HR Round: Prepared?

Friday, February 19, 2010

Posted by Radhika

"HR Round" is a step that is considered a cakewalk to most and you know that one will be rejected only if s/he has deliberately rigged the process. The HR interview is usually the last round in a company where it is considered a formality and a forum for final negotiations of salary and notice period. Added to this the questions are rehearsed as much as the answers because it is predictable. It is almost as of all HR's of companies have a question bank of 25 questions which they ask in random order and if you are prepared you obviously have all the answers.

Considering that whatever the role of a person, s/he is also, in this decade, expected to understand the business, its process and then his/her strategic role within the unit, it is important that HR's step up their interviewing process also. Questions like "Tell me about yourself", "Your strengths and weaknesses", "Why the company should hire you" give you a fair understanding of a person's communication skills, confidence levels, willingness to adapt but apart from that it ignores aspects like critical thinking, analytical skills, and the ability to think on one's feet. How many open-book tests do you remember giving in school and college? 

Hypothesis-based questions, Case study method, Deep-rooted work and role related questions and similar methods should be an essential part of a HR interview if a recruiter is really keen to make the right selection. It also helps an interviewer understand the business and the role better thereby forcing him to identify the key competencies and narrowing down the specs for shortlisting candidates.Competency based HR is thus a developing and effective method where competencies are research-driven, pre-defined and also bring objectivity to the process. This method also brings equitable skills in a team so that in the long run the teamwork, productivity levels and effectiveness is significantly heightened. 

Would you not like to be a part of an organisation that entices you think, challenges your creativity and offers you an interesting interviewing process? If the surface is able to evoke an intriguing response successive digging is sure to offer you much more!