Interviews are the single most important candidate selection tool after the application and/or resume. When you’re interviewing for positions in your human resources department like HR Manager it’s important to be able to assess all candidates using the same data (or scoring). This is where structured interviews come in. 

List of HR Manager Interview Questions

In a structured interview, questions are determined in advance and consistent. All candidates should have the opportunity to answer the same questions and be allotted the same amount of time so you can evaluate them based on standard criteria.

Based on the qualifications you’re looking for, your HR Manager interview questions should be structured so candidates may provide specific information that will distinguish them from the other candidates you’re interviewing for the position. Asking the right questions during the interview is crucial to selecting the right candidates to hire.

How to Interview and Select Your HR Manager 

Typically a salaried position, human resource managers may or may not oversee and supervise a staff of employees. This really depends on the structure of your HR team. These individuals often do a bit of everything including benefits, compensation, recruiting, and handling employee relations issues on a daily basis. The responsibilities in this role are very broad, from location forecasting and budgeting, recruiting, and interviewing, and compliance to overseeing EEOC investigations and claims. HR Managers sometimes process payroll but are less administrative than a coordinator or specialist roles. Often they are cross-trained in administrative tasks for redundancy and in case of emergencies.

Interview Questions to Ask Human Resources Manager Candidates 

Below is a list of interview questions for Human Resources Managers to get you started. You can access our downloadable resource called for more interview tips and downloadable interview forms to use during the hiring process.

1) Why did you choose human resources as a career path?

2) How do you stay informed of current legislation and ensure compliance with national labor laws like taxes, industrial laws, social security, and health insurance?

3) What are your top three “mission critical” metrics when reporting outcomes of HR programs to company stakeholders?

4) In your experience, which benefits or perks drive the highest employee satisfaction and engagement?

5) How do you handle coaching or firing employees and policy enforcement? Can you give us an example?

6) What, for you, is the most satisfying part of your job?

7) What do you see as the greatest challenges HR faces in the coming decade? How would you prepare for these challenges?

8) What do you think is the biggest motivator for employees?

9) How would you describe your management style?

10) After learning about this opportunity, what made you take the next step and apply for the job?

Once the interviews for the job are completed, it’s up to you and your team to decide which of your top prospects is the one that you are going to offer the job. The key when interviewing and selecting HR Manager candidates is to be sure of the job requirements and most important skills and abilities to ensure you are selecting the most qualified and capable person for the human resources assistant job you have an opening for.

Grab our downloadable HR Manager Interview Guide along with a handful of other helpful human resources interview questions guides to help staff up your HR team.