Human resources interview questions

1. Why did you choose HR as a career?

2. How many years of experience do you have in HR field?
3. What are the major responsibilities of HR personnel?
4. What are the eligibility criteria for recruiting candidates for different positions in a company?
5. What do you understand by employee planning?
6. According to you what should be the key elements while preparing a recruitment plan?
7. What are the key regulations and rules regarding advertisement, hiring process and contract jobs?
8. What does a company or an employer expects from a fresher?
9. What criteria would you follow to select a right candidate for the company?
10. What are the various benefits given by the company to its employees?
11. What is the procedure of remittance of provident fund and other claims?
12. What steps would you take to enhance the overall performance of the organization?
13. How would you motivate an employee whose performance or moral is going down?
14. What could be a good strategy to maintain effective and warm communication between company and employees?
15. How can you contribute in motivation and performance enhancement of employees?
16. What is the difference between hard work and smart work? Which one would you prefer? Give a reason.
17. What kind of employee related matters create troubles for the organization? Give some instances from your own
experience.
18. How would you resolve any complain or dissatisfaction of any employee?
19. How will you manage a conflict between company administration and employee union?
20. Do you know documentation and reporting system of employee payroll records, compensations and other personal
records?
21. What are the key features of employee orientation programme?
22. Being an HR officer how would you connect various sections of HR department with other department of company?
23. What are the different work permit policies of major countries for different jobs and nationalities?
24. What are the main taxation slots and rates for mid level and senior level employees in corporate sector?
25. What are those compulsory insurances and covers that all companies provide to their employees?
26. Explain the features of employee annual report? Do you have experience in preparing such reports?
27. What are the major issues that can cause employee dissatisfaction and conflicts?
28. What are the laws and regulations regarding recruitment and employee medical cover claims?
29. What is the difference between human resource and human development?
30. How many types of tax deductions are there and what is their total amount for an entry-level employee?
31. What are SHRM and HRM? Describe the difference and their importance?
32. Why companies always ask for experienced candidates even at entry level and what do you think that how a fresher
can get experience without having a job?
33. What are the latest trends or strategies for recruitment procedure? What resource one needs to generate jobs and
opportunities in a company?
34. What is the toughest part of HR job and why?
35. What is professional tax and how the other taxes are deducted from employee salary?
36. What do you know about employee provident fund related laws and regulations? What is the official procedure to
implement them in a company?
37. Explain the salary format of different level of employees?
38. What are the key aspects of company-employee communication and what is company wide committee? Do you have
experience to handle those matters?
39. According to you, how can a company keep its employees associated with itself, so they do not look towards other
companies?
40. If you have a busy day than how you will prioritize your daily tasks? What work would be your first priority?
41. What are the state laws in employee safety, counseling and welfare matters?
42. How much the leadership quality is important for a HR coordinator?
43. What are those key issues that are regular challenges for a HR coordinator?
44. What is filing system? Do you have good knowledge of official procedure, report making and assessment?
45. What do you know about KRAs?
46. Can you suggest some effective HR development strategy for a new organization?
47. How much do you know about company employee benefit policy, promotions, and up gradation system?
48. What is your knowledge about employee recruitment laws and regulations?
49. What are the methods or possible ways to review the performance of employees?
50. How you will engage your whole HR department in that process?
51. Explain the risk management strategy for your company?
52. What is employee welfare?
53. What would be your expectations from your subordinates? Do you have any strategy for them also?
How would you define HRD?
Answer
HRD is matching the organizations needs for human resources with the individuals needs for career growth and development.
What is the scope of HRD?
Answer
1. HRD aims at anticipating the needs of the organization and meeting them in a planned way.
2. It includes developing the capabilities of line managers to handle development, grievances, performance appraisal and
punishment of their team.
3. It emphasizes on motivating the employees and building up a good work culture.
What is the importance of HRD?
Answer
HRD helps in:
1. Developing competent employees and committed work force
2. Establishing role clarity
3. Generating great trust and respect
4. Minimizing resistance to change
5. Facilitating Human Resource Planning
6. Increasing productivity, Cost effectiveness etc.
1. What are the objectives of performance appraisal system?
The main objectives of a performance appraisal system are:

i.) To increases the employee effectiveness by helping them understand their role better.

ii.) To help the employees understand their strengths and weakness in the current role.

iii.) To help the managers in identifying the training needs of their sub-ordinates.

iv.) To improve the relationship between the line manager and his team members by making them realize that they are dependent
on each other for better performance.

v.) To help the line mangers and their team members in improving the communication by discussing the problem in achieving the
targets and finding the potential solutions.

vi.) To provide the employee an opportunity for self evaluation and self development which are important to achieve the goals.

vii.) To prepare the employees for higher roles.

viii.) To create a positive work atmosphere.

ix.) To collect the information about each employee through personal meeting which is useful in making managerial decisions.
2. Why do performance appraisal systems fail?
The main reasons for performance appraisal system to fail are as below:

i.) Many a times the performance appraisal system tries to assess the personality traits of its employees through their line
manager. There are two types of problems in this:

a.) The employees do not open up as they do not want any negative personality trait to be recoded in official records.
b.) The line managers are not fully trained and capable of assessing the personality traits of employees.
3. What are the important components of an performance appraisal system format?
The important components of a comprehensive performance appraisal system format are:

i.) Identification of KPIs and target setting periodically through a discussion between the employee and his line manger

ii.) Identification of personal qualities required for the current and higher roles and developing them

iii.) Self appraisal by the appraisee

iv.) Identification of factors which have helped and hindered in achieving the set goals.

v.) Discussion about the performance and counselling of the appraisee by the appraiser

vi.) Identification of training needs for current and higher role.

vii.) Setting up the goals and plan of action

viii.) Assessment by the superior training and development needs, any rewards or punishments.
4. What are KPIs?
KPI Key performance indices, as the name suggests is a list of parameters against which the performance of an employee is
measured. These indices are usually quantifiable in nature.
5. What are major criteria to assess the performance of employees?
The major criteria to assess the performance of employees are:

i.) Job Knowledge
ii.) Planning
iii.) Ability to organise and utilize resources
iv.) Communication skills
v.) Relationship with superiors, peers, subordinates & associates
vi.) Ability to make decisions
vii.) Winning instinct Can do attitude
viii.) Team working capabilities
6. How is appraisal system used as a tool to chalk out employee's career progression?
- Performance appraisal system assesses the candidates performance in various areas.
- It also helps in identifying the training needs of an employee
- The line manager gets an idea about the area of interest of the candidate in which he wants to grow, his ability to take more
responsibilities etc.

