It focuses on improving performance and developing/enhancing individuals skills. It is used to address a wide range of issues. Coaching activities have both organisational and individual goals. It assumes that the individual is psychologically healthy and does not require a clinical intervention. It works on the premise that clients are self-aware, or can achieve selfawareness. It is time-bounded. It is a skilled activity Personal issues may be discussed but the emphasis is on performance on work. This is how the International Coach Federation defines the basic coaching competencies: Meet ethical guidelines of the profession

Ability to establish a coaching agreement Ability to establish an intimate and trusting relationship with the client Ability to be fully present, conscious and spontaneous Ability to express active listening Ability to ask powerful questions Ability to be a direct communicator Ability to create and raise the client's awareness Ability to design and create action plans and action behaviours Ability to develop plans and establish goals with the client Ability to manage the client's progress and hold him/her responsible for action The core of coaching is building rapport, asking powerful questions and setting goals.

Executive Coaching Brefi Group provides corporate coaching, which is executive coaching undertaken within the context of an organisation's vision, mission, values and strategy. By working within an organisation as well as with individuals, corporate coaching extracts the synergy that is greater than the sum of the parts. The International Coach Federation has researched the qualities needed by anexecutive coach, such as: A firm grounding in business knowledge and competencies Thorough understanding of the world of the executive leader A broad understanding of leadership and leadership development Knowledge of systems dynamics (organisation and community) Knowledge of the framework of adult development High standards of personal and professional ethics Highly developed communication proficiency allowing us to operate in the executive's environment Advanced coaching skills and capabilities Stature and reputation that gains respect A commitment to lifelong learning similar to the leader him/herself Coaching and mentoring processes

Individual and management development can take place in many forms, some delivered by managers and some by internal or external coaches, or mentors. Robert Dilts defines the different activities as follows: Guiding: the process of directing an individual or a group along the path leading from present state to a desired state Coaching: helping another person to improve awareness, to set and achieve goals in order to improve a particular behavioural performance

Teaching: helping an individual or group develop cognitive skills and capabilities Mentoring: helping to shape an individuals beliefs and values in a positive way; often a longer term career relationship from someone who has done it before Counselling: helping an individual to improve performance by resolving situations from the past. Differences between mentoring and coaching The CIPD differentiates between coaching, mentoring and counselling. It is helpful to understand these differences as, although many of the processes are similar, they are generally delivered by individuals with different qualifications and different relationships with their client. Mentoring Ongoing relationship that can last for a long period of time Can be more informal and meetings can take place as and when the mentee needs some advice, guidance or support More long-term and takes a broader view of the person Short-term (sometimes timebounded) and focused on specific development areas/issues Mentor is usually more the mentee. Often a senior can pass on knowledge, experience and open doors to otherwise out-of-reach opportunities Focus is on career and Focus is generally on Coaching is generally not coach needs to have direct occupational role, unless the coaching is specific and skillsfocused experienced and qualified than performed on the basis that the person in the organisation who experience of their clients formal Coaching Relationship generally has a set duration Generally more structured in nature and meetings are scheduled on a regular basis

personal development Agenda is set by the mentee, with the mentor providing support and guidance to prepare them for future roles Mentoring resolves more professional

development/issues at work The agenda is focused on achieving specific, immediate goals Coaching revolves more around areas/issues

around developing the mentee specific development Counselling, is a highly skilled intervention focused on helping individuals address underlying psychological problems. Differences between counselling and coaching Counselling Broader focus and greater depth Goal is to help people understand the root causes of long-standing performance problems/issues at work A short-term intervention, but due to the breadth of issues to be addressed Counselling can be used to address psycho-social as well as performance issues Coaching does not seek to resolve any underlying psychological problems. It assumes a person does not require a psycho-social intervention The agenda is generally agreed by the individuals and The agenda is typically set by the individual, but in agreement/ Tends for be a short-term can last for longer time periods intervention The goal is to improve an individuals performance at work Coaching Narrower focus

