41 HR business partner interview questions to ask candidates

HR business partners have complex responsibilities and need to juggle multiple tasks to keep businesses running smoothly. A successful HR business partner is required to work with managers, stakeholders, and teams to bridge the gap between keeping the company organized and enhancing employees’ capabilities. To implement strategies and handle these duties, they need the appropriate skills.

Assessing candidates’ technical and soft skills is crucial when hiring an HR business partner, so an HR Management skills test is a great way to evaluate their abilities before interviewing your candidates.

But how can you be sure you have the right questions to ask during the interview process? We have the ultimate solution.

Discover 41 HR business partner interview questions to ask candidates just below.

10 general HR business partner interview questions to ask professionals

In the interview, ask applicants a few of these 10 general HR business partner interview questions to learn about their goals and motivation for applying to the role.

1. What made you apply for our vacancy?

2. Please tell us what you know about our business.

3. Could you tell us some of your best HR skills?

4. Can you tell us one skill you’ll need to improve for this HR business partner role?

5. Name two of your main short-term career goals.

6. Name two of your main long-term career goals.

7. Do you think of yourself as a team player or an independent worker?

8. Name two things you look for in company culture.

9. Please tell us about your management style.

10. Please explain your salary requirements.

5 general HR business partner interview questions and their sample answers

Here are five sample answers to the above general HR business partner interview questions. Use these answers to check the accuracy of your candidates’ responses.

1. Could you tell us some of your best HR skills?

Learning whether your applicants’ strongest HR skills match the ones you’re looking for is important because it helps determine if your candidates are suitable for your role. Not every candidate in your applicant pool will have the same best HR skills, so having an easy way to find the perfect match is critical.

Some candidates might explain that their soft skills and communication abilities are ideal for helping them liaise with executives, senior leadership, and HR departments. Others might explain that their legal knowledge helps them ensure that HR departments and executives are current on key policies.

If you need to know how these skills help your applicants achieve their goals, you can assess them with skills tests, such as our HR fundamentals test. 

2. Please tell us about your management style

From task-oriented to people-focused management styles, there are many approaches to leadership that HR business partners may use, and the best option will ultimately depend on the needs of your business. 

With a task-oriented style, candidates prioritize technical tasks and ensure senior leadership and executives understand their business-enhancing strategies. When using a people-oriented style, HR managers encourage interpersonal and collaborative relationships within the workplace. 

Experts mention several other leadership styles, such as participatory, autocratic, and free-reign, which have different outcomes for the company and its teams. 

The key is finding an HR professional whose leadership style aligns with the executives and HR department to ensure that your company achieves its goals. Asking candidates follow-up questions is a good way to learn more about this.

3. Name two things you look for in company culture.

Responses to this HR business partner interview question will reveal more about your candidates’ company culture priorities. They will also show if your candidates have researched your company’s culture and values.

After receiving a formal job requisition to hire an HR business partner professional, you’re looking for an applicant whose business culture preferences match your company’s.

For example, if your company values innovation, accountability, and integrity, it helps if your candidate is also looking for these values because they will already prioritize them.

4. What made you apply for our vacancy?

Understanding why someone applied to your vacancy can help determine whether they’re motivated and enthusiastic about joining your company. Candidates will each have their own motives for applying for your vacancy, some of which may be compensation-related. 

However, some might look at the benefits you offer in an employer value proposition, such as an enriching employee experience. Others might be eager to complete specific duties like talent management. A few might want to advance in their career with your company.

Ask extra questions to learn more about the factors that motivated your candidates to apply to your company. With this approach, you’ll know which perks you should emphasize to convince top talent to accept your job offer.

5. Can you tell us one skill you’ll need to improve for this HR business partner role?

This interview question is important because it’ll help you determine whether candidates want to improve and stay productive in their roles. Eighty-one percent of leaders seek soft skills such as a willingness to learn, so strength in this area or a willingness to improve can be a positive sign. 

Since this mindset is crucial for career advancement, you should offer training and upskilling opportunities to convince applicants to join your team.

Some skills that candidates may want to improve include:

• Relationship management

• Performance evaluation

• Hiring candidates

• Onboarding and training new employees

10 HR business partner interview questions about your candidates’ HR experiences

To learn about your candidates’ HR business partner experience, ask them some of these 10 HR business partner interview questions during the interview.

