Before You Hire an HR Leader: 8 Questions to Ask

Are you considering hiring your first Human Resources Leader in 2025?
8 Questions to consider before starting an interview process

1) What are the biggest challenges in Human Resources within your organization?
a) Training, Retention, Recruiting, Benefits, Employee policies, Compensation changes, HR compliance issues, etc
b) If your company is smaller in size (less than 150 employees), does it make sense to hire a Recruiting Manager or HR Manager

2) Who will this HR leader report to?
a) Several companies have their HR leaders report to the CFO or Legal, but that is usually a BIG problem.  It can work in some smaller organizations, but if the HR leader isn’t reporting to the CEO or COO, it typically sends the message: that HR is NOT a true partner in the company.

3) What is our company culture and what type of HR leader will align best with our culture?
a) Define company culture with the exec team before start starting the search
b) Are all leaders aligned with the profile of this HR leader and the targeted background of this HR leader?

4) What level of HR leader should we hire (compensation, size of company they have led in prior roles, etc)?
a) This is one of the most important questions to ask when making this hiring decision.  Determining how much needs to be built from scratch vs HR leader who will just need to maintain the current HR structure.
b) How much employee growth (organic or acquisition) will our company have over the next 1-3 years and are we hiring the right HR leader to keep up with that growth?

5) Who should be involved in the interview process?
a) Defining the interview process, reporting structure, and important hiring factors with the leadership team is paramount to determine before starting the interview process

6) How will success be measured once we identify our HR leader?
a) Determine a 30-60-90 day plan and what should be accomplished in the first year

7) What is our Work from Home / Hybrid / In-Office Policy and does it align with the HR leader’s vision/views?
a) Make sure all leaders are clear on the current WFH policy and if we plan on changing the expectations for the future

8) How do we find this HR leader?
a) Can you find it through your network?  Have any executives worked with great HR leaders in past roles?
b) Have you considered hiring a search firm specializing in Human Resources recruiting like Hirewell?

If you need help hiring, contact us: https://hirewell.com/contact

Bill Gates