I have an interview next week that I am preparing for and the role requires knowledge of employment law. This area is not one I feel confident in but I know the basics. Can anyone think of employment law questions that may arise? or have any experience of answering this sort of interview question. I feel it's such a broad subject it's impossible to know everything by memory.
You are right its a very broad area and they are unlikely to be expecting you to have Employment lawyer like levels of knowledge
Their questions are likely to be linked to the type of business they are in and the typical challenges they will be facing. So if you think about some typical scenarios and what employment law may well apply.
Old favourites tend to be around the WTRs, NMW etc. Or could well be more linked to ER type situations (there was a thread recently on being asked about the most complicated ER case you have dealt with that's worth a look)
Browse a few of the more popular threads on here for some examples of typical challenges HR people are facing (both Covid and non Covid)
Don't worry - most people don't know employment law by memory (even lawyers look things up!) - having a broad brush understanding is a good starting point - the depth comes the more you read & use in practical situations.
As a starter for 10 in terms of how you might prepare for your interview, here are a couple of suggested 'mock' questions:
- can you talk the panel through the changes in employment law over the past year or so months that you think are key to be aware of/or have had to respond to?
- can you talk the panel through forthcoming changes in employment law that we need to be aware of and respond to?
You'll see they're pretty similar - the point is that if you keep a watching eye on employment law developments and can talk to them, it shows not just that you manage your own CPD but you recognise why it's important in the workplace. If the law development is very relevant to the sector then bonus points for saying 'and this one is particularly relevant for our sector because'.
Emp law questions at interview tend to be less about specific cases, and more about gauging the impact of legislation (e.g the implementation of aspects of the Good Work Plan in April 2020 meant that most organisations will have had to update all their employment contract templates to ensure compliance with the new requirements; the introduction of Parental Bereavement Leave - again April 2020 as I recall -may have meant that some organisations developed a PBL policy and associated processes for managing such leave, and so forth).
A big thing fast approaching is the 30 June date after which EU/EEA nationals who are not already in the UK and don't have settled/pre settled status will need to be able to demonstrate right to work under one of the new immigration routes.
There's so much on this so don't get overwhelmed (it may only be one question in the interview, after all) and don't try and blag it (it's better to say - "that's something I'm aware I need to read up on further" than to give a made up answer!)
Good luck with your interview
I would ask something like:
In X situation how would you establish the legal constraints/opportunities that we need to be aware of and how to mitigate the risks?
or
What was the trickiest employment law problem you had to address and how did you go about it?
or
In what circumstances would you consult an employment layer or advice line?