All these put together help in chalking out the employees career progression in the organization.
7. How does appraisal help in counselling interview?
The purpose of the counselling interview conducted by the line manager is to help his subordinate in objectively analyzing his
performance. The information collected through the performance appraisal form and interview helps the manager in conducting
this counselling interview.

It helps the employee in:

i.) Understanding himself
ii.) Improving his behaviour which helps his professional and interpersonal competence.
iii.) Setting future goals and formulating an action plan
iv.) Finding out the alternatives to deal with problems.
8. Explain: a.) 180 degree peformance appraisal system. b.) 360 degree peformance appraisal system.
a.) 180 degree peformance appraisal system.

- It is single-tier appraisal and feedback system.
- Candidate performs the self appraisal seperately
- His line manager performs the appraisal separately
- They hold an appraisal meeting to discuss their reviews and agree on the ratings in various areas.
- This is followed by identifying the training and development needs and an action plan to improve the performance.

b.) 360 degree peformance appraisal system.

- It is a multi-rater appraisal and feedback system.
- The individual is assessed by a number of people superiors, subordinates, peers, customers etc.
- The assessment is performed on a specially designed questionnaire which measures behaviours critical for the performance in
the role.
- The appraisal is performed anonymously by various people
- The assessments are consolidated and shared with the candidate.
9. What can you aim to achieve through 360 degree performance appraisal system?
We can aim to achieve the following through 360 degree performance appraisal system:

i.) Information about the strengths and weaknesses of a candidate in a particular role.
ii.) Identification of training and development needs to perform better in the current role and prepare for the higher role.
iii.) Collect data as an objective basis for rewards and other decisions
iv.) Basis for performance based pay or awards
v.) Aligning individual and organizational goals.
10. What are the pre-requisites of a 360 degree appraisal system?
The main pre-requisites of a 360 degree appraisal system are:

i.) Commitment from the top management to continuously develop the competencies of the employees
ii.) Proper implementation of various HR systems
iii.) Willingness of the management to let the employees learn from each other and their own mistakes.
iv.) Willingness of the management to spend time in providing feedback to their sub-ordinates
v.) Willingness of the management to accept the feedback from their sub-ordinates and peers.
vi.) Not too many status barriers and ego issues
vii.) Openness of the people to accept feedback and use it for development
viii.) Feedback is not used for political advantage
ix.) Emphasis on teamwork in the organization
x.) HR department is highly credible
xi.) High degree of process orientation in the organization
xii.) High value to the values in the organization
xiii.) Emphasis on building competencies
11. What are the main phases of a 360 degree appraisal system?
Following are the main phases of a 360 degree appraisal system:

i.) Orientation Information about the importance and details of the process is passed on to the participants.
Ii.) Questionnaire distribution
iii.) Monitoring and follow up
iv.) Data feeding and report generation
v.) Conducting the workshop
vi.) Counselling of employees
12. What do you know about following appraisal systems?
a.) Graphic Rating Scales

- This method is also called as linear rating scales or simple rating scales method
- Judgement about the performance are recorded on a scale
- The appraisers are given the forms which carries the various criteria on which the employees are to be rated
- It is a simple and quick method, which makes it popular

b.) Ranking method

- The employees are rated from best to worst on some characteristics
- The rater chooses the best and the worst employees from a group and rates them.
-He then chooses the second best and worst set and goes on
- The reliability and validity of this method is under doubt as it may suffer from raters bias, fluctuating performances or varying
standards.

c.) Paired comparison method

- Under this method each employee is rated against all the members in the group.
- It could be fairly applied where the number of employees are less.
- This method is time consuming.
- The performance is compared to other employees rather than specific job criteria

d.) Forced distribution method

- This method is developed to prevent the raters from rating too high or too low.
- In this method, the raters are required to spread their employee evaluations in a prescribed distribution.
- It eliminates central tendency and leniency biases
1.What is Recruitment ?
- Recruitment is the process of identifying, screening and hiring the most suitable candidate for a job vacancy.
- The candidate might be hired internally or from external sources
- The process must be performed in timely and cost effective manner
- It can also be termed as a process linking the employers and the employees
2. Explain the purpose and importance of recruitment.
The purpose of recruitment is to:

- Attract the maximum number of candidates to the organization and encourage them to apply
- Create strong database and select the best candidate for the position
- Ascertain the current and future manpower requirements of the organization
- Make the hiring exercise a cost effective one

Importance of recruitment is:

- To identify the potential candidates within the organization for future man power requirements
- To identify the outside candidates and hire them to meet the man power requirements
- To establish various sources of candidates
- To help in increasing the success of hiring process
3. Explain recruitment process.
The recruitment process tries to get the best manpower for the organization. It can be considered as the first strategic
step towards the success of an organization.

The process consists of following major steps:

- Identifying the vacancy
- Preparing the job specifications and description of the potential candidate
- Advertising the requirement
- Receiving and managing the applications
- Short listing the candidates
- Arranging the interviews
- Conducting the interviews and deciding on the candidate
4. What are the various internal and external sources of recruitment?
There can be two kinds of sources of recruitment for organizations - internal and external.

Internal recruitment - It means getting the candidate from within the organization to fulfil a vacancy. Internal
recruitment can be done by:

- Transfer - transferring an employee from one location/ department to other.
- Promotion - Taking the employee higher up in the hierarchy
- Ex-employees - These could be the retired or retrenched employees
- Demotion - Lowering the position of an employee in the hierarchy for various reasons


External recruitment - It means getting the absolutely new candidate to the company. The sources of these employees
could be many:

- Job notifications in the print/ online media
- College campuses
- Placement agents
- Unsolicited applicants
- Employee referral program
- Employment exchange
- Labour contractors
5. Explain the internal and external factors affecting recruitment.
There can be various internal and external factors which affect the recruitment process.

