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 Payroll Coordinator, it’s important to be able to assess all candidates using the same data (or scoring). This is where structured interviews come in. 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.
How to Interview and Select a Payroll Coordinator
Based on the qualifications you’re looking for, your Payroll Coordinator interview questions should be structured so that 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.
A true administrative position that is responsible for processing and managing the payroll process, a Payroll Coordinator is responsible for managing the payroll accounts of a company or business, including maintaining reports, payroll processing, and other employee-related expenses and programs. Often the payroll coordinator, like the HR coordinator, role is the Swiss Army knife of the department filling in where needed and responsible for an ever-changing number of HR and payroll-related tasks. In some organizations, the payroll coordinator may fall under the management of operations or accounting. The organizational structure of your HR team and where who your Payroll Coordinator will be unique to your organization and your HR team.
Interview Questions to Ask Payroll Coordinator Candidates
Below are a list of Interview questions for Payroll Coordinator position 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) What is your approach to problem-solving? Give an example of where your approach has been effective.
2) Describe how you like to be managed, and the best relationship you’ve had with a previous boss.
3) Tell me about an experience when you applied new technology or information in your job. How did it help your company?
4) What would you have liked to do more of in your last position? What held you back?
5) Describe an effective method you have used in previous positions to maintain payroll records and employee information.
6) What method(s) do you use to stay informed of changes in tax and deduction laws?
7) Describe your experience working with highly confidential information. How would you handle an employee who requests “confidential” information from you?
8) What skill set do you think you would bring to this position?
9) Tell us a bit about your work background, and then give us a description of how you think it relates to our current opening.
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 on which of your top prospects is the one that you are going to offer the job. The key when interviewing and selecting Payroll Coordinator 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 Payroll Coordinator Interview Guide along with a handful of other helpful human resources interview questions guides to help staff up your HR team.
