2024

Google HR Business Partner Interview Questions

Are you looking for Google HR business partner interview questions? You are at the right place.

Google HR business partner is not an easy career. It becomes even more challenging when clear the technical interview for an HR business partner seat at Google.

Organizations hunt for the best HR business partner who can professionally manage their human resources. TO filter out the best fit, Google follows a unique interview process to identify the ideal candidate.

The recruiters at Google focus on finding the following aspects during the interview:

  • Your educational background and grip over technical skills
  • Your experience in the HR business field
  • The value you will bring to the company as an HR business partner

Google HR business partner is a competitive career choice for qualified candidates. During the interview, stay careful while answering the questions. To answer every question in a precise and accurate way, prepare yourself for every question that Google recruiters will ask you in the interview.

This article narrates a comprehensive list of questions asked in a Google HR business partner interview. If you’re interested in learning via video, then watch below. Otherwise, skip ahead.

Let’s jump into the questions.

Human Resource Management-Related Questions

Human Resource Management-Related Questions

Here are some of the most common management-related Google HR business partner interview questions:

What do you think an HR business partner should look for while hiring an employee?

This question is designed to assess your understanding of the role of an HR business partner in the hiring process. HR business partners are responsible for hiring the right employees for the company. You must have a good understanding of talent acquisition and identify the skills that candidates must exhibit for the job.

To answer this question, explain how you assess the skills of the candidates and identify if they are a good fit for the company. Also, demonstrate to the employers how to measure the skill set of the candidate and identify the right incentives for the candidates.

An HRBP must exhibit the ability to look at the big picture and assess if the candidate is a good fit for the company.  For a recruiter, it is mandatory to look beyond the qualifications and evaluate if the candidate exhibits the skills needed for the seat and company or not.

How can you help us create a diverse workplace?

Google believes in a diverse and inclusive workplace. As an HRBP, you identify the different types of diversity and understand how to create a welcoming environment for all employees. You must hold a good understanding of the company’s culture and identify the different ways to promote diversity in the workplace.

To answer this question, demonstrate the sensitivity of the issue and discuss how you will help Google create a diverse workplace. Explain how people of various backgrounds and cultures bring value to the company. Besides these aspects, also talk about sexual orientation, prevention of sexual harassment, and other similar topics.

Looking to become an HR business partner at Google? Enroll in our advanced HRBP certification course to learn the mandatory skills that you need for the HRBP role to excel in your HR career at Google:

HR Business Partner Certification

Describe the role of an HR business partner.

This question assesses your understanding of the role of an HR business partner. As an HRBP, you are responsible for working with the management and providing them with insights about the employees. You must exhibit a solid grip on strategic planning and identify various ways to help the company achieve its goals.

An HRBP works with human resources management and provides them with insights about the employees. Explain how you will help the company achieve its goals.

A human resource business partner develops and implements HR policies. You must how to create policies that are beneficial for the company. Moreover, you must hold the skills to assess the company’s needs and identify the right policies that can help the company achieve its goals.

Tell me about HR metrics you are familiar with for business growth.

HR metrics contribute a lot towards business growth and success. As an HRBP, you must understand all types of business metrics and methods to use them to improve the business. Measuring HR metrics enables a human resource business partner to identify areas that need refurbishing to improve employee productivity and make better business decisions.

Types of Questions asked in an HR Business Partner Interview

To answer this question,  explain the different types of HR metrics, like turnover rates, employee engagement, and recruitment metrics in a brief way. Describe how you, as an HRBP will use these metrics to improve the business. Also, describe how you collect and analyze HR data. As an HRBP, you must understand the different types of data that you collect and use to improve the business.

What motivates you the most in your work?

Every person is motivated by different things in their work. As a human resources business partner, it is essential to know what motivates you the most and use it to your advantage. The recruiters of Google will assess how you stay motivated and what keeps you going during difficult times.

To answer this question, describe the different things that motivate you to perform your job responsibilities. Talk about the things that make you excited to come to work and help the company achieve its goals. Share various ways by which you keep yourself engaged during difficult times. Explain how you keep your energy up and focused on the task.

Behavior-Related Questions

Behavioral interview questions enable employers to evaluate your response to a certain situation. Here are some common behavioral questions that you will encounter during your interview at Google:

Explain how you balance business objectives with HR initiatives.

As an HRBP, you must know how to balance business objectives with HR initiatives. Often, there is a conflict between the two, and as an HR professional, it is your job to find a way to harmonize them. Know how to identify the different objectives of the company and understand how your role assists to align the objectives with the HR functions and initiatives.

