HR Assistant interview questions and answers
This HR Assistant interview profile brings together a snapshot of what to look for in candidates with a balanced sample of suitable interview questions. Feel free to modify these interview questions for any human resources assistant positions. Similar job titles include HR Administrative Assistant, Analyst, Associate, Clerk or Coordinator.
Are you a candidate?
Crush your interview with our guide
Make sure that you are interviewing the best HR assistant candidates. Sign up for Workable's 15-day free trial to hire better, faster.
HR Assistant Interview Questions
Use these HR interview questions to determine whether your candidate is a strong fit for this position. The administrative interview questions will assess if your candidate has strong computer skills and some administrative assistant experience. Great interpersonal skills, comfort with public speaking, and an ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality is also helpful in this role. This is a junior role, so human resources experience is not critical—but if a promising candidate does have it, all the better for you.
What does a human resources assistant do?
The HR Assistant position is an entry-level support position. Your HR Assistant will have access to confidential employee records and will be responsible for everyday clerical and administrative tasks.
On behalf of your department, your HR Assistant will be the first point of contact for other employees. This person will be responsible for conducting orientations with new hire and fielding initial questions and complaints from employees. If resolving an issue with an employee is beyond their capacity, they must use sound judgment and move it up the hierarchy of communication to their supervisor or the HR Manager.
Operational and Situational questions
- What interests you about the field of HR and being a human resources assistant?
- HR admin involves considerable hands-on, repetitive, and clerical tasks. How would you stay motivated? How could we motivate you?
- From the moment a candidate is offered a position to the moment the candidate is hired, what steps would you take? What paperwork would you complete?
- Describe your experience with HRIS systems.
- Which data, such as names, birthdates, and SSN, would you include if you were to make an employee database from scratch? How would you maintain the accuracy of this database?
- Describe your experience in preparing data-driven reports. Have you ever made a critical error? How did you correct it?
- What would you do if an employee approached you with a complaint about compensation? How would you resolve it? At what point would you seek assistance from your supervisor?
- How would you define confidential information? Have you ever had a coworker who wanted you to discuss confidential information? How did you handle it?
Source and recruit skilled HR professionals with Workable’s Boolean search cheat sheets.