Every business is different. Every company is different. And so are the human resources working for them. The key to success lies in the dedicated performance of the employees of the company wherein they are completely aware of the processes and functions to be performed. Thus, there is always a need for training of the employees, so that they are able to deliver exceptional performances by maintaining the quality of work and meeting the established appraisal benchmarks.
It is for this reason that corporates hire a training specialist, who primarily designs training programs as per the needs of the entity. Being a respectable middle-level designation, it is necessary to prepare hard for the interview process, by reading lots of frequently asked interview questions.
21 Best Interview Questions To Study
1. How Do You Develop Employee Appraisal Systems and Allied Processes?
Being a training specialist, besides developing training programs, you will also be required to develop performance evaluation systems.
Sample Answer
Sir, in my humble opinion, the already established benchmarks and management expectations play an important role in determining the scope of appraisal systems. I follow the following steps so as to develop these evaluation systems:
- Engage in meetings and conversations with the concerned managers so as to understand the real requirements
- Review the existing standards and benchmarks that relate with the program to be established
- Prepare learning material and design courses with detailed instructions and guidance
- Review the prepared courses and check for grammatical and contextual errors
2. A Few Employees Of The Company Are Discontent With The Training Programs Developed By You As They Feel It Is Irrelevant and Does Not Impart Any Relevant Tutoring. How Will You Handle Such A Situation?
This is a tricky interview question wherein your work has been criticized and put under scrutiny by the employees of the company getting trained. Handle the situation calmly and share an encouraging response.
Sample Answer
Sir, it is a common situation and I have experienced it quite a few times. While preparing a training program, I give my best considering all the prospects, including the difficulty level of the training program and its relevance. Sometimes, due to various reasons, the training programs developed, lack appropriateness and applicability, which might defeat the entire purpose of imparting relevant tutoring. In such a case, I am quick to realize my mistakes, and am very much open to making amends.
3. How Will You Prepare A Learning Material (You MIght Be Given A Paper or A Digital Tablet) For Our New Employees Hired In The Accounts Department As Auditors?
This question tests your practical working knowledge.
Sample Answer
Sir, as an auditor, the employees would be required to perform several tasks, the audit of the company’s books of accounts being the primary one. Depending upon the requirements of the management, I will prepare a three-chapter, precise learning material for the new employees. These chapters will be titled:
- Chapter 1: The scope of the audit of the company’s financial statements
- Chapter 2: The guide for a collection of evidence and audit trails
- Chapter 3: The difficulties faced in performing an audit of the company’s books
4. What Is An Orientation Process and How It Benefits The Employees Of The Company?
This question tests your understanding of the various functions that you will perform as a Training specialist.
Sample Answer
Sir, an orientation program is the first session, which is conducted by the company to train the new employees with an intent to make them aware of:
- The surroundings in which they will be required to work and discharge their duties
- The seniors, sub-ordinates, and the team members with whom they will work in association
- The various tasks and duties that these new employees will have to perform
- The established benchmarks and the manner in which the company analyses their work performances
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5. Our Hiring Managers Employ Only Those Candidates That Are Fit For The Job. Don’t You Think Training Is Redundant and Leads To Wastage Of Corporate Resources.
This is a tricky interview question, wherein your job profile is being criticized and termed unnecessary. In an ideal response, just defend your profession and give a positive reply.
Sample Answer
Sir, every business organization is different and uses business processes that are distinct as well as unique. It is true that two rival companies belonging to a similar industry and doing similar businesses might have different functions and modus operandi to execute the tasks. Hirings managers can only hire employees that have requisite qualifications, work experience, and the intent to perform. However, to get the best out of them, so that they are productive and able to smoothly transition into the current company processes, it is necessary to get them appropriately trained.
6. Name Any Three Best Learning Management Software Used In the Corporate Training Industry.
Everything moves around technology nowadays with corporate training processes also getting automated. This question tests your awareness of the software used in the industry.
Sample Answer
Sure, sir, These are:
- Train LMS
- PowerDMS
- Coassemble
7. We Have Several Critical Processes That Need Special Training and Skills. Which Type Of Employee Training Method Will You Suggest Us For These Processes?
This question tests your practical working knowledge.
Sample Answer
Sir, as per my experience and knowledge, an off-the-job training process would be perfect for such processes, wherein training specialists will prepare a virtual learning environment by simulating the real work conditions and challenges. The employees can get trained in this created replica of real work environment, with their performances getting noted and properly analyzed. In this, the issues and weaknesses can be effectively addressed and corrective measures can be advocated.
8. What Preliminary Study Do You Conduct While Preparing Training Programs For The Corporates?
This question tests how much you understand your job and what all parameters you consider before creating training programs.
Sample Answer
Sir, developing training programs depends upon a lot of factors, which guides me to prepare a relevant learning course that satisfies the requirements of the company. Usually, I consider the following factors:
- Maintaining an appropriate difficulty level of the course
- Understanding the real requirements of the job, and preparing appropriate strategies
- Identifying the medium of instruction, which is English or any Vernacular language, after obtaining management approval
- Engage into meetings with thrid-party vendors and education specialists, so as to ensure everything is covered in the course
9. How Open Are You To Negative Feedbacks and Criticisms?
No job is perfect, and neither is every employee. In a corporate setup, you will receive criticisms and accusations, for your work that do not meet the company standards. Accepting your mistakes and making amendments is an expectation of every company. Hence, always give a positive answer to this question.
Sample Answer
Sir, I completely understand the relevance of this question. Sometimes, we are just not able to deliver, no matter how meticulously we work. What follows are criticisms and negative feedbacks, which contain all the issues, flaws, and defects that our work comprised. I believe these feedbacks provide excellent opportunities for the employees to understand their weaknesses and make suitable changes to their style of working. This way, they can not only improve their productivity but also improve the quality of work.