Internal factors - The factors which are under the control of organization are called internal factors.

These could be -

i.) Recruitment policy of the organization
ii.) Human Resource Planning
iii.) Expansion plans
iv.) Cost of recruitment

External factors - These are the factors which are not under the control of the organization.

These could be -

i.) Availability of talent
ii.) Brand image of the organization
iii.) Politico-social environment
iv.) Legal conditions
v.) Economic condition of the market
vi.) Recruitment policy of the competitors
6. What should be the focus of recruitment policy of a company?
A good recruitment policy helps the organization in developing an effective recruitment process. It can be termed as the
first step in developing an efficient recruitment process. A recruitment policy defines the recruitment objectives and
clearly defines the framework to work within.

A good recruitment policy should focus on:

- Being unbiased towards all candidates
- Recruiting the best talent
- Helping the employees identify their potential
- Promoting transparent, merit based selection
- Developing cost effective recruitment process
- Appointing an authority for final decision
- Being socially, politically, legally and economically friendly
7. List some factors that affect the recruitment policy of a company.
Various factors which can affect the recruitment policy of a company are:

- Its objectives
- Policies of the competitors
- Government laws - Social and economic
- Political environment
- Cost of recruitment
- Time available
- Preferred recruitment sources
8. What are the main components of a recruitment policy?
The main components of a recruitment policy are:

- Terms of recruitment
- Sources of recruitment
- Using the services of placement agents
- Payment terms and conditions for placement agents
- Recruitment of contractual employees
- Obtaining requirements from departments
- Selection process
- Employment terms and conditions
9. What are the advantages of outsourcing the recruitment services?
Many organizations outsource their recruitment services to the placement agencies. The main advantages of doing so are
as follows:

- It allows the organizations to focus on core and strategic activities
- It leads to optimal use of resources and time
- It provides access to the expertise of the placement agents
- Reduction in recruitment cost
10. Explain Poaching/ Raiding.
Poaching in recruitment means hiring the employee of a competitor who is working in the same capacity as desired by
you. This is a major challenge faced by the HR managers as it causes the leakage of talent from an organization and
effects its productivity.

The employee is usually hired by offering him better salary and perks.
11. List the e-recruitment techniques. What are the advantages of e-recruitment?
E-recruitment means using internet for the recruitment services. Three main techniques used in e-recruitment are:

- Advertising on job portals
- Building a recruitment section on company's website.
- Screening the database of candidates on job portals

The advantages of e-recruitment are:

- Lower cost of advertising the job openings
- Helps in saving time
- Large pool of candidates to choose from
- Day in - day out access to the database
- Screening the database brings in only relevant candidates
- Paper less process - more organised
12. Differentiate between recruitment and selection.
- Recruitment aims at searching for the talent and promoting the candidates to apply for the position while selection is the
process of screening the candidates to fill a position with the most suitable candidate.

- Recruitment process get a pool of candidates for the selection process to work and choose the best one.

- Recruitment encourages more and more people to apply while selection eliminates unsuitable candidates to zero down
on the best one.

- There is no contractual agreement between the employee and the employer in the recruitment process while after the
selection a contract is agreed upon by the employee and the employer.
13. What is recruitment management system? What are its features and benefits?
- Recruitment management system is a tool for effective management of recruitment process. It helps in quick, reliable,
accurate and unbiased processing of various applications.

- The system helps in efficient management of system by automatically maintaining the database of candidates.

- It works as a good interface between various parties involved in the whole process

- It helps in better communication.
14. How would you maximize your ROI on recruitment?
Recruitment is a time and money consuming activity. In order to maximize the ROI through recruitment activities, a
company should keep following things in mind:

- Clearly define the achievements you expect from the recruitment process. Establishing the clear goals doesn't leave a
place for confusion in the system.
- Develop effective ways to measure critical results.
- Precise estimation of time and cost of recruitment.
- Ensure that the people working in the recruitment process are well trained.
- Estimate the tangible and intangible benefits that have come from the recruitment exercise.
15. Explain the process of recruitment through placement agents.
The process of recruitment through placement agents consists of following steps:

- Brief the consultant about the profile and the candidate
- Placement consultant shortlist some candidates and sends the CVs
- Company's representative shortlists the CVs sent by consultants
- Interview is scheduled by the agent
- Interview conducted by the company's representative
- If the candidate is selected, he is given an offer after the negotiation else the consultant sends another candidate
16. What qualities would you look for in consultants before getting them on board for your recruitment
activities?
If a company decides to outsource its recruitment activities, it looks for a consultant to do this job. Following are the
important qualities, a company should look for in the consultant before hiring them -

- Experience and expertise in the sector
- Resources they possess
- Achievements in the last projects
- Flexibility and adaptability
- Result orientation
17. What are the elements of an effective recruitment strategy?
The purpose of a recruitment strategy is to hire the best talent a company desires in a timely and cost effective manner.
Following are the main elements of an effective recruitment strategy:

- Identifying the jobs
- Type of candidates required depending on their - performance, experience, domain knowledge.
- Sources to tab - job portals, campuses, competitor's employees, employee referral
- Assigned recruiters
- Process to evaluate and hire candidates
18. What challenges have you faced as a recruiter?
Major challenges a recruiter faces are:

- Lack of candidates in some particular domain
- Changing trends of the market
- Lack of self motivation
- Lack of agility in the process
- Lack of job prioritization
- Lack of proper job analysis
19. If you are required to recruit expats, what qualities will you try to judge during the interview?
When there is a shortage of skills and talents at a particular geographical location, the company tries to hire people from
other geographical locations. These people are called expats. Sometimes the companies require only expats for certain
positions - depending on their recruitment strategy. While hiring expats it is important to judge following qualities in
them:

- Professional qualifications and expertise
- Adaptability and Flexibility
- Cultural sensitivity
- Family conditions
- Open mindedness
- Any past international work experience
- Level of self-motivation
21. What do you understand by "Equal Employment Opportunity"?
Equal employment opportunity means an equal and fair treatment for all people. There is no discrimination among the
employees or candidates on the basis of:
race, age, sex, marital status, disability, sexuality, pregnancy etc.

