Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) Practice Exam

Which of the following is a situational interview question?

1. Think back to a time when you had to meet an unrealistic deadline. How did you approach it?

2. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being never and 5 being always, how would you describe your track record in resolving employee grievances?

3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

4. How would you go about designing an employee orientation program?

The correct answer is: How would you go about designing an employee orientation program?

A situational interview question is designed to assess how a candidate might respond to hypothetical scenarios relevant to the job they are applying for. This type of question provides insight into a candidate's thought processes and problem-solving abilities when faced with potential future challenges. In this instance, the question about designing an employee orientation program prompts the candidate to articulate how they would tackle a specific task related to the role. This allows the interviewer to evaluate the candidate's creativity, organizational skills, and understanding of orientation processes—all of which are crucial for successfully integrating new employees into an organization. The other options represent different questioning techniques. For instance, recounting a past experience with an unrealistic deadline assesses behavioral tendencies based on previous actions but does not establish a hypothetical situation. The second option offers a rating scale that reflects self-assessment rather than situational judgment. Lastly, asking where a candidate sees themselves in five years seeks to gauge their long-term career aspirations without framing it around a situational context. Thus, the reasoning behind selecting the question about designing an employee orientation program is rooted in its ability to measure situational judgment in a relevant scenario.