I have met someone who has been supportive of my articles and surprisingly, in my recent knowledge, he is actually from Human Resource. Not wanting to miss a golden opportunity to know more about him and at the same time, share his knowledge with the rest of the readers here, I invited him for an interview. Now if this is a real face to face interview, I would have prepared cupcakes and cookies to sweeten him up but he is already so sweet to graciously agree to allow me to ask a few questions.

I do hope you enjoy this interview by my friend, Antonio. And that his words will help you in your next interview.

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Hi Antonio, once again thank you for graciously accepting my invitation to interview you. I am so honored that you are taking your precious time in doing in for the readers out there. You mentioned that you are the main and only Human Resource in your company and that interest me to find out more.

It’s my pleasure to be of service to you and help with your interesting blog.

So what exactly do you do for a living? What are your daily tasks?

I work in a group of 14 small companies, and I am a mixture of HR Manager and Payroll Supervisor, but mostly payroll, there is little personnel rotation here at the main building. However, most rotation takes place in out of town branches. Usually, the rotation occurs at the beginning of the year, and in the summer.

 My weekly tasks as Payroll Supervisor are split into 5 main activities. 1) Collecting the attendance from all companies 2) Doing the weekly payroll for them all, 3) Setting up direct deposits for all employees, 4) getting the payroll stamped by the tax authorities (local requirement), and lastly, 5) Sending payroll receipt electronically to all employees. These are the main tasks, but there is additional task associated with the position, such as processing vacations, disability slips, paying for bonuses and things like that.

 As HR Manager, it is my responsibility to get new employees in the payroll system, report their SSN with the authorities, get a check card for them with the bank to arrange the direct deposits, get all paperwork processed and filed, get the employee acquainted with the company (tour), get contracts signed by the parties involved, draft letters of recommendation for employees leaving the company, letters of employment verification as required by the US department of Customs (very often). I also manage the voluntary life insurance policy for employees. I also calculate severance packages when we fire employees; get their checks processed, coordinate with the legal department, to get all required paperwork signed, etc.

Oh wow! Your job sounds extremely busy! What are your opinions on the job market in your country? Economic situations? Is it easy to look for a job?

Speaking strictly by personal perception, jobs seem to be available seasonally. There are times when there seems to be a shortage of jobs, and suddenly, a wave of available jobs will hit the market and subside every few months. I don’t think it’s very hard to look for a job; the hard part is actually making it to a second interview.

How easy is it to find someone who is suitable for a role in your company? Generally, what kind of personality beside education level and qualifications do you look for?

It all depends on the position and level. We’ve hired branch managers with plenty of work experience but didn’t necessary have a college degree. Conversely, we have hired accounting assistants that have college degrees that just graduated without any work experience. It all depends on the position and the department goals. However, for warehouse assistants, we look at their attitude, enthusiasm, proactivity, and whether they are physically able to do the work because it is hard work. It isn’t hard to find workers, since there is usually someone on a “waiting list”, and as soon as a position is available, they get the call and only a few times have they not taken the job. Now, when it comes to salespeople, there is a very meticulous hiring process and more background checks, due to the fact that they are the contact between us and our clients, they also serve as CSRs, and payment collectors. Managerial positions almost never change; most managers have been in those positions for the last 10 or 15 years, but I’ve seen it happen a couple of times.

You must have seen hundreds of resumes, if not thousands. What makes a good eye-catching resume?

Yes, I have, and I have to say, it must look like you didn’t put it together while you were eating lunch. It must reflect that you put some time and effort into it. I’ve received resumes that have no flow, no sequence of events, just a couple positions on the page. Now, if you’re talking about an eye-catching resume, I’d have to say, I like to see what you’ve accomplished at your previous positions, it should tell me a story about you. I want to know how you became the person we are looking for.

Could an individual keep applying for different jobs in the same company, if he wants badly to join the company? What will be your opinion of him? Is it a good or bad thing?

Of course, he could! That person might not be a match for one position, but they might be perfect for another at a different time. However, if the person has applied many times, and they have never even been called for an interview, they aren’t getting the message.

When it comes to recruiting the right individual, how do you determine who is the right one out of so many applications?

Sometimes we get the person who will be their immediate boss in the selection process, to make sure their future boss who’s coming into the team and to figure out who can best adapt to the department, while others are just picked by the owner/GM.

If someone wants to be in a job like yours, what advice would you give? And why?

I would say that this position is the link between the company and the people; you should definitely like people, be very good at numbers, be good with attention to detail, know the law, and be empathetic, but not too much. If the top managers/owner sense that you are putting the people first and the company second, you’re toast, it should be an equal balance.

How do you deal with negativity in your job?

We don’t, and that is a problem for this group of companies. I’ve talked to my immediate boss about this, but there always seems to be something more important in the works than eliminating negativity and disengagement. 

Last but not least, what are your last words to readers?

Thank you, Kally, for having me on here. I hope it was somehow useful to you readers. If there’s anything more I could do for you, do not hesitate to reach out and let me know. Have a great day.