Equal employment Opportunities help in overall development of both the society as well as the organization. They help
the organizations in creating a good image for themselves and discharging their social responsibilities.
1. What is training?
Training an erudition process that embroils the procurement of knowledge, honing of skills, rubrics, or change in insolences and
comportments to enhance the employees performance.
2. List out steps to make Training Effective for Employees.
i. Training Need Analysis: The first step to make training effective for your employees is to make an analysis on the skills that
need to be trained on. Comprehensive need and skills analyses will help you define the needs of your employees, which will
assist you in knowing what kind of training program you need to define for them.
ii. Why do they need training: You need to make your employees aware on the reasons as to why they require that particular
training? Once they will be convinced for the reasons they require training, they will take more interest in the training.
iii. Contents of the training program: Once you have determined the needs and defined the training program as per the needs
analysis; you need to introduce the content of the training to the employees.
iv. Relevance of the training: There is enough workload on an employee, we all agree to that. So, if an employee feels during
the training session that it will not be advantageous for him in anyway, he will feel frustrated to attend the training.
v. Meticulous training: The training provided to the employee should be exhaustive so that it trains the employee to deal with
every small and big situation in an effective manner.
vi. Evaluating the training: Once the training is over, you need to evaluate the effects of training on the employees, i.e., you
need to see whether the training improved the job performance of the employee or not.
3. What is the difference between Training and Learning?
Training: The emphasis of training is on the development of skills. Training is about divulging new information and making us
cognisant on how to make use of the information plus training is also hooked on to the awareness of the trainer.

Learning: Learning is focused on how an individual smears to the new information that he has received from training. Learning
is the course of altering peoples understanding and slant to organizational as well as personal vagaries. Learning is an elongated
process that often integrates training, evolving and preparing individuals with the tools to be competent enough to handle both
known as well as unknown challenges.
4. Difference between Training and Development?
Training: The emphasis of training is on the development of skills. Training is about divulging new information and making us
cognisant on how to make use of the information plus training is also hooked on to the awareness of the trainer.
Development: Development is an incessant, general and vigorous expansion of skills and knowledge. Development is targeted at
long-term career growth rather than instantaneous performance.
5. How are training needs identified?
The training needs can be identified in a number of ways, they are:
During interviews
By taking feedback from the employees colleagues, business partners or through clients
By conducting competency or knowledge tests
While conducting performance appraisals
If the employees have demanded for training from the management
Based on industry specific research, for example, due to new additions in the industry.
6. How are performance appraisal and training need assessment related?
One of the ways to identify the need for training is through performance appraisal. The motive of performance appraisal is to not
only judge the performance of the employee but also on the skills of the employee. While conducting a performance appraisal
you not only check whether the employee has been able to achieve his targets but also a 360 degree feedback is taken from his
colleagues, clients as well as other business delegates with whom he is interacting with on a daily basis. Based on the evaluation
of the performance appraisal as well as the feedback forms his colleagues and other people involved for businesses purposes you
can identify the area on which the employee needs training.
7. How would you evaluate the results of training?
Evaluating training is a continuous process. You need to keep evaluating the process right from analysing the training need to the
completion of training.
i. Participant satisfaction as well as reaction: This is the basic way of evaluating the results of training. Often this is the
starting and ending way to evaluate the results of training. How satisfied the participants are from the training is the main criteria
of evaluation and the positive results of the training are based on the satisfaction of the employees.
ii. How much knowledge has been acquired from the training: The second stage of evaluating result is how much knowledge
has been imparted to the participants from the training. This is usually measured through a questionnaire as well as how they are
performing post the training.
iii. Behavioural Application: If the subject of the training is based on behavioural aspect, then post the training the behaviour of
the employee is tested to see how effective the training has been. The behaviour of the employee could be based on the job front
or basis on the relations with his contemporaries.
iv. Business improvement: From the training, how much has the business been profited? In other terms, it is calculating the
Return on Investment. Not only is the Return on Investment calculated but also has the performance of the employee improved?
8. Explain following training models:
i. System Model: The system model consists of 5 phases which should be repeated on a regular basis to make further
improvements. Below given are the 5 steps in system model:
a. Analyse and Identify: You need to scrutinize the department, job, prerequisites of the employees, who amongst the lot of
employees entail for the training program, theme of training, expenditures involved in the training.
b. Designing and providing the training: This step embroils categorising and developing the objectives of training
c. Developing: Once you designed the objectives of the training, now is the time when you got to list down the activities that you
would be carrying forward in the training sessions.
d. Implementing: The most difficult part of the entire training process is this, the implementation. If you make one small
mistake and you entire planning will go for a toss and your training program will not be able to reach its goal.
e. Evaluating: Evaluating each step is necessary. If you falter anywhere you will be able to rectify it on an early stage hence
reducing the chances of failure on each stage.
ii. Instructional System Development Model: Often referred to as the ISD model. A widely used model in the organizations as
this particular training model is in conjunction with performance and responsibilities of the employee. This model also comprises
of 5 phases, they are as follows:
a. Analysis: In this phase you analyse the key responsibilities as well as your target audience who will be receiving the training.
The analysis is done in three phases, they are:
Needs assessment related to problem faced while performing on the job
Job analysis analysis of the key responsibilities involved to complete your job
Target audience analysis the prospective people who can be elected for the training
b. Design: This is the planning stage of this model. The main purpose of this model is to transmute appropriate content into
succinct, behavioural objectives, generating the instructional design or commonly known as blue print that will direct the
development of all training resources, quizzes and approaches. The design elements are:
Goals statement describing the desired outcome of the training
Instructional Objectives measuring the behaviour level of the employee post training including the performance of
the employee post training
Instructional strategies: arranging the instructional objectives in the order of performing on the job, ease of
performance, complexity of the task.
Evaluation Methods: Deciding on how you will be evaluating the employee during the training as well as post training.
Types of training material: includes texts, guides, workbooks, training aids, visual aids and case studies
Media Selection: How will you be imparting the training keeping in account the number and characteristic of
trainees? For example, any of the media options, or will it be an interactive session.
Design Document: a document that will guide you in the development, implementation and evaluation of the
training.
c. Development: In this phase you translate the design into training materials. Using the elements from the design phase you
create your training material, i.e.,
Course material for the trainer
Course material for the trainee
Evaluation instruments
d. Implementation: This is the phase where you are implementing by taking into consideration all the points mentioned above.
The implementation phase involves the logistical arrangements such as which place will the training be conducted, setting the
location as per the training environment, setting up and using the equipments, etc. And then finally you do the delivery part of
training, the most important and deciding factor for the success or failure of the training.
e. Evaluation: Evaluation is necessary as you ought to know whether you have reached the desired goals or not. Has the training
put some effect on the trainees? You need to know all these details and hence evaluation is necessary.
iii. Transitional Model: the transitional model is based on the vision mission and values of the organization. Hence the attention
is more on the organizational goals.
9. Explain following on the job training methods:
a. Coaching The goal of coaching is to improve the performance of the employee. Coaching focuses on the individual needs of
an employee and is considered to be less formal than any other type of training.