the counsellor Other stakeholders are rarely involved

consultation with the organisation Other stakeholders are involved

21. What is the difference between personnel management and human resource management? 1) PM is traditional, routine, maintenance-oriented, administrative function whereas HRD is continuous, on-going development function aimed at improving human processes. 2) PM is an independent function with independent sub-functions. HRD follows the systems thinking approach. It is not considered in isolation from the larger organization and must take into account the linkages and interfaces. 3) PM is reactive, responding to demands as and when they arise. HRD is proactive, anticipating, planning and advancing continuously. 4) PM is the exclusive responsibility of the personnel department. HRD is a concern for all managers in the organization and aims at developing the capabilities of all line managers to carry out the personnel functions. 5) The scope of PM is relatively narrow with a focus on administering people. The scope of HRD views the organization as a whole and lays emphasis on building a dynamic culture. 6) Important motivators in PM are compensation, rewards, job simplification and so on. HRD considers work groups, challenges and creativity on the job as motivators. 7) In PM improved satisfaction is considered to be the cause for improved performance but in HRD it is the other way round (performance is the cause and satisfaction is the result). Personnel Management can be compared with "Maintenance Department" and HRM can be compared with "Production Department". Maintenance departement normally does the routine breakdown maintenance,

keeping the machine in working condition, overhauling, taking up preventing maintenance, zero breakdown maitenance and such activities. It is the regular jobs that they normally carry out. Similarly, Personnel Department's job is to do regular payroll processing, submitting of monthly or periodical returns, renewal of licenses, daily attendance monitoring, house keeping, etc. Production Department is the department which converts the raw material into finished products, right? the flow chart would be Raw Materials ===> process ====> output. The raw materials are put into one side of operations, operations like center punching, lathing, thread cutting, surface grinding, internal grinding, broching, drilling, assembling, cracks checking, quality checking and then sent as finished product to be stacked in the store room, to be used for the purpose. Similarly, Human Resource Department's raw material is an employee himself. HRD Department, hires employee, gives him the basic orientation program, imparting him the knowledge about the co, etc, teaches him the technical and other aspects of the job, administers his performance review, revises his salary, awards / rewards him, trains and retrains him, does career and succession planning and finally develops him as a ptential person who can take up the roles and higher responsibilities that company may desire him to do. Personnel department is more of maintenance nature whereas HRD is of productive or developing nature. That is why HRD Department is known as Human Resource DEVELOPMENT Department. (Please also note that Personnel Department is part of HRD department) 1. Tell us something about yourself. This is the first question, you can expect during any interview you face. This usually is a question to start the communication and set the ball rolling for the interview. You can answer this question by providing some information about your work experience,

technologies you have worked upon, educational qualifications. If you are a fresh graduate, you can provide some information about your family also. The trick is to put the full stop at the right place to provoke the next question you want. For e.g. Recently I developed a website using Drupal. It was quite an interesting but challenging job which I enjoyed. 2. Why do you consider yourself a suitable candidate for this position? The answer to this question lies in the preparation you did before the interview. It is extremely important that you research the requirements of the position well and match them with your skills. For e.g. if the position requires an Asp.net developer with good knowledge of health care domain, tell the interviewer about your technical skills and your domain knowledge. Fresh graduates can talk about their technical skills, ability to learn and grasp things quickly. 3. Why do you want to leave your present job or company? You may want to leave your present job for any reason but make sure that you do not talk bad about your manager, company or job. It reflects your complaining attitude. Provide a sincere reason for e.g. I think, I have grown up with my last employer as much as I could. I want to grow further and I believe that is possible with a new employer. 4. You have stayed in your current job for quite a long time, why? 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. 5. What do you know about us? Research the company and its business a bit before appearing for the interview. Also, find out a bit about the technologies they work upon. You dont need to know everything inside out but having a fair idea about the company makes you appear interested in the position, to be taken seriously.

