Director of Compensation Interview Preparation Guide
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77 Director of Compensation Questions and Answers:

1 :: What do you consider ethical spending on an expense account?

It depends on the role - but the better way to answer this is to ask the interviewer what their expectations are with regards to what the role can expense and then simply state that you'll stay within those parameters

2 :: What education or training have you had that makes you fit for this profession As Director of Compensation?

This would be the first question asked in any interview. Therefore, it is important that you give a proper reply to the question regarding your education. You should have all the documents and certificates pertaining to your education and/or training, although time may not allow the interviewer to review all of them.

3 :: You notice there are too many non productive internal meetings being held, what do you do?

Reach out to your boss and let him know that first you value his leadership and organization but that you are being overwhelmed with the amount of non productive internal meetings.

4 :: What have you learned from mistakes on this job?

Candidates without specific examples often do not seem credible. However, the example shared should be fairly inconsequential, unintentional, and a learned lesson should be gleaned from it. Moving ahead without group assistance while assigned to a group project meant to be collaborative is a good example.

5 :: Explain me what do you know about our company?

Bad Answer: They don't know much about the company. If a candidate is serious and enthusiastic, they should have done some basic research.

Good answer: An answer that shows they've really done their homework and know what the company does, any important current events that involve the company, and the work culture.

6 :: How long do you want to work for us if we hire you?

Here being specific is probably not the best approach. You may consider responding, “I hope a very long time.” Or “As long as we're both happy with my performance.”

7 :: Explain yourself in one line?

When you respond, keep in mind the type of position you are interviewing for like Director of Compensation based job, the company culture, and the work environment. Your answer should help show the interviewer why you’re a match for the job and for the company.
Sample answers are:
☛ I’m a people person. I really enjoy meeting and working with a lot of different people.
☛ I’m a perfectionist. I pay attention to all the details, and like to be sure that everything is just right.
☛ I’m a creative thinker. I like to explore alternative solutions to problems and have an open mind about what will work best.
☛ I’m efficient and highly organized. This enables me to be as productive as possible on the job.
☛ I enjoy solving problems, troubleshooting issues, and coming up with solutions in a timely manner.

8 :: What are your weaknesses for Director of Compensation position?

Try not to be too critical when answering this question. Instead, pick one of your weaknesses and try to turn it into a positive.
For example, you could be a perfectionist, which means that you sometimes take longer on tasks, but you make sure that they are completed to a high quality. It is important to make a negative into a positive as it doesn’t make you appear overly critical and shows you can reflect on your own performance.

9 :: Top 11 Interview Questions to Ask when Emotional Intelligence Matters As Director of Compensation:

Emotional intelligence, or EQ, has come into vogue as a good trait to hire for.

EQ is the ability to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, to recognize other people's emotions and your own, and to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately.

EQ is considered essential to help teams function well. Here are some of the top questions for help you get an idea of how candidates perceive their emotions and those of others.

1. If you started a company today, what would its top values be?

2. Who inspires you? Why?

3. How could you create more balance in your life?

4. What makes you angry?

5. How do you have fun?

6. How good are you at asking for help?

7. How did you deal with a bad day?

8. What's something you're really proud of? Why?

9. Tell me about a time when your mood altered your performance (positively or negatively).

10. Has there ever been a time when you felt you needed to change your behavior at work? How did you do it?

11. Did you create friendships that lasted while working at a previous job?

10 :: Tell us something about yourself?

Bad Answer: Candidates who ramble on about themselves without regard for information that will actually help the interviewer make a decision, or candidates who actually provide information showing they are unfit for the job.

Good answer: An answer that gives the interviewer a glimpse of the candidate's personality, without veering away from providing information that relates to the job. Answers should be positive, and not generic.

11 :: Top 12 Stress Based Interview Questions As Director of Compensation:

Some jobs require employees to work under stress, and some interviewers just like to see how applicants handle stressful questions.

There are many questions designed for putting the interviewee into an awkward situation, or throwing them off, to see how they do under stress. Here are some samples.

1. How do you feel this interview is going As Director of Compensation?

2. How would you handle undeserved criticism from a superior?

3. How many other jobs are you applying for?

4. What would you do if you saw a colleague stealing supplies or equipment?

5. What did you do when you had a boss you didn’t get along with?

6. What would you do if a colleague took credit for your idea, and got a promotion?

7. Was the stress of your previous job too much for you?

8. What would you do if a colleague admitted to lying on their resume to get the job?

9. What would you do if a customer verbally insulted you in front of co-workers?

10. What would you change about the design of a baseball hat?

11. Why were you fired from your previous job As Director of Compensation?

12. How successful do you think you've been so far?

12 :: What type of people do you not work well with?

Be very careful answering this question as most organization employ professionals with an array of personalities and characteristics. You don't want to give the impression that you're going to have problems working with anyone currently employed at the organization. If you through out anything trivial you're going to look like a whiner. Only disloyalty to the organization or lawbreaking should be on your list of personal characteristics of people you can't work with.

