It is crucial to be fully prepared before going for a job interview. In this article, we will look at the top 20 interview questions and answers that you could come across when interviewing for an Employee Relations Manager position.
1. Why Are You Interested In This Role?
Tip 1: Talk about your personal interest in this role.
Tip 2: Share your skills in this role.
Answer: I have always been good at communication and in solving problems among people around me. Most of the time, matters were brought up to me as I was good at handling situations where effective communication could solve the problem. This aroused an idea in my mind to start a job that would require my natural ability to upkeep the relations. And hence, I found this role fit for me. I chose this position because it came naturally to me.
2. What Are The Roles Of An Employee Relations Manager?
Tip 1: Talk about the roles you know are assigned to this position.
Tip 2: Keep it concise but complete.
Answer: An Employee Relations Manager is responsible for designing, planning, and implementing employee relations policies, programs, and procedures. He also maintains strong communication and positive relationships with employees to promote their satisfaction and happiness.
3. What Are The Qualities That An Employee Relations Manager Should Possess To Be Effective?
Tip 1: The interviewer wants to know about your understanding of this role.
Tip 2: Mention the skills that can be helpful for the company.
Answer: As an Employee Relations Manager, I will be responsible for handling the relationships among employees. Hence, an employee relations manager must have strong communication skills. He should have analytical skills to assess the workplace situation, draw accurate observations, and evaluate information. He should also have negotiation and interpersonal skills.
4. What Major Challenges Did You Have During Your Last Role? How Did You Handle Them?
Tip 1: Mention the challenges you faced.
Tip 2: Keep it short and mention that you have grown due to those challenges.
Answer: I believe challenges are the most practical tools that can sharpen our skills and let us be better in our job positions. Hence, I have always used such challenges at work as a source for growing my skills as an Employee Relations Manager. In my previous job role, I had to deal with a few employees who wouldn’t listen to anyone and were difficult to handle. But with time, I learned how to make them do as I say.
5. Describe Your Daily Routine As An Employee Relations Manager?
Tip 1: Explain the daily routine you had in your previous job.
Tip 2: Highlight your skills.
Answer: As an Employee Relations Manager, one has to manage union proposals, wages and pay scales, benefits, mitigate circumstances, and also see the working conditions of employees. One also has to use surveys and interviews to research human resource policies, compensation, and a few other employment issues.
6. Describe Briefly About Your Employee Relations Manager Experience?
Tip 1: Mention your improvements in this role.
Tip 2: Mention briefly the challenges.
Answer: Being an Employee Relations Manager, I have been effective and efficient in the conversations between the employees and their relations. I had to manage their work efficiencies and also overlook their satisfaction levels. I was good at this role, though I had to face challenges as well. Some employees were difficult as well, but I learned from every experience I had.
7. What Kind Of Strategies And Mindset Is Required For This Role? Explain With Example.
Tip 1: Talk about the mindset you’ve worked with in the past.
Tip 2: Show the strategy that might benefit the company.
Answer: An Employee Relations Manager is responsible for facilitating employee relations and solving human resource issues. If he doesn’t have the mindset or the right strategies to resolve conflicts and deal with things through analytical skills, then he might fail in his job. He should be well backed up with strategies to deal with the issues he may confront in the work environment.
8. What Is The Biggest Challenge That You Foresee In This Job?
Tip 1: Demonstrate to the interviewer that challenges boost your confidence.
Tip 2: Be realistic.
Answer: Being in this new job role, I expect a set of new challenges, and I know I may confront very rational things, but I am ready for all of it. I may have to deal with conflicts, providing safety at work, and deal with annual leave disputes in this new role. I have started preparing myself for the things I might face in this role.
9. How Do You Stay Motivated At Work?
Tip 1: Talk about the drivers that motivate you.
Tip 2: Indulge in things that motivated you in the previous role.
Answer: I have been motivated to do this job with efficiency and involving the whole of myself. The basic things that motivate me at work are the challenges that force me to do better and bring my best to the table. I have worked to be perfect in this role and am always ready for improvement.
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10. Describe A Time You Failed In This Role And The Lesson You Learned.
Tip 1: He wants to know how much you know yourself and your honesty.
Tip 2: Be honest and just while answering this question.
Answer: I have always seen people being unjust with their fellow employees. Though now I have learned to deal with such people with the right mode of communication, in the past, I couldn’t handle it with patience. I once had a dispute over an employee who wouldn’t stop mistreating other employees. From this experience, I learned that I must have acted more professionally and responsibly.
11. Being An Employee Relations Manager, What Management Style Do You Work With?
Tip 1: Don’t mention any labels for this question.
