What Is Your Management Style
I have come to realize that delegating responsibility and building a team is the best way to manage. I am a staunch believer of teamwork. I clarify every team members roles, explain to them where they fit in the organization, and encourage them to be free with each other. My management style also welcomes feedback, whether negative or positive. I do not also shy from pointing out mistakes and commending good work.
Tell Us About Some Of The Payroll Systems That You Are Familiar With
I have been using on-premises Workforce in my five years of experience, before overseeing my former companys conversion to several reliable cloud-based products for payroll processing. This in turn introduced me to a number of software-managed payroll systems, which I can suggest for your companys payroll managements betterment.
How Do You Ensure You Are Up To Date On Payroll
When working in payroll, you must follow the regulations set by federal bodies and your local government. The interviewers want to know whether you understand that requirement and have an awareness of current legislation that impacts the job. Your answer should prove you are knowledgeable about relevant legislation and provide the steps you take to stay updated on any regulatory news.
Example:“I have been working as a payroll clerk for the last two years, so I am familiar with the local and federal regulations currently in place. To maintain this knowledge, I have subscribed to the IRS newsletter aimed at payroll professionals, which sends notifications about new regulations or changes. In the past, I have also attended payroll seminars and webinars to keep informed on industry happenings, which I plan to continue doing.â
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What’s Your Experience With Monitoring And Recording Sick Days
Part of a payroll specialist’s duties may include recording and monitoring employee sick day accrual and usage. The goal of the question is to evaluate the candidate’s experience with managing employee benefits. What to look for in an answer:
- Understanding of payroll best practices regarding employee benefits
- Experience in managing employee benefits
- Ability to follow company standards and procedures
Example:
“In my most recent position, I managed several company-specific employee benefit programs, including sick days and paid personal time off. In that role, I created a detailed spreadsheet to record and monitor accrual and usage of these special benefits.”
Q Why Do You Want To Work As A Payroll Clerk
You can hardly find something motivating about the job, except that it pays well, and that it is not a stressful job. Most people who apply for this job try to get any accounting or administrative position, and Payroll Clerk is just one of their options. In an interview, however, you should try to convince the hiring managers that you really want the joband not only need one.
You can say that you like the working duties, or that you believe to have the skills and abilities to become a good clerk. Alternatively you can point out something about the companysaying that you want to work for them, because of their great reputation, excellent working environment, stellar system of benefits, etc. In this case you can add that the position does not matter that much for youthat you will do any administrative work for them.
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How To Prepare For A Payroll Interview
So youve updated your CV, tailored your cover letter for your prospective employee and have successfully landed an interview, what next? Preparation, preparation, preparation.
To land that payroll position you need to have done your homework and prepare to wow your interviewers with your knowledge of both the role, the company and yourself.
Know the company
Make sure before you walk through the office doors you know what the organisation is all about. A key mistake people make is leading a potential employer to believe that you hold no interest in the company due to your lack of research into its background. Be sure to look through the organisations website, take a look at any recent news theyve released and understand what the companys main functions are all about.
Be aware of the Job Description
When going into the interview its essential to bear in mind what the main focus of this role is. If the role focuses on soft skills such as people management and confidentiality or rather focuses on more technical aspects such as your experience using SAGE or your competency in processing p60s.
Question Preparation
Now that you know the company inside out and youre fully aware of what the employer is looking for, its time to start thinking about the questions you may be asked so that you dont find yourself stuck for words on the day. Here are some interview questions you might be faced with.
General Interview Questions
Question : Can I Pay My Employees If I Dont Have Their Social Insurance Number
The short answer is YES however, there are some legislative requirements regarding obtaining an employees SIN. An employer must request an employees SIN within 3 days of their hire date.
If an employee does not give you their SIN, you need to show you made a reasonable effort to get it. Failure to do so could result in a penalty assessed to the employer.
The SIN is also required on an employee tax form. If the tax form is filed without a SIN, there may be a penalty assessed to the employer as well.
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What Experience Do You Have When It Comes To Discussing Our Recently Posted Payroll Coordinator Position
Answer tips:
Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you know you do not have much experience in the job you are applying for, plan for this question ahead of time and ensure you can provide some relatable examples based on what you have done.
