Why does HR do interviews?
I never understood why HR does the interviews? I guess when you go in for the 1 on 1 interview most of the time you are meeting with a senior manager or someone who will make the decision who they want to hire.
But some interviews I have had I have actually been interviewed by an HR rep as well as the Senior Managers etc.
I find this fairly odd because they really dont know wtf is going on and I would imagine that most people who interview for an I banking job could run circles around the HR rep.
So really what are they doing there?
They're usually only involved in the initial interview process and are simply there to weed people out. There are a lot of qualified candidates and hiring managers don't have the time to meet with everyone. Think of them as gatekeepers..
HR interviews are very important and are the key source in the application process. HR is there not only to verify information such as salary history, job history and education they can also provide information on personality as well. I work with a number of top tier organizations and hiring managers who feel that HR is the final word on a number of applicants. Don’t take these interviews lightly and do not lie about your past.
Yea I get all that. and I love talking to the HR reps in general whenever I have applied for positions etc. And like I said above i know they are usually only involved in the initial interview process.
I was more getting at Princetons thought process where he/she said that the HR has the final word on a number of applicants. I think that is a bit silly when most of the time is spent in the 1 on 1 interview with managers/traders etc.
Haha trust me I know they are the gatekeepers.
I know a lot of very nice people who work in HR.
That said, they are the gatekeepers. Also, HR typically pays your first year salary at a major bank. Then you move under the team's P&L. So obviously they do have the right to get some level of sign-off on the hire, which does get asserted at some firms.
I think Princeton overstates the case for HR though. The key factor in most Quant and S&T interviews is something that HR can't put together. My friends in HR can tell some of the funniest stories and read people well, but they can't ask folks to solve linear algebra problems.
I understand the need for HR, but personally think the interview is a waste of time. Talking to HR is like talking to a drunk slut @ a bar - smile, laugh, carry on a nice conversation where you both feel comfortable and you stand a reasonable chance of impressing / moving forward in the process.
You don't see value in this?
I think they may also assess where else you could potentially fit within the company and other positions that might suit you. I've had interviews with HR along with hiring managers, where I did not get the job I was interviewing for, but HR would call me with other opportunities to possibly pursue.
There are some guys in HR who are former front-office guys, so don't take interviews with them for granted.
At least where i work, many of the hr reps went to top notch business schools. I'm sure many of them are more qualified than you for the position you are interviewing for. I wouldn't be so quick to judge, it won't work out well for you in the long run.
There are probably a few people in HR who worked in S&T- just like there are probably a few who work there who previously worked as Washington lobbyists, but I'm skeptical about there being large numbers. HR pays well but not necessarily like trading or banking. I am also not sure HR is qualified to run a hard-hitting technical interview, at least in the quant world and for any trading interview in a more complicated area.
Bottom line though is that the HR person has a job at this company and you don't. She is an AVP or VP at a bulge bracket bank that you want to work for. You have not even qualified as manure (starting analyst) yet. And if you manage to land the job, the senior guys that you work for will (rightfully) respect her more than you for a number of years. While I am mildly annoyed that apparently some HR folks who post on these forums think they can run a technical interview for a specialized role, HR staff who survive two or three years at a bank are incredibly competent at what they do. That says something that Ivy League degrees, resumes, and even a year or two of work in the front office can't.
If you are interviewing at a bank, or if you are a new hire, HR is more important than you.
HR is most certainly NOT the final word in the application process. In recruiting, HR exists simply to screen out the clear-cut losers so that the IBD group does not have to wade through thousands of applications. The general rule is that if you can't make it past an initial phone screen, something's wrong with you.
The IBD group who interviews you beyond the HR phone screen is the ultimate judge of your personality, technical prowess and your likelihood of succeeding in the group.
Well what Im reading here is terrible for me.
3 weeks ago I interviewed with an MD and a VP separately. I could tell they absolutely LOVED me. They replied to my thank you emails and my follow up and I was told I would here back very shortly making me think an offer was coming my way. The recruiter said he heard good things about my interview and then this week I was asked to come in and meet with an HR generalist. I got a little nervous and had trouble showing energy/enthusiasm, didnt sound confident. The interview did not go as well as the first and Im hoping that HR doesnt have too much sway.
"Thanks to Toby I have a very strong prejudice against Human Resources. I believe that the department is a breeding ground for monsters." -- Michael Scott
HR is stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Fucking waste of everyone's time, and they have zero pull whether it be getting you in or out.
If you're a top firm, top candidates will apply to you, and you can automate all the weeding out with some clever algorithms. HR is totally useless imo.
HR has no say past the 1st interview, they are used to weed out total idiots(alot of those make it to 1st rounds since on a CV alot of people that cudnt tie their own shoelace look good).
Also, lol at the guy saying HR comes from top b schools and is more qualified for the position than the one being interviewed, please do yourself and us a favour and jump of the next building.
Just go up to any of the hr summer associates and ask them where they go to school. You will be seriously surprised. I'm not saying that it really matters or that they have any kind of pull, but you would have to be an idiot to immediately write them off as being retarded.
Also, I'm currently in a tent. I'm not sure me jumping off of it will do you any good.
If I ever wind up setting up an HFT shop, finding brilliant HR folks is going to be a strategic imperative.
I never understood why people end declarative sentences with question marks just because there is uncertainty in their tone.
Cheaper for HR to do the are they a psychopath/are they bullshitting first round interview than anyone else.
I've met HR people who spent a long time in FO (IBD/S&T) before jumping over to the recruitment side. These are usually very senior HR people who have a LOT of pull with their former FO buddies so I would be careful not to classify all HR in one basket.
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