HR Business Partner
Also known as: HRBP · Strategic HR Partner
Links the people agenda to the business goals of an organisational unit and advises management on headcount, talent and organisational development.
The hr business partner operates at tactical and strategic level alongside a director or unit manager and helps shape the unit. Unlike the hr adviser, the horizon is workforce planning, succession and change rather than live cases. Selection goes wrong when advisory style and rapport dominate, while the role requires rejecting a reorganisation proposal on solid grounds and arguing it with headcount and turnover data.
Competencies to measure
These are the behavioural and ability constructs in this profile. Each one shows which hrmforce questionnaire measures it.
| Competencies to measure | Target level | hrmforce instrument | Assessment method | Behavioural anchor at target level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| organisational awareness Competency (50-framework): Organizational Sensitivity | N5 | Big Fifty, Competency Check, 360 Feedback | Situational Judgement Test | Sees through relations between organisational units and external parties and steers decision making by organising support at an early stage. |
| Listening and probing Competency (50-framework): Listen | N5 | Big Fifty, 360 Feedback | 360-degree feedback | Picks up sensitive signals in conversations with directors and supervisors and uses them to adjust organisational policy in good time. |
| interpersonal sensitivity Competency (50-framework): Sensitivity | N5 | Big Fifty, 360 Feedback, Colour Profile (Jung) | Personality questionnaire | Trains others in recognising social signals and uses that insight when designing sensitive change processes across the organisation. |
| integrity and dependability Competency (50-framework): Integrity | N5 | Big Fifty (Integrity Scale), 360 Feedback, Structured interview | Personality questionnaire | Sets the organisation's integrity standards, enforces them also with influential parties and explains the resulting choices publicly. |
| independence Competency (50-framework): Independence | N4 | Big Fifty, 15PF | Personality questionnaire | Takes a decision that departs from the group line, explains the reasoning behind it and accepts the consequences. |
Short profile
The ten heaviest skills in this profile. The full profile with every skill, behavioural anchor and assessment method is in the download.
| T | Skill | Target level | Weight | Knockout | Assessment method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | Advisory skill | N5 | 5 | yes | Assessment centre |
| G | organisational awareness | N5 | 5 | no | Situational Judgement Test |
| V | Recruiting and selecting | N5 | 5 | yes | Structured interview |
| K | HR policy and instruments | N5 | 5 | yes | Knowledge test |
| V | Workforce planning and strategic workforce planning | N4 | 5 | no | Work sample test |
| G | Listening and probing | N5 | 4 | no | 360-degree feedback |
| V | Reasoning and handling resistance | N5 | 4 | no | Situational Judgement Test |
| G | interpersonal sensitivity | N5 | 4 | no | Personality questionnaire |
| G | integrity and dependability | N5 | 4 | no | Personality questionnaire |
| V | Strategic thinking | N5 | 4 | no | Assessment centre |
See all 24 skills in the full profile
Assessment instruments for this job
Competency Check
Behavioral-Level Competency Assessment
Knowledge test (client-specific)
Professional knowledge test, customized for each client
360 Feedback
Multiple assessments based on behavioral anchors
Work sample test
Representative work sample under standardized conditions
Big Fifty
Personality questionnaire, 150 items, 25 factors
Structured interview
Behavioral interview with a fixed structure
Development Review
Structured development interview
Ability Scan
Aptitude Test: Verbal, Numerical, and Abstract Reasoning Skills
Portfolio
Evaluation of prior work against fixed criteria
Conflict Styles
Preferred style in conflict situations
Colour Profile (Jung)
Four color types, linked to Big Fifty factors
Big Fifty (Integrity Scale)
15PF
Personality Profile, a shorter alternative to the Big Fifty
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