For e.g. I see that your company does a lot of projects based on OpenSource platforms like Joomla, Drupal, Magento which is quite interesting as I have a similar kind of experience. 6. What do you do to improve your knowledge? The field of IT is very revolutionary. It is extremely important to keep yourself abreast with the new technological developments and this needs you to take some time out of your work schedule so that you can keep sharpening your saw. To answer this question, you can tell the recruiter about the forums which you keep visiting, blogs which you keep reading. It will be an advantage if you are a member of some local user group. 7. Can you perform under pressure? Most of the times, the job of software development is that of working under pressure. Sometimes, it will be the pressure of delivering on time while it can be that of a bug that has sprung all of a sudden in your code. So, expect pressure in everything you do. It is important to maintain your performance and develop strategies to deliver under pressure. You can then go ahead an talk about your way of dealing with pressure and performing under it. 8. Tell us some of your strengths. Again, it is important to study the requirements of the position before you appear for the interview. List out your strengths and offer the ones that this role demands. For e.g. if you are appearing for the position of a Tech Lead VB.net, talk about your VB.net skills, any extra knowledge which you have about coding with VB.net in comparison to other candidates, your team management skills etc. 9. Tell us some of your weaknesses. You have to be careful while answering this question. Do not offer a weakness which will directly affect your selection but at the same time saying that you do not have any weakness will not be right too. Every human being has weaknesses, so it is perfectly OK for you to have some too. The best way to answer this question will be to turn one of your strengths as a weakness and say that others accuse you of having this weakness but you think it is important to work in this manner. For e.g.: My colleagues accuse me of paying to much attention to syntaxes but I believe it is important when you are writing the code to avoid spending too much time on finding and fixing the bugs later on.

Another way to answer this question is to offer a totally un-related weakness for e.g. I have been staying alone for so many years now but I still cant cook independently. 10. Are you comfortable working in a team? The whole work of software development or IT is a team work. So, the only answer to this question can be: Yes, I am comfortable working in a team. If you have any problems in working as a team, it is important to work on them and develop yourself as a team player. 11. How do you rate your communication skills? Again, IT is about dealing with people within and out of the company. So, it is important to have good communication skills. By good communication skills we mean, ability to understand and explain in a common language. So, if you believe that your communication skills are weaker, you need to work on them. Anything less than average or good is not acceptable here. 12. You do not have all the experience we need for this position? It is not possible for a candidate to have all the experience an employer requires. Even if you match yourself up to the expectations on technical front, there will be some difference in the work environment. And, it is absolutely fine. The best way to deal with this question is to analyse the requirements of the position well and match your skills as close to them as possible. If something is still left untouched, offer your quick grasping power and ability to learn quickly as a solution & back it up with an example from the past. 13. How would you compensate for the lack of experience you have for this position? As we discussed in the last question, your ability to understand and pick up new things quickly should be able to compensate for the lack of work experience you have. 14. If you were hiring for this position, what qualities would you look for in a potential candidate? Closely understand the qualities and skills a person holding the position would need and match them with the qualities you have. If you believe that you are missing a big quality required for the position under discussion, say that, I understand that this is an important quality required in the person holding this position but given a chance, I will inculcate it in me. Back it up with a confident body language.

15. Do you know anyone who works for us? Offer some ones name if they really know you well and can offer a positive feedback about you. 16. What is your style of management? In todays scenario, everything needs customization, so here also, one size cant fit all i.e. one management style wont work in all situations. So, offer situational as your style of management. 17. Have you ever fired anyone? How would you go about firing a person, if required? The basic purpose of asking this question is to check your EQ and see if you have the guts to make tough decisions. If you have fired anyone in the past, discuss your experience and approach. If you have never done so in the past, discuss the approach you would take to make and implement such a decision. Keep the focus of your answer on the fact that you would try to do your best to ensure that your team performs to its best but if a particular member is not able to perform even after you taking all the steps to help him, you would make the tough decision to ensure that the project doesnt suffer. 18. What irritates you about co-workers? The purpose of this question is to see how well you can fit into a team. Basically, you should not have a problem with a person, although you can have a problem with the style of working. So, to answer this question you can simply say, I understand that IT is about team work, so we cant afford to problems with co-workers but if someone is not serious about their work or does a low quality work affecting the whole project, I definitely do not like it 19. Is there any particular kind of person you can not work with? For the reason given in the above questions, the answer to this question should be a No. This is basically a different way of putting up the last question. 20. What qualities would you look for in your senior? You can mention some generic qualities like intelligence, good sense of humour, dedicated to his team etc., which all the managers think that they have in abundance. 21. What motivates you at work? To answer this question, you can mention things like new challenges, good environment which all employers think that they offer.