Tip 2: Try making up an answer that would show you fit in all situations.
Answer: I believe assigning responsibility and authority is highly important. I believe I have to keep the team thinking as an individual and growing as one. My management style is situational, which allows me to adapt to the situation I face and be ready for any challenges I may have in this role. I deal with employees like a team, and I like building them up. Every member must have a clear idea of what his role is and how he should fit in.
12. Why Should We Hire You?
Tip 1: Mention something that would benefit the company.
Tip 2: Show how you are a valuable asset to them.
Answer: I have been working as an Employee Relations Manager for a while now, and I believe I have acquired the skills that can improve your office environment. Your company will get relieved of the tension of employees as I will handle that all with expertise. I have done this role of solving conflicts and dealing with people of all sectors and mindsets. This is why hiring me will save you from losing your professional atmosphere and help you smoothing the work processes in your company.
13. What Are The Strengths That Can Help Us?
Tip 1: Mention the strengths that may benefit the company.
Tip 2: Be confident in answering about your skills.
Answer: I am a problem solver and a motivator. I can entrust professionalism and strong work ethics to the team I am assigned for. My leadership skills can boost your workspace’s values and motivate people to do their best at work without wasting time on disputes and interpersonal issues. I have a positive attitude that allows me to work under pressure and show loyalty to the company I work for through being honest with my work.
14. How To Control The Attrition Rate?
Tip 1: Show that you have done your homework for this role.
Tip 2: He wants to know your knowledge about this role.
Answer:
Attrition rate can be controlled by:
– Hiring the right people
– Firing people who no more fit in
– Keeping compensations and benefits current
– Encouraging gratitude and generosity
– Recognizing and rewarding employees
– Offering flexibility
– Paying attention to engagement
– Prioritizing employee’s happiness
With these tips, a company can control its attrition rate and provide a good source of advancing the company ahead and leading in the professional world.
15. What Tools Do You Use In Talent Engagement?
Tip 1: Use your experience to answer this question.
Tip 2: Show that you can deliver to the company’s needs.
Answer: I am driven to maintain a balance between getting things done by the employees and allowing them to do it on their own. I give them a sense of responsibility and see how they are doing their job. I use many tools to get talent engagement, work engagement, and human resource engagement for goal setting and keeping track, etc. These tools have helped me achieve the results I had planned for. I can get my employees to do as I ask them to through proper planning and allow them to take independence here and there.
16. How Well Can You Work Under Pressure?
Tip 1: Claim about how well you do under pressure.
Tip 2: Show how active-minded and calm-headed you are.
Answer: I often take pressure situations as a catalyst to help me work better. When I have deadlines, I plan my timetables accordingly and follow the deadlines strictly. As I am a manager, I can manage my time to deliver the task timely and done to the highest standard. I believe I can work under any level of pressure at work.
17. Why Are You Leaving Your Recent Job?
Tip 1: Add a bit of your personal interest.
Tip 2: Don’t mention salary as a factor for your departure.
Answer: I am leaving my previous job as I believe my skill sets have improved enough to adapt to this company and this role. I see I can put my skills to work at this company as I see the right atmosphere here to bring the best out of my skill set. Hence, I saw an opportunity for self-growth and also a benefit for the new company, which prompted me to leave my previous company.
18. What Is Your Weakness?
Tip 1: Don’t say you don’t have any.
Tip 2: Be honest and mention your weakness concisely.
Answer: I see myself as a work in progress, and hence having weaknesses gives me room for improvement. The weakness I believe I have in this role is that I sometimes tend to deal with employees with power and not with understanding.
19. How Do You Deal With Demanding Employees?
Tip 1: He wants to know about your skill in handling disputes.
Tip 2: Make sure you answer this one professionally.
Answer: I understand that not all employees are going to be alike. I have seen many employees that would be fine with what the company is offering them and have also seen those who do not fit well for anything they are given. For such cases, I will assess if their skills are enough to be given what they demand and if so, I will request the higher authorities to give them a raise. But if his/her skill isn’t even good enough, then first, I will try solving the situation with communication, and if not, I will find someone with the same skills and ask for a replacement.
20. How Do You Find The Best Talent From Interviewing Candidates?
Tip 1: He wants to know about your work ethic.
Tip 2: Show that you have a strategy.
Answer: I have always worked to bring about the best talent for the company and elicit such people from applicants who can serve the company in the best possible way. I have hired people who have had a history of doing well in their previous workspace and who can confidently deliver their required responsibilities. By looking at their work histories, I hold a short phone call interview that helps me identify who is best fit for an interview.
