HR Manager
Also known as: Head of HR · People Manager
Leads the hr function, sets policy on recruitment, reward and development and advises the board on personnel and organisational issues.
The hr manager leads advisers, recruiters and administration and is responsible for hr policy and the hr budget. Unlike the hr adviser, the responsibility here is for choices on reward, headcount and instruments rather than for individual cases. Selection often favours hr experience, while in practice the role fails on implementing policy line managers experience as a constraint and on controlling personnel costs in dialogue with the board.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Directing and steering people Competency (50-framework): Management | N5 | Big Fifty, Competency Check, 360 Feedback | Assessment centre | Designs the management line for the whole organisation, addresses managers on their style and defines what good steering means here. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 | Directing and steering people | N5 | 5 | no | Assessment centre |
| 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 |
| G | interpersonal sensitivity | N5 | 4 | no | Personality questionnaire |
| G | organisational awareness | N5 | 4 | no | Situational Judgement Test |
| G | integrity and dependability | N5 | 4 | no | Personality questionnaire |
| V | Change management | N4 | 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
Work sample test
Representative work sample under standardized conditions
360 Feedback
Multiple assessments based on behavioral anchors
Big Fifty
Personality questionnaire, 150 items, 25 factors
Structured interview
Behavioral interview with a fixed structure
Development Review
Structured development interview
Portfolio
Evaluation of prior work against fixed criteria
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
Ability Scan
Aptitude Test: Verbal, Numerical, and Abstract Reasoning Skills
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