Are there any Human Resources reps out there?
Question:
1. I would like to get a feel from a number of HR reps as to what they find relevant in evaluating a prospective employee, positives and negatives.
2. I would also like an insider's perspective into how much latitude and discretion a HR rep has in hiring. Does he/she have a great deal of latitude or is he/she under a fair amount of supervision from the head of HR?
Answer:
I am an HR Rep for a major firm out of Chicago and have been such for 5 years
1. Relevant attributes in interviewing a candidate I always consider the following:
From the resume- Job History
Education
From the initial interview- How they handle tough questions.
How they handle hypothetical situations.
I also look at their appearance. I did have a applicant once come in with flannel pajama pants for a management position.
2. In my case I do not have any supervision from our HR Director. We have a certain amount of recruiters for our company as well as a dynamic HR support group so our HR Director isn't really hovering over my decisions. Now if a lot of my new-hire employees quit or aren't a good fit then I might have some explaining to do.
Summary: I make the overall decision if you are going to be hired at my company.
Maybe you should look on the Internet or in newspapers that would help!
Depending on the type of job you're applying for, the person interviewing you can pretty much decide to hire anyone they want. Of course it helps if they hire good people, because in the long run it makes their job easier and it looks good on them. A person who is the head of HR for any firm generally doesn't get involved in the hiring process unless they want to. They have much greater responsibilities than deciding who gets a job. If they do decide to get involved, more often than not they just want to meet you, see whose on their team.
As far as what is relevant, it depends on the kind of job you're going for. No matter what, always dress appropriately. This was a huge pet peeve of mine when people would wear jeans because it was a minimum wage job. You should LOOK like you're on an interview. But the point is, you want to put your best foot forward, you want to put the best YOU forward.
You know they say interviewers make up thier mind in the first 5 minutes if they're going to hire you.....and as someone who hired people, it's true.
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