Almost all interviewers will appreciate confidence and pride in the work experience you have earned and your passion in transfering these valuable skills to your future role or position.
Answer sample
Ever since my first paper route at age 10 Ive been doing something to keep myself busy and earn money. Back then, it was obviously about earning some spending money. What I didnt realize was that I was actually starting the journey of establishing what I liked to do and how I fit in to the grand scheme of things. I then worked as a junior computer tech in my last 2 summers of high school. It was here that I discovered what I was passionate about and what I wanted to do. I enrolled in college to get my degree in computer sciences, and I have been working around technology ever since.
I Dont Expect You To Go Into Too Much Detail But Why Are You Leaving Your Last Job
An innocent question. But a question that if answered improperly, can be a deal breaker. While many individuals will be looking to a new job as a means of increasing their salary, not being paid well enough at your last job is not something you want to mention to your interviewer. After all, are you not likely to leave this particular job if you found you could make more down the street?
If youre currently employed and leaving of your own accord, craft your response around enhancing your career development and a seeking out of new challenges.
If your current employer is downsizing, be honest about it, remain positive, but keep it brief. If your employer fired you or let you go for cause, be prepared to give a brief but honest reply. No matter how tempting it may be, or how unfair it was that they let you go steer clear away from any and all drama and negativity. Any experienced employer understands that sometimes things happen. Staying positive is key here.
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What Are Your Weaknesses
Another tricky one. The purpose of this question is to see how you view and evaluate yourself.
One the one hand, if you suggest you dont have any weaknesses, your interviewer will almost certainly see you as a lair, egotistical, or both.
Dont fall into the trap of trying to present a positive skill in disguise as a weakness, like I work too hard or I am a perfectionist. Any experienced interviewer will see through this in a heartbeat.
Additionally, revealing that Im not really a morning person and have been known to come in late raises immediate and obvious red flags.
The trick here is to respond realistically by mentioning a small, work related weakness and what you are doing or have done to overcome it.
What Have You Done In The Last 12 Months In Regards To Personal Development
Given the nature and pressure that comes with management, I have not had the opportunity to develop within this particular role. However, I decided to get more involved in my local food bank, which has made me been very rewarding.
I also joined a cyclist club, where we meet every weekend and cycle for long and share ideas. This has helped improve my line of thinking and even given me some unique ideas that I have implemented.
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The Biggest Mistake Candidates Make
A survey from Robert Half found the biggest mistake candidates make in interviews is failure to educate themselves about the company. Don’t let yourself be a statistic: In preparing for your next job interview, research the company and its work thoroughly to come up with a thoughtful list of questions. Carefully examine and evaluate the company’s website, social media presence and portfolio of work, as well as any recent news articles about the organization.
Q How Do You Ensure Your Knowledge Of Payroll Stays Up To Date
You can say that you read journals, and check the latest changes to the laws and to the accounting standards. You can actually say this even if you check nothingthe chances that they will ask you about a particular change to a law are close to zero.
Nevertheless, if you recall any recent changes , you can mention them in your answer. This will help you to build your credibility in the eyes of the interviewers.
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Question : Are All Employees Entitled To Vacation Pay
In Canada, employees can benefit from paid time off work. This can be in the form of vacation pay or vacation time. The minimum requirement is 4% or 2 weeks, which will increase based on consecutive years of service.
Vacation pay and vacation leave entitlement generally apply to full time, part time, casual and seasonal workers.
Which Software Are You Proficient With Have You Ever Been Involved In The Installation And Implementation Of Hr Information And The Payroll Functions
This will let others know your technical skills regarding the softwares you work on and also how expert you are in using them as a professional without causing any mistake, in the transactions you carry out.
It will also tell about your experience in a field as more experience will give you more indepth knowledge, while the less experience will likely make many mistakes due to less knowledge.
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Culture Fit Interview Questions
Building on the idea that hiring for personality is at least as important as hiring for experience , hiring an employee that fits in with the culture you are trying to establish is extremely important.
The right answer to many of these questions will depend on the culture of your business, or the culture you would like to build. What does your company look like, and what does ideal company culture look like for you? If youre just starting out, get a sense of how to answer these questions for yourself first, before you begin asking candidates.