b. Mentoring There is a very thin line to differentiate between coaching and mentoring. Where coaching is done online,
mentoring is done offline and is just a help offered by one person to another in carrying out the work without any hurdles.

c. Job rotation Job rotation is usually done to give an enlarged perspective of the business or to give global opportunities to the
employee. It is mostly used for junior employees who can prospectively replace senior level employees.

d. Job Instruction Technique This training method focuses on knowledge, skills and attitude development. It consists of 4
steps,

i. Plan Making the trainer aware of the kind of work you carry.
ii. Present the trainer presents the synopsis as well as the different aspects of the work
iii. Trial You actually step into the shoes of the other person and perform the chores to gain practical experience before taking
over completely
iv. Follow up the trainer follows up with the employee so as to avoid any kind of mistakes made by the trainee.
10. Explain following forms of training done with games and simulation:
a. Behaviour Modelling In this kind of training the trainees are usually shown a video of a prospective person, in which the
behaviour or any particular process is video taped for the trainees to learn from that video and behave accordingly.

b. Business Games are based on the rules, procedures, plans, relationships and functions performed by the organization. This
kind of training is usually imparted when any new employee joins the organization. In the business games, the trainees are
provided with restricted data on a precise circumstance and are probed to make pronouncements in errand of the organization.

c. Case Studies In this the trainees are provided with certain case studies, which the top management either from the same
organization or from any other organization in the same business must have dealt with. Based on the case studies, the trainees are
supposed to give their solutions on the same problem. The main motive of this is to acquaint the trainees with the problem rather
than the solution.

d. Equipment Stimulator - Equipment simulators are the mechanical devices that compel the novices to use some actions,
strategies, methods, trials, activities, or decision procedures they would use with apparatus back on in the organizations.

e. In basket technique In this, some material in form of text or memos is given to the trainee. The text or memos include
information about the responsibilities to be carried out by the trainee. And with the data available the trainee is supposed to
respond to the questions posed by the trainer within a limited time frame. Following which the trainer provides a feedback with
the suitable options.

f. Role Plays It is a technique in which the trainees are given certain roles to be enacted. This technique helps in developing
interpersonal as well as communication skills, team building skills as well as group decision making skills amongst the
employees.
11. What do you know about following in Computer Based Training?
a) Intelligent Tutorial System This system makes use of artificial intelligence to succour in training. In this the system
acquires through the rejoinders of the trainee.

b) Programmed Instruction - Programmed instruction is the technique of guiding the accomplices deliberately through the
information in a way that expedites the most operative and effective learning. It provides the participant with content, material,
probes queries, and based on the response it goes to the next level of information.

c) Virtual Reality As the name suggests, this method puts the trainee into a 3-D environment, wherein the environment
stimulates situations that an employee can face while on the job front. With this kind of training the employee can learn about
the potential dangers or situations that he could face on the job front.
12. What do you know about following traditional methods of training?
a. Demonstration The trainer demonstrates the way an employee can perform his regular chores at the work place while
avoiding any complex situation. Incase faced with any complex situation, the trainer also helps in dealing those complex
situations.

b. Discussions In this, both the trainer as well as the trainee discusses the problems an employee faces on the job front and the
trainer then provides a solution to deal with the problems. The discussion could be relating anything, problems while performing
on job, interacting with colleagues, lack of confidence.

c. Lectures It is the oldest form of imparting training. In fact no training can be complete without a part of lecture in it. This
form of training is usually imparted when there is no scope or very little scope of argument amongst the trainer and the trainee.
Lecture system is used when the trainer just has to impart certain information to the trainee, i.e. may be about the vision, mission,
and policies of the organization.

d. Management Development Management Development plays an imperative role in making the organization more
competitive. In this the management align their employees with strategical planning in order to be more competitive. Especially
this kind of a training is of high importance as competition os very high in all the sectors.
1. Explain Employee Motivation.
Motivation can be defined as the enthusiasm of an employee which causes him to take actions at work.
2. Which non-monetary factors do you think help in building up the motivation level of employees?
Following are some of the effective ways to motivate employees:

i.) Respectful treatment
ii.) Recognising the individual and performance
iii.) Training
iv.) Regular performance and behavioural feedback
v.) Clear communication from the management
vi.) Involvement in activities that desire responsibility
vii.) Challenges
viii.) Clearly defined goals and plan of action
3. What kind of work culture do you think increases the motivation level of an employee?
Following are some of the characteristics of the culture that increases motivation level of an employee:

i.) Suggestions and feedback from the employees are heard
ii.) Employees are well informed about the things affecting them
iii.) Communication among the team members and with the superiors is open in nature
iv.) Employees are trusted and treated with respect
v.) Employees work and deliver as a team
vi.) Employees see a path to grow and are regular trained for development
4. Explain Taylor's theory of motivation.
Frederick Taylor put forward a theory about workers motivation. Its main features are:

i.) Workers do not enjoy work.
ii.) They need constant supervision
iii.) They are motivated mainly by the salary
5. What are the main points of Mayo's theory of motivation?
Mayos theory believes that money is not the only motivation for workers. They are highly motivated by factors like:

i.) Communication between them and managers
ii.) More involvement of manager in their work life
iii.) Working in teams
6. How is Mayo's theory different from Taylor's theory of motivation?
i.) Taylors theory focuses on the negative aspect of a workers behaviour while Mayos theory focuses on positive aspects.
ii.) Taylors theory treats money as the biggest motivation while Mayos theory lays more emphasis on non-monetary factors.
7. Explain Maslow's theory of hierarchy of needs. Do you think it applies in real life?
- Maslows theory of hierarchy of needs believes that each individual has some needs arranged in hierarchical order. Only when a
lower need is satisfied, does the higher need come into picture.
- Thus the incentives offered to the workers at each level have to be different.