10. As I Can See In Your Resume, You Are A Seasoned Employee and Have Worked With Several Business Organizations. I Would Love To Know About Your Best Boss and The Worst Boss.
This is a trending interview question and is asked in several interview sessions nowadays. Through this question, an interviewer wants to know the basis or the reason, using which you are able to segregate your bosses into good or bad. To prepare an ideal response, just share some logical rationales and never get carried away while preparing the negative part (bad bosses).
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11. We All Want To Be Successful and Move Forward In Life. However, Not Everytime We Succeed In Our Ambitions, Despite Giving Our Best. How Do You Manage Your Workplace Failure?
Success is not a guarantee, and, ironically it does not strike every person in this world. Such people, need to find an ally in their failures, with an aim to constantly improve and march towards the fort, named success. It is an established fact that the employees who experience failures at their workplaces, become negative and are not able to deliver their best. Achieving goals and targets, seem like a distant dream, with their employer ultimately suffering from their actions. Thus, an interviewer is always interested in knowing the various strategies and techniques, which you follow to manage your failures and maintain positivity.
12. For The Past Few Decades We Have Built Our Legacy Based On The Quality Services That We Offer To Our Customers. How Do You Interpret The Term “Quality”?
This is a word-based interview question, wherein you are required to interpret the meaning of the word “quality”. Usually, quality is achieved when the employees are able to meet the established benchmarks and return a performance that meets the established standards. Share your own version of the interpretation, and use clear logic to explain.
13. Describe Yourself In A Single Word.
This is an advanced form of a general personality evaluating question, wherein you are required to summarize your whole character into a single word. However, this is not a single-word answer, and you are required to justify your selection using relevant reasons. It is recommended that you use any of the corporate-friendly words in your answer, such as honest, loyal, committed, detail-oriented, dedicated, hardworking, etc.
14. We Are One Of The Leading Corporates and Operate In A Tough Industry Having Several Competitors. What Prompted You To Choose Us As Your Employer?
Through this question, an interviewer wants to know your level of seriousness and commitment towards the business organization you sought to work with. The official website of the company is the best way to prepare an answer for this question, and you are requested to note down all the historical facts, achievements, and accomplishments of the company. Prepare a structured response, and add your personal interests to your answer as well.
15. Stress Is A Common Issue That Strikes Every Corporate Employee. How Do You Manage Your Stress Levels?
It is indeed true. Unfortunately, a stressed employee acts as a burden upon the organization, as he or she delivers work performances that are sub-standard and do not conform with the quality parameters. Thus, an interviewer is always interested in knowing the various strategies and techniques using which you are able to manage your work-related stress.
16. We Are An Established Business Organization and Will Assign You Several Tasks, Which Need To Be Performed In A Single Working Day. How Will You Ensure A Timely Completion and Submission For All Of Them?
This question requires you to state your prioritization technique, using which you are able to arrange your tasks for the day in a pre-determined order that helps you to submit the completed tasks before their deadline. This order can be anything from the arrangement on the basis of urgency level, difficulty level, time requirement, etc. To give an ideal response, just adopt a prioritization technique and explain it using any real corporate experience.
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17. When Can You Begin Working For Us?
This is a non-technical interview question, which requires you to share your expected date of start, on or after which you can start working for the company. It is recommended that you share a date, which has a buffer of at least two business days. Further, this question in no way guarantees your selection, and hence you must not interpret it that way.
18. Corporate Jobs Are Tough and Need A Constant Source Of Energy Along With Dedication To Perform. What Motivates You To Work?
The daily corporate routines and repetitive functions have the ability to crush the employees in its monotony. To rise from this mess, the personal motivational factors of an employee come in handy. These prompt and stimulate the employees to overcome the burden of discipline and work with precision besides gaining enthusiasm. Thus, an interviewer is always interested in knowing these motivational factors for evaluation purposes.
19. What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses As A Training Specialist?
This is a common interview question and is asked in almost all the interview sessions held across the world. To give an ideal response to this question, just read the job description issued to you by your employer and understand it comprehensively. Post this, just share those weaknesses that do not conflict with these requirements, and strengths that align with them.
20. What Are Your Salary Expectations?
It is common for the interviewers to ask about your salary expectations during the interview process itself. It is recommended that you always share a salary figure, which is based on the comprehensive research of the industry to which you belong. Further, you might be willing to quote a salary figure which is higher than the mean salary, based on your work experience and high qualifications. But, as a general thumb rule do not deviate more than 15%.
21. Do You Have Any Questions For Us?
This in all probability concludes your big day and will be the last question of your interview session. Through this question, an interviewer wants to know about your doubts and apprehensions, which you might be having in regards to the business organization. It is recommended that you always attempt this question and ask a few relevant counter questions from your interviewer, as this is practically your last opportunity to impress. Read out the model questions mentioned below, so as to broaden your understanding:
Model Questions
- Please share a list of all the incentives and allowances that are offered by the company to its training specialists.
- What are the various policies that are implemented by the company so as to assess the performance of the employees?
- Is it the policy of the company to offer paid leaves to its employees, especially in situations of medical emergencies?
Download the list of questions in .PDF format, to practice with them later, or to use them on your interview template (For Training Specialist interview):
References
- https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/per/issue/58102/741735
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/joms.12620
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Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of PrepMyCareer.com website.
I am a full-time professional blogger, a digital marketer, and a trainer. I love anything related to the Web, and I try to learn new technologies every day.
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