For example, if you strive to create a company culture where employees are like family, and routinely grab a meal or a round of drinks after work, a job candidate who expresses distaste for workplace functions and social gatherings might not be a great fit.
Look out for areas where your style of running an office and their preferred work environment overlap, and where they clash. This can be the hardest thing to get right, because while someone may be a great employee on paper, the two of you also need to share a similar philosophy about what makes a place great to work for.
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Top Payroll Interview Questions
Companies rely on payroll professionals to ensure accuracy and compliance in their payroll processing. When applying for payroll administration jobs, you must prove you have those abilities, along with a familiarity with payroll processes, regulations and other relevant topics. Researching common payroll interview questions and practicing your responses can improve your performance. In this article, we share over 30 payroll interview questions along with sample answers to help you prepare.
Related:Learn About Being a Payroll Specialist
What To Ask During A Job Interview
It’s your turn! As your job interview comes to a close, one of the final questions you may be asked is, “What can I answer for you?” Your interviewer will expect for you to have some questions.
Not asking any questions could make you seem unprepared or disinterested, so take the time to have some questions of your own ready to ask the hiring manager.
Plan ahead and have interview questions of your own ready to ask the interviewer.
You aren’t simply trying to get this jobyou are also interviewing the employer to assess whether this company and the position are a good fit for you.
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Do You Have Any Questions
This one you can almost be assured will be asked, and you better have some ready.
By asking questions you demonstrate initiative, and show that you care enough about the job to have done some research. Ask questions that focus on areas where you can be an asset. Beyond this, other questions may be more direct including productivity, expectations, training, and other logistics. All this being said, try and limit the questions to no more than three or four.
Lastly youll want to ask about the next step in the process and when to expect to hear about the position.
Top job interview materials:
Everyone Was Kind In The Interviews They Have Fox News Playing In The Lobby While Waiting For Your Appointment Which Was Rather Daunting Ie How Can I Ever Work For Someone With A Fox News Brainwashed Mentality That Part Was The Scariest Of Allthey Make You Take A Basic Accounting Principals Written Exam And Then A ‘personality / Culture Examination’ They Won’t Tell You But I Guess I Failed The Culture Exam Because After Round 3 Of Interviews With The Ceo And Board They Loved Me But After The ‘culture Exam’ I Didn’t Hear Back For A Month They Did Low Ball The Pay Rate During Discussion In The End I Am Happy That I Wasn’t Selected You See My Neighbor Watches Fox News Religiously And We Get Into Some Heated Arguments I Cannot Imagine Keeping My Mouth Shut When The Ceo Is Of The Same Mindset If You Really Want To Work For Them Learn How To Cheat On The Personality / Culture Fit Exam
Really? Fox News is where you draw the line? And the North Korea comment is just unbelievable.Less
So you judge someone’s business ethics and personality by what they watch on tv. Sounds like you have some bitterness and other liberal issues you need to let go of. Focus on getting the job!! Make some money and trend your own garden. Life is Too $hort.Less
I’m happy that I didn’t go to work for someone who plays FOX NEWS in their lobby… yikes !That reminds me of North Korea… Where all TVs must be turned on to hear ‘the great leaders’ comments 24/7Less
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Payroll Officer Interview Questions
Payroll officers are responsible for managing company payroll information and issuing employee paychecks.
When interviewing payroll officers, suitable candidates should demonstrate advanced knowledge of accounting and payroll procedures. Be wary of candidates who display poor mathematical skills and those who are uncomfortable handling sensitive information.
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Career Goal Interview Questions
Finally, get a sense of where your job candidate sees him or herself going in life. What is their required salary for the current position, and tentative career trajectory? What are their big-picture dreams?
Answers to these questions will reveal a lot about your interviewees longevity as an employee, and their long-range goals. If they mention that theyd like to move up within the company, that could signify that theyre ready to work hard and could potentially be built into your business as an integral, foundational memberbut what if you dont have a vacancy for them to grow into?
Again, the right answers will depend on your business and the role you are hiring for, so keep that in mind and have a sense beforehand of what the deal breakers arefor example, if you know youd rather hire someone for the long haul, and they tell you that their five-year plan involves starting up their own company within the next few years.
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