These needs are classified as grouped as below:

Level 1 Basic needs Food, clothes, shelter
Level 2 Safety needs Security and protection
Level 3 Social needs
Level 4 Esteem needs
Level 5 Self actualization
8. What is Herzberg's theory of motivation?
Herzberg came out with two-factor theory of motivation which believed that there are certain factors which enthuse motivation in
workers while others de- motivate them. The factors demotivating the workers are called the hygiene factors.

Motivators are the factors that give satisfaction. For e.g.
- Recognition
- Challenges
- Responsibility

The other set of factors are hygiene factors their presence doesnt motivate the employees but their absence surely de-motivates
them. For e.g.
- Work conditions
- Salary
- Job security etc.
9. Who proposed theory X and Y of motivation? What were the major differences between X and Y observations?
Theory X and Y of motivation was proposed by Douglas McGregor. The major difference between these theories are:

- Theory X takes a negative view of the employees while the Theory Y takes a positive view.
- Theory X believes that employees are lazy and do not like work while Theory Y believes that employees enjoy work.
- Theory X believes that money is the only motivation for work while Theory Y believes that the satisfaction that employees
achieve after doing a work well is a bigger motivation.
- Theory X believes in doing the business in an authoritarian way while Theory Y tries to remove the barriers employees find in
the way of their work.
1.What is industrial relations system?
Industrial relations are the relations between employees, employers, government and trade unions within the organizational
structure.

The industrial relations system is a system of relationship between all the parties involved. A sound IR system will create an
environment conducive for organizational growth and labour welfare.
2. Name the various parties involved in IR system?
The main parties involved in the IR system are:

i.) Employers They are the ones who possess the rights to hire the employees and remove them. They also possess the rights to
relocate, close or merge the business. They can opt for technological changes as and when they see it in the interest of business.

ii.) Employees They are actually the ones who keep the business moving. They possess the rights to voice their opinions and
feelings while striving for betterment. They usually form the unions to negotiate with the employers.

iii.) Government Government is the one who influences the IR system with laws, rules, agreements, awards of court etc. They
also include third parties & labour and tribunal courts to manage the IR system.
3. Why is it important to have an IR system in place?
It is important to have an IR system in place

- To ensure that the workers are not over powered and used by the employer.
- To ensure that the workers do not blackmail the employers with unnecessary demand leading to a loss of production
- To ensure that the economy keeps growing
- To ensure that even if a problem arises, it is solved amicably.
4. What are the benefits of having an industrial relations system in place?
Following are the benefits of having an effective IR system in place:

- Continuous production

- Continuous employment for all

- Smooth flow of income for workers and businessman

- Lesser number of disputes between employees and employers like strikes, lock outs, grievances etc.

- Higher level of motivation in the employees as they consider themselves to be a part of the organization

- Less wastage of time, man, machine and material

- Lesser cost of production

- Optimum utilization of resources leading to higher profits for employers and employees

- Economic growth of the society
5. What are the main objectives of industrial relations system?
The main objectives of an Industrial relations system are:

- To protect the interest of employees and employers by building up a congenial relationship.

- To avoid the human conflicts which can harm the business, the employees and the economic growth of the country.

- To increase the productivity.

- To improve the economic conditions of the workers

- To reduce the number of industrial disputes like strikes, lock outs etc.
6. Name the three factors Dunlop's theory advices to consider while conducting an analysis of management-
labour relationship.
The three factors that Dunlops theory advices to consider while analysing management-labour relationship are:

- Environmental factors Socio-political, technological, legal.
- Characteristic and interaction of key parties employee, employer, government
- Rules obtained from the interactions that govern the employment relationship
7. Explain the unitary perspective of IR from employer point of view.
The unitary approach believes that the employees and employers share the same objectives, interests and purposes. They work
hand-in-hand for the betterment of the organizations. However, this system expects loyalty from the employees.

From employers perspective, unitary approach means:

- The staffing policies should be exercised to unify the efforts. They should motivate the employees.
- The objectives of the organization should be discussed with the employees.
- A reward system should exist to secure loyalty and commitment from the employees
- Line managers should take the responsibility of their team.
- Staff-management conflicts arise form lack of information and inadequate presentation of management policies.
- Personal objectives of the employees should be integrated with the overall objectives of the organization.
8. Explain the unitary perspective of IR from employee point of view.
The unitary approach from employees point of view means that:

- The purpose of a union is to act as a means of better communication between all the parties.

- All the parties should focus on good relationships and good working terms and conditions

- There should be flexibility in working practices.

- Employees should have a participation in workplace decisions. This promotes teamwork, creativity, problem solving abilities.

- Employees should have a feeling that the skills of their managers support them in their work.
9. What is the pluralistic perspective of IR system? What are the implications of this approach?
- Pluralism perspective views the organization being made up of two groups Management and trade unions. Both of them are
considered strong.

- It sees the conflicts over distribution of profits as normal and unavoidable.

- It believes that the role of management is more of persuading and co-ordinating

- Conflict is not viewed as a bad thing and is dealt with through collective bargaining

- Trade unions are viewed as legitimate representatives of employees.

The basic implications of this approach are:

- Union recognition is encouraged.
- Calls for an independent external arbitrator for resolution of conflicts.
- It calls for collective agreements to be negotiated with the trade unions
- Calls for appointment of IR specialists to advise managers in staffing and matters related to trade unions.
10. What is marxist perspective of IR system?
- The focus of Marxist perspective of IR system is on fundamental division of interest between capital and labour.

- It assumes that the conflict at work place is a reflection of conflict in the society.