To answer this question, explain how you prioritize the HR initiatives and plan the workforce for the company. Talk about how you assess the organizational capability and identify the areas where the company can improve. Next, explain how you can create a business strategy that aligns the HR initiatives with the business objectives and get everyone on the same page. Don’t forget to describe how you measure the success of the HR initiatives. By answering this question, you will show the recruiters that you exhibit team working skills and knowledge to balance the business goals with HR initiatives.

What are some of the challenges you have faced while working as an HRBP?

Every role has its challenges, and an HRBP role is not different than others. As an HRBP, you often face challenges head-on and find a way to overcome them. For convincing recruiters that you hold the capability to handle every situation, answer this question in a smart and accurate way.

Tell the employers about the different types of challenges you have faced while working as an HRBP. Talk about the challenges of working with managers, employees, the HR department, and other departments. Explain how you dealt with these challenges in the past. Also, mention any lessons you learned from these challenges you faced earlier and how they have helped you become a better HRBP.

What are some of the difficult decisions you have made while working as an HRBP?

Making difficult decisions is the job of an HRBP. The recruiters of Google will assess how you handle difficult situations and what methods you use to make the right decision.

HR business partner career path

To answer this question, describe a difficult decision you made while working as an HRBP. Tell the employers about the situation, the decision you made, and the outcome.

Sharing the tough decisions you have made while working as an HRBP will help the recruiters assess how you tackle challenging circumstances. It will also show them that you can make the right decision even when it is not easy to do so.

How do you convince managers to work according to the guidelines?

Not all managers are willing to work according to the guidelines. As an HRBP, you must exhibit skills to persuade managers to work according to guidelines. You must hold the skills to explain the benefits of following the guidelines and how they can help the company achieve its goals.

To answer this question, talk about your working experience with managers. Explain the tactics you used to convince managers to work according to the guidelines. Make sure to mention any challenges you face while trying to convince them and how you overcome them.

Cross-Functional Teamwork Skills Related Questions

HR business partners work with different teams within the company and coordinate their efforts. The hiring manager at Google wants to assess your teamwork ability and understand how you in collaboration with others will help the company achieve its goals. Here is a list of some cross-functional teamwork interview questions to expect in the HR business partner interview at Google:

How do you build relationships with other departments?

As an HRBP, it is vital to building relationships with other departments within the company to efficiently perform your job. It helps you coordinate their efforts and achieve the company’s goals. It also assists you in identifying employee relations issues to create a productive workplace. Cross-functional teams must work together to achieve the company’s goals.

Responsibilities of HR business partner

To answer this question, describe your strategies to build relationships with other departments. Talk about various ways you have used to build relationships with other departments in your previous job. Make sure to mention any challenges you face while trying to build relationships and how you overcome them.

Communication Skills Related Questions

Communication is an essential skill for human resource business partners. Google recruiters hire candidates with excellent communication skills. Here is a list of some questions related to communication to expect in your HR business partner interview.

How do you give and receive feedback?

Giving and receiving feedback is a crucial part of communication. As a human resources business partner, you must exhibit the ability to do both. Google recruiters want to assess your ability to give and receive feedback since it is a fundamental part of an HRBP’s job.

To answer this question, share your experience of giving and receiving feedback. Explain how you give and receive feedback and the type of feedback you give and receive.

Describing how you deal with difficult situations where feedback must either be given or received and how it helped you score brownie points. Talk about how you handle difficult conversations with managers and employees during the feedback process.

How do you promote communication among different teams?

As a human resources business partner, it is essential to promote communication among different teams within the company. It helps them coordinate their efforts and achieve the company’s goals.

To answer this question, you need to describe your strategies to promote communication among different teams. Talk about various ways you have used in your previous jobs to encourage better communication among different teams. As an HR business partner, you can mention various HR software or tools that assist in seamless communication among teams.

Conclusion

Google’s human resource business partner role is an excellent career choice for candidates with HR skills and expertise. However, securing this position at Google is not easy because of tight competition and the need for advanced HRBP skills.

Know that, you must hold strong command over situation handling and depict good behavior no matter how tough the situation is. Go through these HRBP interview questions and answers that we have listed above to understand the technique to pass a Google interview. Enroll in an HRBP certification course to master the fundamentals of the position to enhance your chances of securing an HR business partner position at Google.


If you are new to human resources and are looking to break into an HRBP role, we recommend taking our HR Business Partner Certification Course, where you will learn how to build your skillset in the human resources business field, build your human resources business partner network, craft an excellent HRBP resume, and create a successful HRBP job search strategy.

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Josh Fechter
Josh Fechter is the founder of HR.University. He's a certified HR professional and has managed global teams across 5 different continents including their benefits and payroll. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.