1. Please tell us how long you have worked in the HR field.

2. Are you familiar with any types of HR software? Can you give us some examples?

3. Have you completed any HR-related courses?

4. Please tell us about your leadership experience.

5. What are your main responsibilities in your current HR business partner role?

6. Do you have experience managing large teams? Explain some methods you use.

7. Could you tell us about the company types you have worked for?

8. How have you honed your HR skills? What have you achieved as a result?

9. Please tell us about a time your strategy to enhance a business failed.

10. Describe your experience using HR metrics.

5 HR business partner interview questions about experience and their sample answers

Here are sample answers to five important HR business partner interview questions about your candidates’ experience. Evaluate responses by comparing them to the answers here.

1. Are you familiar with any types of HR software? Can you give us some examples?

Many tools can help to facilitate and streamline the duties of HR professionals, so it’s important to look for applicants with experience in several types of HR software. Two of the most common examples are HRIS and ATS systems, which are human resources information systems and applicant tracking tools.

If your candidates have used these tools before, they should have no problem explaining how ATS or HRIS systems have enhanced their work. For example, they may find it easier to create and implement strategies for the HR department or track budgets and spending with HRIS systems.

Not every candidate will have experience with the same tools as the ones your company works with. However, if they’re enthusiastic about learning how to use them, they’re the ones to consider for your role, as this shows a real willingness to grow and expand their existing skill set. They’ll also be capable of adding to the human capital of your business.

2. What are your main responsibilities in your current HR business partner role?

If you want to know how familiar your candidates are with the duties of the HR business partner role, ask them this interview question. In response, applicants should mention several responsibilities. The best responses won’t be limited exclusively to company performance management, but will dive deeper into the question.

A few examples of HR business partner responsibilities include to:

• Analyze HR metrics to improve the company’s performance

• Develop HR initiatives that affect the entire business

• Communicate the overall company strategy to executives and teams

Don’t forget to ask why the candidate thinks these duties are important. For instance, your applicants may explain that developing diversity and inclusion initiatives increase team productivity. 

3. How have you honed your HR skills? What have you achieved as a result?

Asking candidates this question will help you determine how serious your interviewees are about improving and advancing in their careers. In response, applicants should actively want to hone their HR skills and have specific techniques in mind to help them achieve this. 

From completing training courses and attending HR seminars to researching the latest HR developments and signing up for HR-related blogs, many strategies are ideal for improving HR skills, and demonstrating knowledge of these is a sure sign of a strong candidate.

Ask candidates to explain how their improved skills have led to better results for the company — this approach will prove that their skills are effective.

4. Describe your experience using HR metrics.

Skilled candidates should understand the main HR metrics and have experience using them, and should also be able to explain why they’re crucial.

Some of the key HR metrics they should understand include:

• Time-to-hire: the time required for an HR team to hire a candidate after they receive their first applicant

• Time-to-fill: the time required to fill a position and extend a contract to a new hire after choosing to open a new role

• Retention rate: a percentage that measures the number of employees who stay employed with a company over a specific time

• Staff turnover: a percentage that measures how many employees leave an organization at a specific time

• Employee engagement: measurable indicators that show how engaged employees are in an organization 

You’re looking for applicants who can define these examples and clearly explain how they’ve used them to improve their organization. Don’t be afraid to ask for specific examples.

For instance, some candidates might use time-to-hire metrics to monitor their hiring methods and attempt to reduce this time by using specific strategies such as skills testing. This metric can tell them whether their techniques are having a positive effect on the recruitment process and allow improvements to be identified and implemented.

5. Have you completed any HR-related courses?

With this question, you can learn more about your interviewee’s route into the human resources field. HR-related courses can give applicants industry-specific knowledge that enhances their professional HR expertise, and also shows enthusiasm and a determination to learn about the industry.

To advance to a senior level — like the HR business partner role — applicants need additional experience or a master’s degree to hone their craft. Experts suggest that a four-year degree is important, especially for candidates looking for a starting position in HR. However, if candidates have worked for many years in human resources, a degree might just be a nice-to-have perk. 

Ask candidates about any HR facts they’ve learned during their course to check if their knowledge suits your company.