- Trade unions are deemed as a natural response from workers to protect themselves against exploitation.
11. Explain collective bargaining. What are the different types of activities which comprise collective bargaining.
Collective bargaining means a process of negotiations between employers and a group of employees. The purpose is to reach an
agreement to regulate the working conditions.

The collective bargaining mainly comprises of 4 types of activities:

i.) Distributive bargaining Also termed as conjunctive bargaining, this form of bargaining aims at re-distribution of benefits
between the management and the group of workers. In this form of bargaining, one group gains while the other looses something.

ii.) Integrative bargaining Also termed as co-operative bargaining, this form of bargaining is for overall improvement in the
working of the organization. No party looses here, so, the level of co-operation is more.

iii.) Attitudinal restructuring This type of bargaining mainly aims at developing a change in the attitude of the management and
the employees. The purpose is to reduce the bitterness and develop a congenial atmosphere.

iv.) Intra-organizational bargaining This kind of bargaining aims at achieving the consensus within the trade union and
management group.
12. What are the characteristic features of collective bargaining?
The main features of collective bargaining are:

- It is a group process involving at least two parties.

- It is a process of negotiations through mutual discussions and compromise.

- It is a formal process in which employers and formal trade unions participate for discussions.

- It is a flexible process consisting of various steps.

- The process works on the basis of mutual trust and understanding between the two parties.

- It is a complementary process where each party has something to offer to each other.

- It is a constructive ongoing process.
13. List down the major steps of collective bargaining.
The major steps of collective bargaining are:

- Preparatory In this stage the negotiation team is formed which comprises of the members of both the teams. Both the sides
need to take a stock of their situation to find the matters which they need to take up discussion, their stand on it.

- Discussion In this stage the ground rules governing the negotiation process are set with the agreement of both the parties.

- Proposal The issue for which the meeting is called is defined and the possible solutions are put forth.

- Bargaining This is the phase where actual bargaining takes place and its nitty gritties are decided.

- Settlement After a consensus is reached, this stage consists of effective joint implementation of the agreement.
14. Explain CBA.
CBA Collective Bargaining Agreement is the result of collective bargaining procedure.

These agreements can be in one of the two forms:

i.) Procedural agreement
ii.) Substantive agreement

Procedural agreements They usually deal with the relationship between employees and employers to resolve individual and
group issues. These are usually filed in the companys rule book.

Substantive agreements This kind of an agreement deals with specific issues like basic pay, leave policy, bonus payment etc.
15. What is the importance of collective bargaining to employees and employers?
Importance of collective bargaining to employees:

- It increases the strength of employees as a group.
- It helps in boosting their self respect and level of motivation
- It increases their sense of responsibility
- It helps in reaching a quick and fair settlement for employees issues.

Importance of collective bargaining to employers:

- Its easier for management to deal with group issues rather than individual issues.
- It leads to an increase in the level of trust among employees and employers benefitting the overall business
- Reduces absenteeism and labour turnover which increase productivity and reduces the cost and wastage
- It helps in settling the issues at an initial level before they turn into disputes
16. Name the three levels at which collective bargaining works.
The three levels at which collective bargaining works are:

i.) National level
ii.) Sector/ Industry level
iii.) Company level
17. Why are trade unions formed? What services do they provide to the members?
- Trade unions are formed to protect their members from the exploitation by their employers.
- They negotiate with the management the issues affecting the employees working in the organization.
- They intervene in the decisions which affect the workers directly like transfer, lay off etc.

Trade unions provide following services to their members:

- They educate workers about their basic rights and train them with professional skills.
- They provide legal assistance to the worker when needed
- They offer financial loans on mortgages to their members
- They offer financial help to members when they are invalid or unemployed.
18. Classify and explain the functions performed by trade unions.
The functions performed by trade unions can be classified into two groups:

i.) Militant Functions
ii.) Fraternal Functions

Militant functions
-------------------------
These activities include strike, lock outs, gherao etc which means putting up a fight with the management. Hence, they are called
militant functions. They are carried out for following purposes:

a.) Rise in wages
b.) Rise in the status of workers
c.) Protection against injustice

Fraternal functions
---------------------------

These functions are carried out by the trade unions for the welfare of their employees which includes:

a.) Measures to boost up the workers morale
b.) Foster self confidence
c.) Develop sincerity and discipline
d.) Protection to women workers against discrimination
19. Which major factors motivate employees to join trade union?
The major factors which motivate the employees to join trade union are:

i.) Increase in bargaining power
ii.) Lesser discrimination
iii.) Higher sense of security and belongingness
iv.) Stage for self expression
v.) Ability to participate in management activities giving a sense of involvement
20. Name some central trade union organizations existing in India.
Some of the central trade unions in India are:

i.) AITUC - All India Trade Union Congress
ii.) BMS - Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh
iii.) CITU - Centre of Indian Trade Unions
iv.) HMKP - Hind Mazdoor Kisan Panchayat
v.) HMS - Hind Mazdoor Sabha
vi.) IFFTU - Indian Federation of Free Trade Unions
vii.) INTUC - Indian National Trade Union Congress
viii.) NFITU - National Front of Indian Trade Unions
ix.) NLO - National Labour Organization
x.) TUCC - Trade Unions Co-ordination Centre
xi.) UTUC - United Trade Union Congress
xii.) UTUC - LS - United Trade Union Congress - Lenin Sarani
21. Classify Indian labour market.
Indian labour market can be mainly classified into 3 categories:

i.) Rural workers
ii.) Organized
iii.) Unorganized
22. What do you mean by Industrial dispute?
Industrial dispute can be defined as conflict between management and workers regarding payments or conditions related to work.
23. What are the main causes of Industrial dispute?
Following are the main causes of industrial dispute:

i.) Wages/ Allowance/ Bonus/ Work Load
ii.) Leave/ Working hours/ Work conditions
iii.) Retrenchment/ Lay offs
iv.) Indiscipline/ Violence
24. What is strike? What are its various types? What are its major causes?
When workers collectively stop to work in an industry with an intention to make the management agree to their demands, they
are said to be on strike.

