What does the HR job interview process consist of?

Understanding what format your interview will take is vitally important so that you can prepare properly and anticipate what will be thrown at you. It's not just unexpected questions that can throw you, unexpected attendees or environments can just as easily knock you off your stride.

Fortunately in the world of HR it's uncommon for employers to stray too far from the standard personal interview in an office environment. You're probably going to be office based for the majority of your working days so it stands to reason that they will want to assess you within that environment.

The key thing to remember when you go to an interview of this type is to memorize your CV, be clear about why it is you want the job, and have reasons for why you should be chosen above all the other candidates they are seeing.

The first interview will normally be run by the department head or line manager, and the second could involve a panel of two or more people, usually made up of a line manager, senior manager and possibly one of the members of the team you could be working in. Make sure you address each person at different points of the interview so they feel like they are involved in what you are saying.

On top of the more common job interview questions, HR professionals may be asked:

• How would you resolve a conflict between two colleagues?
• How do you believe the corporate values of a business should be communicated with its employees?
• What experience do you have in setting up and managing new procedures?

Your answers need to be concise, offering examples where possible. Be confident and if you don;t have direct experience in something they're quizzing you about admit to it. Better to be honest rather than trying to shoehorn into the conversation an irrelevant achievement.

Anticipate the 'strengths and weaknesses' questions that will inevitably be asked. The aim is not to trip you up but to find out how you cope under pressure. Interviewers will want to find out about how you have overcome challenges in the past, how you coped and what lessons you learned from your experience. So prepare some ready-made examples so that you are not caught off-guard.

Don't forget to find out as much as you can about the company itself and expect to be tested on this and your wider HR industry knowledge. If you understand what they are looking for and you can demonstrate your aptitude, then the interview soon develops into more of a negotiation.

For large employers who run graduate training programmes you may be expected to take part in an assessment centre where you will be surrounded by all the other candidates who have been shortlisted for the same job. Lasting anywhere from a few hours to a few days, the agenda not only includes an interview but also the opportunity for you to demonstrate your potential, skills and attributes by undertaking a series of tasks, such as group exercises, presentations, competency or personality tests.

It's possible that not everyone attending will be going for HR positions, but that shouldn't stop you showing of your HR abilities. Look for opportunities to lead teams and organise people, just as you would do if you were plucked from the crowd and placed within their team. Being an HR professional is all about making sure others are performing to the best of their ability so doing your best to make others look good will make you shine in the assessors eyes.

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