Interview tips for HR job

February 6, 2018 2:01 AM

I interviewed for a job in HR and have a second interview with higher ups in the department, how do I handle a second meeting with the other members of the team?

I interviewed for an entry level HR job at national retail/distribution company located at their HQ located in a very small town.
I'm confident my first interview went fantastically. I met with the three 'lowest' members of the team, one of which would be my supervisor. I really did my homework and asked some questions that really impressed them at the end of the interview. They told me as such.
I have a second (and I think final interview) tomorrow with the three 'higher-ups' of the team. I want to impress just as much in this interview but I'm wondering if asking some of the same questions is ok?
Examples may help: "Looking back at employees within the department, what differentiated good from bad? What qualities do you see in a successful employee in HR specifially?" "What do you like about working at ?".
At my first interview I asked a lot about the day to day of the role, do I ask the higher ups or leave it to big picture questions? I'm sure they've had a discussion about my first interview and I don't want to seem as though I didn't pay attention/understand what was covered but I also don't want them to feel that I don't want their perspective.
Basically I don't know what to repeat or not repeat. Any tips on generally interviewing with heads of a department would be great.
Also feel it's worth adding, I have no previous experience in HR but I have worked in customer service, retail, small offices and corporate environments. The role involves an hour of reception coverage a day and I have extensive experience there. I have previous experience in all the general aspects of the role. They commented on my previous experience and were very positive but any HR insight would be super helpful.
It's a great entry level position that I see as a long term career path. I am genuinely enthusiastic and I hope to put that out there in this interview.

Thanks!

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (3 answers total)

I think you're right to not ask all the same questions, but it's okay to repeat some IMO. I'd especially want to hear a lot of POVs on things like "what characteristics make a good fit for this team" and "how do you see this role impacting the overall success of the team."

When you get to that point of the interview, you could use framing like "in the last interview I asked X and Jane told me that Y. That leads me to the question Z .." but only if it really works. Don't stretch it.

Really think about what you know now and what you want from your next job, what could impact whether you accept an offer, and then do searches to find out how to ask about those things. I totally get that you want to impress - I do too - just remember that those questions are also for you, to help you find what you're looking for in a job.
posted by bunderful at 5:52 AM on February 6, 2018

One thing I do in interviews (which, weirdly, a lot of people don't) is respond to their answer with how I fit what they are looking for. So, asking about day to day, when they mantion tasks you respond with how you have done those tasks in an exceptional way before etc.

I wouldn't repeat questions but maybe go in deeper on one, building on their answer. And I agree with the broader scope questions about changes in the industry and how their company is adapting and navigating change-manement.
posted by saucysault at 6:20 AM on February 6, 2018

Questions I tend to ask higher ups are things that are more broad - for example, "I know your values/mission statement is XYZ, and Z is really important to me. How do you make sure to encourage that at [company]?" So questions about company culture, values, growth, etc. The higher ups are less likely to know specific things about your role (like, if you are meeting the CEO they might only have a vague idea of what makes a good entry-level HR person), so I would only re-ask questions if they are about the company as a whole. I think on principle it's fine to reuse questions, though, since everyone has a different take on things.

If the higher ups are not CEO-level, just not as closely related to your job, then I think it is fine to ask some specific job questions like, "What qualities do you find help someone excel or really stand out on your team?" (Focusing on the team level since they won't necessarily be managing your role in particular, but they would have thoughts on team dynamics)

I'm also going to advise against what saucysault suggested, per this question from my favorite source on interviewing, AskAManager. (If you aren't already reading it for interviewing tips, I highly recommend it!)

She points out that using the questions solely as a way to sell yourself comes across as disingenuous and also doesn't allow you to use questions for their actual purpose - to learn more about the job. There are likely a minority of hiring managers who would like that approach, but to be on the safe side I stay away from anything too sales-y.
posted by jouir at 3:06 PM on February 7, 2018