13 :: What type of salary are you looking for?

This can be a very tricky question as the individual asking it is probably digging for something other than a simple answer to the question. We recommend that you don't immediately respond to the question directly. Instead, say something like, “That a difficult question. What is range for this position?” More often than not the interviewer will tell you. If the interviewer insists on direct answer you may want say that it depends on the details of the job - then give a wide salary range.

14 :: Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without all the information you needed. How did you handle it As Director of Compensation? Why? Were you happy with the outcome?

In many scenarios, you will not have all the information needed. The key is to make the best possible decision based on what you deem to be a sufficient amount of information.

15 :: What did you dislike about your old job?

Try to avoid any pin point , like never say “I did not like my manager or I did not like environment or I did not like team” Never use negative terminology. Try to keep focus on every thing was good As Director of Compensation , I just wanted to make change for proper growth.

16 :: How much are you willing to sacrifice to be successful at work As Director of Compensation?

With anything comes sacrifice. The questions is how much of it are you willing to sacrifice with regards to work life balance, stress, etc?

17 :: Why are you leaving last job?

Although this would seem like a simple question, it can easily become tricky. You shouldn’t mention salary being a factor at this point As Director of Compensation. If you’re currently employed, your response can focus on developing and expanding your career and even yourself. If you’re current employer is downsizing, remain positive and brief. If your employer fired you, prepare a solid reason. Under no circumstance should you discuss any drama or negativity, always remain positive.

18 :: Do you know anyone that works with our company?

Sometimes companies have policies relating to the hiring of individuals related to current company employees. If you are related to anyone working for the company make sure you're aware of company policies before you enter the interview. If you have a friend or acquaintance working for the company make sure have good relationship with this individual before mentioning them.

19 :: Tell me about a time when you helped resolve a dispute between others?

Be sure to discuss a very specific example. Tell the interviewer what methods you used to solve the problem without focusing on the details of the problem.

20 :: Are you able to relocate if required?

Be completely honest and thoughtful with this one. You don't want to wake up one to find out that you're moving to a new city or state and it may be a major factor in your eligibility for employment. But again, if you don't want to move then the job probably isn't for you.

21 :: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far and why?

Be proud of your achievement, discuss the results, and explain why you feel most proud of this one. Was it the extra work? Was it the leadership you exhibited? Was it the impact it had?

22 :: What qualities do you look for in a boss?

Remain optimistic and do not be too specific. Good attributes include moral character, honesty, and intelligence since managers usually believe they possess these qualities.

23 :: How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience?

The first thing you should do is discuss experience you have the interviewer is unfamiliar with. Once that is detailed, tell the person conducting the interview that you are able to learn new tasks and information in a reasonable period of time and possess a strong work ethic. However, only state this if you can live up to these expectations.

24 :: Tell us about a suggestion you have made that has benefited an organization you've worked for?

This is another opportunity to show the interviewer what you're capable of so make sure to be prepared for this type of question. Have an example ready and make sure its an example of a suggestion you've made that was accepted and that have positive influence. If you can come up with an example that relates to the position you're applying for that would be even better.

25 :: Why was there a gap in your employment As Director of Compensation?

If you were unemployed for a period of time, be direct and to the point about what you’ve been up to (and hopefully, that’s a litany of impressive volunteer and other mind-enriching activities, like blogging or taking classes). Then, steer the conversation toward how you will do the job and contribute to the organization: “I decided to take a break at the time, but today I’m ready to contribute to this organization in the following ways.”

26 :: Have you ever mentored anyone before? If yes, describe the situation?

Describe a time where you've helped someone else. Mentor ships can be informal so as you've helped someone over a period of time that can certainly count. The key is to highlight how you utilized certain skills/attributes like coaching, teaching, patience, communication skills, and so forth to mentor that person.

27 :: If hired, how do you intend on making a difference with our company?

Dedicate myself to learn everything about the new company that I can, look for ways and ideas that could improve, processes, safety, removing obstacles from the associates, I want to advance within the company.

28 :: What do you know about this company?

Research the company on Google by searching recent news (to remain current on them) and their website. Make sure you understand their products / services, vision, competitive differentiators, and work culture.

29 :: How would you describe your approach to Director of Compensation?

In more general terms, a question such as this gives a candidate the opportunity to talk about their professional philosophy and skills. While the question is general in nature, the best answers are usually quite specific, picking one or two points and exemplifying them with instances from personal history.

30 :: How long do you envision yourself staying with this company?

Understand that companies invest a lot of money into hiring the right staff. You want to emphasize that you are in it for the long run and you want to develop a career there and that it's not just a "5 month stepping stone" type of a job. You should be thinking how you're going to grow with that company. After all, don't you want to invest your energy and time with a company that is going to continue to be successful and one that will help you grow?