Strike can be classified into following types:

i.) Economic strike for demands like wages and bonus
ii.) Sympathetic strike to support the strike in other units.
iii.) General Strike Strike by all the unions in an industry or region.
iv.) Sit down strike Workers come to the work place but do not work
v.) Slow down strike Workers work but at a low efficiency
vi.) Sick A large number of members call in sick on the same day.
vii.) Wild cat strikes Carried out with the consent of unions.
25. Explain Lockouts.
Lock out is a managements tool in which an employer prevents the workers from working. This is a pressure tactic used by the
management.
26. What measures do you propose to develop congenial Industrial Relations?
Following are certain measure to promote congenial industrial relations:

i.) Personnel policies acceptable to all These should be formulated in conjunction with representatives of employees, clearly
stated and uniformly implemented across the organization.

ii.) Will to sincerely implement the agreements reached together by the management and unions

iii.) Participation of workers in managerial decisions

iv.) Mutual trust and respect within employees and employers

v.) Compromising attitude

vi.) Strong and stable unions

vii.) Governments role as a peacemaker when the employees and employers are not able to solve the issues themselves.
Why do you think you qualify for a human resource executive's/manager' position?
Answer
While asking this the interviewer wants to see, how do you identify yourself yourself with the job role. Relate your
educational qualification, work experience and personal qualities with the role to answer this question.
A possible answer could be, the role of a human resource manager needs the person to connect with others on a human
level and help them meet their aspirations while following the company's policies, structure and rules. I think with an
experience of 'X' years, I know well how to deal with humans and my last employment has given me a good insight into
the rules and regulations an HR manager has to keep in mind while operating.
What are your strengths and weaknesses as HR professional?
Answer
You may find this question asked in different forms during the interview. The purpose of asking the same question in
same way is to judge the consistency of candidates answers.
Ensure that you have read the job specifications properly before you appear for the interview. While answering this
question, identify the qualities a person needs as an HR Manager and see how you fit into them. Take out the qualities
which make you a strong candidate for this position and offer them to the interviewer. The qualities which are usually
sought in the candidate for this role are: Knowledge, Intuition, Versatility, Flexibility, Focus and above all a human touch
in every thing you do. If you have any extra qualification like the knowledge of a software useful in handling the job, you
can discuss that also during the interview.
It is absolutely OK to accept that every human being has weaknesses but if you can make your weaknesses work to your
advantage that makes you a winner. A probable answer to this question could be, while dealing with the employees
problems at times I get very attached to them but I think this helps me in understanding their problems better and
offering them a solution while being within the company limits. I have experienced that this attitude of mine towards the
staff help them being more open to me and loyal to the company.
What according to you are the qualities that an HR Executive/Manager must have?
Answer
Knowledge, Intuition, Versatility, Flexibility, Focus and above all a human touch in every thing you do
Why did you choose HR as your career?
Answer
While answering this question, dont simply say that I love to work with people and that is the reason I am into HR. This
is the most common answer and moreover something which makes the interviewer burst into laughter. This answer easily
makes them understand that you are saying this just to get the job.
A better way would be to identify some work areas that an HR manager has to perform in his daily routine and relate
them to your interest. A possible answer could be, I liked to be a part of the recruitment team which can identify right
people and put them into right places. An employment into recruitment slowly developed into a full fledged HR
profession.
What do you think are the roles and responsibilities of an HR Manager?
Answer
The purpose of this question is to understand your knowledge of the role.
The responsibilities of an HR manager include:
Recruitment, Training, Organizational Development, Communication, Performance development and management,
Salary and benefits, Team Building, Building Employee relationship, Developing Leadership, Motivational exercises,
Developing companies policies and procedures, Managing the health care program for employees etc.
Depending on the size of the organization, the HR manager has a team performing each of these roles.
Why did you decide to get into HR after you graduation in computers/commerce/physics?
Answer
There are many people who actually get into HR after graduating in a totally different stream. To some people it just
happens while for others it is a deliberate move.
If it just happened to you, you can say that I was on a look out for a job when I got the first opportunity in HR. I took it
up and slowly realized that I have started liking it. I brushed up my skills by keeping myself updated about the new
developments in the field and acquiring a professional degree (If you have got one.)
If it was a deliberate move, you can discuss your reasons for moving into this role.
What is Personnel Management?
Answer
Personnel management is managing welfare and performance of persons who are a part of the operations.
What is the difference between Personnel Management and HRM?
Answer
Usually these two terms are used interchangeably but there does lie a difference between the two.
Personnel management is reactive in nature and includes administrative tasks while HRM is proactive in
nature and requires continous develpment in policies and functions of the organization for a better
tomorrow.
Personnel management is more of an independent task than HRM which needs to involve the managers
of all departments for developing a better team.
Personnel mangement believes that satisfied employees yield better performance while HRM believes
that a good performance provides satisfaction to employees.
HRM works around developing startegies to improve the performance of employees. Personnel
mangement works around motivating employees with compensation, bonuses, rewards etc.
Actually Personnel management can be considered as a subset of HRM.
Here you have to bear in mind that if you are offered the position of a Personnel Manager, you may be
required to perform HRM functions and vice versa.
What are the responsibilities of a personnel manager?
Answer
Some of the responsibilities of a personnel manager include:
coordinating benefit programs and employee training,managing the recruiting process, conducting exit interviews and
salary surveys,coordinating recordkeeping and payroll, and administering personnel policies.
What do you mean by Management? Describe the essential functions of management.
Answer
Management in simple terms can be understood as the process of bringing people together to achieve the desired goals.
The essential functions of management include: Planning, Organizing, Budgeting, Resourcing, Directing, Controlling and
Reviewing.
What is the difference between salary and incentive?
Answer
Salary can be termed as the fixed remuneration you are offered for your services while incentive means some extra
benefits that you are offered based on your performance. Incentive can be in cash or kind.
What is 'Span of Management'?
Answer
Span of Management or Control in easy terms means, number of subordinates a manager manages.
What are the diffrent factors that determine the 'span of Management'?
Answer
Following factors determine the Span of Management:
1. Size of the organization
2. Different tasks that are performed to keep the work going
3. Complexity of the production process
4. Extent to which IT can help in the process.
What do you mean by Fringe Benefits?
Answer
Fringe benefit can be defined as the benefits provided by the employer to its employees in addition to the regular salary.
These include health plans, paid holidays, cafeteria, company transport etc.