22. Will you be happy to work in night shifts or over the weekends? You need to answer this question taking into consideration what is suitable for you. Say that you can work in the night shifts, only if you can really do it. 23. Have you ever committed a mistake at work? To err is human. So, it is perfectly OK if you committed a mistake at work but before answering the question analyse the magnitude of mistake you did and the effect it had on the company. What is more important is what did you do to rectify the mistake and make sure that you dont do it again? So, mention the mistake you committed and keep the focus of the answer on the steps you took to rectify it. 24. What position would you prefer while working on a project? This question is for you to answer based on the skills and qualities you have. If you have the capability to handle different positions, discuss that also in the interview. 25. What are the most important things for you as a manager? The two things which should be most important for a manager to succeed in his role are: a.) His team should be happy and keep performing b.) The project he is working on with his team is successfully finished with minimum problems. 26. Will you be happy to re-locate, if required? Again, a question for you to answer based on your position. If you are anticipating this question in the interview, it is better to discuss this with your family also before you go to face the interview. 27. What kind of a salary are you looking for? Try to put the ball back in interviewers court by asking him about the salary they offer for a position like this. Most of the big companies will have a fixed remuneration for each level. However, if this is negotiable, you will have more negotiation power if you have some work experience. So, know your lower limit (amount below which you cant go) and also know the maximum salary in the industry for the position then put forward a figure which is not very exact. It is better to mention a range. For e.g. if you are expecting something

around 55 K, say that you expect something in mid fifties. Dont keep the range to broad otherwise you will be offered something towards the lower end. If you are a fresher, most of the times you will have to accept the companys offering for the position. However, if you find it too less, you can definitely discuss that during the interview. 28. Do you have any questions for us? This is usually the last question you can expect during an interview. It is extremely important to have some intelligent questions to ask the interviewer otherwise you may just sound dull and un-interested. Research the company a bit and discuss if they have been in news recently. You can also discuss about the growth prospects for you within the company etc. 29. Discuss the most stressful situation you came across in your previous job. Here you should discuss a stressful situation that you were able to overcome and keep a positive tone, do not say you never came across a stressful situation. Typical answers can be: -Our teams targets were increased three fold and initially everyone was overwhelmed by the number, but we discussed it with our manager and he was co-operative and understood the situation. But he wanted us to give it a try and was ready to reduce the targets to a more realistic number. -You can also talk about a very demanding project where you worked for long hours/2 shifts and had to sacrifice on family time, but once the project was done you got recognition for the hard work and you were over the stress. 30. For how long do you expect to stay with our organization? You should ensure that you give an impression that you will pay back more than what you take from the company: -You can say I will stay here as far as I see an opportunity for growth, as I am looking for a stability in work place -If they stress on number of years say 3-4 years, and more if I can explore new challenges/growth opportunities 31. Why should we hire you? -Here you should discuss the profile you have applied for and your strengths/experience with which you can add value to the job -Discuss your achievements at your previous job, and say that I have developed my skills to suit my current profile, but I want to develop myself futher and face new challenges, and for that I need to change my job. - I will always be willing to change roles share responsibilities to suit company requirements

