While preparing for an interview it is very important to understand who will be conducting the interview. There is a significant difference when you’re interviewing with either an HR Manager or the direct hiring manager. HR interviews tend to be focused on pre-qualifying you for the role while an interview with a hiring manager tends to be geared towards your experiences and more in depth. Here is our breakdown of what to expect during an HR interview versus a hiring manager interview:
HR Interview:
Many companies use the HR interview as a pre-screening process, generally to qualify a candidate for the role and to see where their motivation lies. Human Resource individuals generally serve as the gatekeeper and thus only want to put qualified candidates in front of the hiring manager. The HR manager will seek out the candidate’s true motivations and reason for their interest in this position. HR interview questions tend to be more general in nature. Some of the questions you may see in an HR interview include:
- Why are you looking to leave your current company?
- Tell me about your career progression so far?
- Are you planning on obtaining any (insurance) designations?
- Are there any commute or location issues with this position?
- What are your financial expectations in making a move?
It’s always a great idea to have a set of questions to ask the interviewer and this is a great chance to learn more about the company culture and hiring process. Some possible great questions to ask during an HR interview would be:
- What is the organizational structure of the company?
- Tell me about the company culture?
- What is the manager’s timeline to fill this role?
- What are the next steps of the interview process?
- What type of growth can an employee in this division expect over the next few years?
Hiring Manager Interview:
An interview with a hiring manager will typically be much more in depth and technical. Keep in mind, the hiring manager will likely be the individual who will train you and work to get you up to speed, therefore making it imperative that they deem you as a strong technical and cultural match. Some of the questions a hiring manager might ask during an interview are:
- What are your day to day responsibilities?
- How have you grown in your current position?
- What is your current appetite of business?
- Why did you leave one of your past employers?
- Where do you see yourself in the next 3 years?
It’s important that you as the candidate are also interviewing the manager (in a sense) to make sure the position and company culture is a strong match from your perspective as well. A few good questions to keep in mind include:
- What are you looking for in a possible candidate?
- What is the potential for growth with this position?
- What will the first 6 months to a year in this position look like?
- What does the team structure look like?
- What is your management style like?
How to succeed in these interview settings:
The best advice we at HireGrowth can give you is to be prepared for the interview and do you research.. No matter if the interview is with HR or the hiring manager, it is very important to take both very seriously and come across as genuine and prepared. For more interview tips check out our blog on, 5 Steps to set yourself apart in an Interview.
By Kyle Medeiros, HireGrowth