10 HR business partner interview questions about skills and knowledge

During the interview, ask your applicants some of these 10 HR business partner interview questions about skills and knowledge to learn about their abilities.

1. Please tell us how time management is important for HR professionals.

2. Please explain why communication is crucial for HR staff.

3. Could you explain why HR management is vital for this HR business partner position?

4. Could you explain why leadership skills are essential for HR business partners?

5. Name one reason problem-solving skills are key for HR business partners.

6. Are negotiation skills important for HR business partners? Can you explain why?

7. Why are analytical skills critical for HR business partners?

8. Why is business ethics knowledge a fundamental factor for HR business partners?

9. Please tell us why attention to detail is important for HR professionals.

10. Please explain why critical thinking is important for HR professionals.

5 sample answers to HR business partner interview questions about skills and knowledge

Here are five sample answers to the HR business partner interview questions about skills and knowledge. Refer to these answers when evaluating your candidates’ responses.

1. Please explain why communication is crucial for HR business partners.

Since HR business partners must communicate effectively with management, employees, and external stakeholders, your applicants need top communication skills. Candidates should know that by concisely and clearly exchanging information, all parties can understand the HR business partner’s message.

A key element of efficient collaboration is verbal communication, and an important part of this includes active listening. Each of these skills is important in different contexts. The best candidates will know that verbal communication is valuable for presenting HR metrics to stakeholders and that active listening is ideal for conflict resolution.

Check if applicants have suitable communication skills by asking them for examples of times they’ve used this ability, or have them take a communication skills test for a data-driven and simple skills review.

2. Could you explain why leadership skills are essential for HR business partners?

HR business partners need to take the lead and encourage companies to meet organizational goals, which is one reason leadership skills are crucial. But there are several other reasons such skills are important.

From managing company conflict to building strategic relationships between people and companies, the responsibilities of your next HR business partner completely rely on leadership competency.

Seventy-seven percent of organizations are experiencing a gap in leadership, so your next candidate must have the skills to fill this gap. Use a Leadership & People Management skills test to evaluate these abilities and check your candidates’ suitability for the role.

3. Are negotiation skills important for HR business partners? Can you explain why?

One key reason that negotiation skills are so essential for HR business partners is that they must negotiate with external stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes for all parties.

Communicating and compromising with others is essential for successful negotiation, and understanding the other person’s point of view is crucial. These skills can help candidates to:

• Handle employee disagreements caused by specific strategies

• Create value in contracts

Candidates in your applicant pool should have negotiation strategies such as remaining calm, understanding the other party’s pain points, and using empathy and respect. Use a negotiation skills test to easily assess how effectively your candidates negotiate with others.

4. Why are analytical skills critical for HR business partners?

Analytical skills are essential for HR business partners who look at data and use it to inform and make decisions. The data they analyze may be quantitative, such as statistics or numbers, or qualitative, such as the responses they receive from businesses when they complete company strategy research.

Since making decisions is a critical part of an HR business partner’s role and data trends can simplify this process, it’s important to find applicants with analytical skills.

Ask more questions about your applicants’ analytical skills or how data has helped them make decisions at work to dig deeper into their abilities.

5. Name one reason problem-solving skills are key for HR business partners.

An essential part of your HR business partner’s role is to solve many problems. Some examples of the types of problems they must solve include to:

• Enforce compliance with laws

• Monitor and enhance productivity

• Enhance employee satisfaction and ensure it aligns with the business strategy

• Hire top talent and match a company’s candidate selection with the company’s strategy

With the right problem-solving skills, applicants can break these problems into smaller issues, use critical thinking to ideate techniques, and implement strategies.

Therefore, it’s essential to consider if your candidates have problem-solving skills. The ideal method to determine this is to administer our problem solving skills test once you’ve completed the candidate sourcing phase.

11 situational HR business partner interview questions to ask candidates

Ask your interviewees some of these 11 situational HR business partner interview questions to learn how they handle complex circumstances at work.