32. Discuss your strengths Discuss strengths that show your professional expertise, some of the answers could be: -Multi tasking: Say I have been working on mulitple project and I am required to keep tabs on each project and co-ordinate with a lot of teams, and I am able to do it efficiently. -Problem Solving: You can say that in my current job role I have spent a good time to know how to solve problems. My team members see me as a go-to person to solve issues. -Communication -Team player -Quick learner Support each point with your examples 33. Discuss your weaknesses and how do you plan to overcome it Discuss weaknesses in positive light always discuss how you plan to overcome it, some of the answers could be: -I am always willing to take up additional responsibilities, but I end up being over worked so now I am realistic about what I can do, so that I do work to the required standards -If you lack certain technical skill, which is not crucial for the job you can state that and say you are planning to take up a training course/certification to get over it -If you do not wish to discuss your weakness, you can say, I cannot compete with Rajnikant :P 34. What is your idea of an ideal company? Do not go over board and ask for , it might give an impression that you are too demanding, some of the answers could be: -An ideal company provides maximum opportunities for growth of employees. -They provide comfortable and flexible work environment, so that employees can perform at their best and work towards companys benefit. -A company that encourages learning -A company that encourages open culture 35. Why are you leaving your previous job? Do not go around defaming your company, it will give a bad impression about you. Give reasons such as: -Professional Growth -New challenges -Change in profile -Planning to relocate (if applicable) -With time I found my job was becoming monotonous and I didnt want this to have any impact on the job I was doing for my employer

-I am not actively looking for a job change but, I saw this opening and it looked interesting. 36. Tell us something about your achievements at your previous job. -Talk about your professional acheivements, if you were recognised as a high performer or you got good feedback from your manager -You can also discuss you annual ratings -Discuss your promotions/appraisals 37. Tell us what do you know about our company -Browse through the company website and make sure you know what the company does and make sure you do so in short -Discuss the positives aspects of the company, the interviewer should feel that you have done your home work 10. Why do you want to work for us? -Start by discussing the profile you have applied for and go on to say that the organization would provide an opportunity to enhance your knowledge and help you to grow professionally -Discuss how you would be of use to the organization and how you plan to develop your professional competencies 38. Are you willing to relocate/travel? -Always say yes if you need the job -You can ask whether they will compensate for relocation costs 39. Are you a good team player? Companies look for team players as well as those who are self starters and can work independently, so you need to be versatile: -You should show that you enjoy working in a team. Say that you are open to suggestions from team members and seniors. -It is always good to work in a team as one can get the support of other members and in times of crisis everyone can work together to achieve the goal. 40. Can you work independently? -Yes, I can work independently without supervision or support from a team Do not emphasize on working independently as that will be seen as an inability to work with others. 41. Do you have any questions for us?

Always have a question ready to answer this one: -You can ask whether the company allows for lateral and vertical role changes -You can also ask whether the company encourages learning and development of employees -Ask whether the company has plans for expansion -You can also discuss your role in detail 42. Are you willing to work for long hours, if the project demands that from you? -Discuss situations when you must have done so to fulfill project requirements in the past 43. What is your current CTC and what are your expectations? -Be honest about your CTC, as you will have to produce you salary slip as a proof of emplyment -Be realistic when you state your expected CTC, you can ask for a 30-40% hike -If you are underpaid at your current company you can look for the standard salary paid for the experience you have and ask for that amount 44. Are you planning to go for further studies? Be transparent in your answer. -If you are pursuing further studies, say so. Tell them why you want to go for that course -If you are taking up a distance education course or a part time course, they should know, as you will need to take leaves when you appear for exams 45. Tell us something about yourself, discuss 5 characteristics List down points that will help you professionally: -Independent -Responsible -Hard working -Multi tasker -Prompt -Add your characteristcs 46. Tell us something about your hobbies Answer it with honesty, as they can go deeper into this discussion. You can include: -Browsing the internet -Blogging, -Listening to music, -Chatting with friends -Reading newspapers, -Reading books,

-Shopping, -Watching movies. 47. What is more important to you money or success? This is tricky question, as money and success both are important and you cannot outweigh the importance of one over the other. Personally you might prefer money over success or success over money, but it is better to be neutral when answering this question in an interview: You can say, that money and success both are important for you, but if you have to choose you would choose success. The reason being, if one is successful money often follows and you need not focus on money over success..