Questions to ask when Interviewing a Human Resources Assistant

A human resources assistant can make your job in human resources easier by taking some of the burden. Of course, this is all dependent on getting the right person for the job., You may want to ask the following questions when interviewing potential candidates.
Do you have experience in the field of human resources?
A lot of employers are specifically looking for those who have had experience working in a human resources department before. They will be familiar with the different duties such as an employee relations, insurance issues, etc. The more experience they have, the less training you will need to provide. If they do have experience then you can ask questions about the exact duties that they have performed.
If they have not had exact experience in a human resources department and you are not requiring that, then you may want to ask whether they have had experience working with people in general. The job of a human resources assistant often involves dealing with a lot of people, and you want to know that they are a “people person.”
How have you dealt with challenges with people in the past?
In the human resources department, they often deal with a lot of problems and challenges that employees have. Many employees go to this department first with complaints, and their response can make the difference between a quick and easy resolution or the escalation of a problem. You want to hear how they interact with people to see if they would be a good fit for your department.
Can you tell me about your organizational skills?
It is absolutely vital for a human resources assistant to be organized. There are usually many facets to this department, and many employees are being dealt with. Many of these issues are very important such as insurance, and if you lose things or miss deadlines, then it can have a great affect on the individual employees. You want to make sure that the candidate can easily keep things in good order so that everything is done when it is supposed to and nothing gets lost.
You want to choose carefully when looking for a human resources assistant. Of course there are many standard interview questions to ask such as “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” “Why did you leave your past job?” and so forth. The above questions are some you may want to specifically include in the interview process for a human resources assistant.
Updated On: 10/07/2010 Published On: 10/07/2010