1. Your company asks you to increase productivity. Which strategies would you use?

2. One of your responsibilities is to understand labor legislation. How do you do this?

3. Management asks you to implement new HR policies. How do you achieve this?

4. A project you’re involved with requires extra research. How do you start the project?

5. You need to stay up-to-date with all business operations. Which methods do you use?

6. Your supervisor asks you to use new retention strategies. Name an example of this.

7. Your manager asks you to select training programs for new hires. How do you do it?

8. Your manager asks you to terminate an employee. How would you do this?

9. You notice a leader doing something illegal. How would you handle this?

10. Your supervisor asks you to enhance employee engagement. Name your strategy.

11. You notice that several employees are involved in a workplace conflict. What do you do?

5 sample answers to situational HR business partner interview questions

Here are five sample answers to the above situational HR business partner interview questions. Compare these answers to your candidates’ responses to best assess them.

1. Your manager asks you to select training programs for new hires. How do you do it?

Applicants should have a lot of experience aligning an organization’s people strategy with relevant, helpful training sessions when onboarding new hires. They should know that interactive sessions ensure new employees stay engaged in the training program and that demonstrations can help them get the required practical experience.

They may use presentations, encourage participants to ask questions, share examples of successful projects, and ask employees to discuss them in teams. Check whether the option they use is relevant to your company’s specific industry and ask extra questions about your candidates’ successful training programs to learn more.

2. Your supervisor asks you to use new retention strategies. Name an example of this.

Employee retention has several benefits for a company, as there’s a link between retaining employees and increased morale. This, in turn, can boost productivity and results. High morale can increase employee retention metrics and help professionals avoid unnecessary turnover.

You need a candidate with a few employee retention strategies for advising senior leaders and executives. To keep morale high at your company, some examples of strategies they might use include to:

• Consider techniques that help the HR department emphasize flexible working

• Find ways to ensure the HR department and executives encourage a healthy work-life balance

• Create methods that bridge the gap between business and people strategies, such as compensation raises

Always ask for examples of how your applicants have used these techniques with other companies and check if they yielded good results. By targeting candidates in your applicant pool who can use these strategies, you’ll ensure your company receives the advantages of employee retention. 

3. Your company asks you to increase productivity. Which strategies would you use?

Many strategies can help HR business partners increase their company’s employee productivity. When hiring a professional, it’s crucial to consider if they could increase the morale of senior executives, team members, and leaders, which can translate to better productivity. Some strategies they might use include to:

• Give employees flexible work arrangements

• Support each employee’s career development

• Provide employees with tools to make their work easier

Although applicants might be aware of these strategies, the key is to check if they have used them successfully, and to ensure that they understand their significance. By explaining if these techniques proved useful at their current companies, candidates can show their experience in the role.

4. Your supervisor asks you to enhance employee engagement. Name your strategy.

Employee engagement is a cornerstone of a successful company. HR business partners can reduce turnover rates by providing ways to enhance an organization’s employee engagement strategy.

HR business partners might encourage HR teams to use portfolios of employee engagement to track how the business strategy aligns with the people satisfaction strategy.

If candidates have experience with this approach, they may be ideal for your organization. Check if they have achieved good results for their company by working with executives and senior leaders to implement these methods

5. You notice that several employees are involved in a workplace conflict. What do you do?

HR business partners should know how to act as employee-company mediators and create conflict resolution strategies. 

One method they could use to achieve this is to provide training that helps all parties learn conflict-resolution skills. Another approach is to share conflict management resources with managers and HR professionals to help them understand how to minimize conflict.

Look out for candidates with experience using these approaches so they can better implement them in your business. Once again, don’t be afraid to ask for specific examples.

How should you combine HR business partner interview questions and skills tests?

The simplest way to combine HR business partner interview questions and skills tests is to use skills tests when you source candidates. This technique will help you select the most suitable candidates for an interview based on their HR business partner proficiency, which you’ll glean from their skills test scores.

Afterward, ask the most suitable candidates some of the HR business partner questions during the interview process to gather qualitative information and decide which applicant you want to hire.

Assess expert candidates with HR business partner interview questions and skills tests

You’re nearly prepared to assess and hire expert HR business partner professionals, but what should you do now?

We recommend you begin by learning more about skills and our HR Manager test. Skills testing is a data-first method that can help you avoid unconscious bias and compare skilled talent with one glance at their results.

If you need more information about skills assessments, visit TestGorilla and register for a free demo. Our candidate review technique has helped 9,000 companies find top candidates.

Check out our full range of skills tests to get started with your candidate assessment today.