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SHRM-CP PEOPLE SITUATIONAL QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS 100% CORRECT
1. One of HR's strategic abilities is an awareness of external factors that can
affect the organization and HR's job. Which task reflects this ability?
a. Creating job alignment between the HR and organizational strategies.
b. Conducting annual employee surveys
c. Gathering information about technologies that could increase HR produc-
tivity
d. Networking with leaders of other functions to build consultative relation-
ships ANS C
2. An HR director has assembled senior staff to discuss ways to develop the
talent pool necessary to support the organization's new strategic direction. Several of the managers support providing a summary of the strategy to the major search firms under contract. How should the HR director respond?
a. Acknowledge the suggestion in the meeting but ignore it
b. Delegate the task of communicating with the search firms to this group
c. Explain to the group in detail why this would be a deficient response
d. Encourage the group to analyze the issue and identify novel responses
ANS D
3. How is organizational culture connected with the topic of strategy?
a. A strong culture can eliminate the need for strategic planning
b. Culture should be seen as a lever to enhance strategy
c. Culture should not affect a choice of strategy
d. Strategy should be planned first, and then steps should be taken to create a
supportive culture. ANS B
4. What should be considered a HR strategic task?
a. Securing off-site backup and storage of employee transactions and
records
b. Developing a system to track the number of people leaving the organiza-
tion
c. Creating a training program for conducting safe and legal terminations
d. Working with senior and line managers to forecast workforce needs for the
strategic planning period ANS D
5. What activity illustrates the use of systems thinking?
a. Creating a hierarchical organizational chart of decision makers
b. Mapping a business process to identify the functional areas involved
c. Creating detailed work rules for one's functional area
d. Developing rules for the use of technology by employees
ANS B
9. An HR manager meets regularly with a local education director to discuss
what the educator is seeing in the system and its students. What does this activity illustrate?
a. Business intelligence
b. Building organizational allies
c. Providing consultative services
d. Conducting information gathering
ANS D
10. What is the most important information contained in an organization's
mission statement?
a. What the company does
b. The time frame for reaching its goals
c. The specific strengths it brights to its strategy
d. Its major competitors
ANS A
11. One of the goals for a nonprofit is to be able to direct its limited resources
more quickly to needy areas as international crises develop. Which HR objective would be well aligned with this goal?
a. Improve the quality of HR services to EEs
b. Develop talent through rotations in geographical areas
c. Increase staff resilience
d. Identify high-potential leaders among EEs with 3-5 years of experience
ANS B
12. What is the best definition of a value driver?
a. Value that an organization adds for competitive advantage
b. Performance targets the organization has pledged to meet
c. What must be done to deliver a desired value
d. Constraints that limit strategic options
ANS C
13. What should a balanced scorecard be used to measure strategic
progress?
a. It provides a more rounded assessment of the results of strategic activity
b. It can be accomplished quickly
c. It extends protection against legal risks to organizations
d. It can be repeated periodically
ANS A
14. Which is a leading indicator of an organization's performance?
a. Average time to market
b. Number of engineers with advanced degrees on staff
c. Market share
d. Number of product designs in the pipeline
ANS D
15. Which is a lagging indicator of an organization's performance
18. A financial services firm has chosen to expand into a new region by
purchasing a small chain of offices. The name will change, the parent firm's policies will extend to the new offices, and the parent firm will provide investment and analysis tools to advisors. What type of growth strategy is this?
a. Management contract
b. Partnership
c. Acquisition
d. Turnkey Operation
ANS D
19. A manufacturer with a global supply chain has decided to enter into
general equity partnerships with key overseas suppliers. Joint management teams will be established at each plant. What immediate need should this suggest to HR leaders?
a. Closer analysis of key talent competencies
b. More emphasis on training to improve decision making
c. Adjustment of HR policies to align with local laws
d. Development of global assignee compensation packages
ANS A
20. Why is maintaining internal communication critical during a divestiture?
a. To protect intellectual property
b. To retain high-potential talent on both sides of the deal
c. To prevent damage to the organization's image with external stakeholders
d. To avoid litigation with employees sent to the new owner
ANS B
21. What is one of the most critical tasks in preparing the HR budget?
a. Demonstrating how the figures reflect efficiencies in the HR function
b. Including graphics for visual learners
c. Establishing a connection with the strategic plan
d. Securing senior management support before submission of the budget
ANS C
22. Senior management of an organization communicates a new strategy in
detail to its leaders and at a high level to employees. Unit and functional leaders are empowered and prepared to reorganize themselves and provide more specific directions to employees. How could this implementation of strategy been improved? a. Senior management should have provided EEs the same level of detail as the leaders received b. Reorganization should not have been an option for leaders c. Senior leaders should not be giving so much power to unit and functional leaders d. It is an effective process and should work well ANS D
have been submitted to engineering in terms of the job descriptions that engineering has submitted ANS B
25. In creating the HR budget, the budget team considers whether to re-fund
a family violence program. According to supervisors, domestic violence is a significant risk factor for their employees. Yet the program does not report much evidence of EE use. How should the team approach this issue?
a. Add funding to gather EE data about this program
b. Continue funding the program based on the supervisor's input
c. Eliminate the funding based on the program's use data
d. Expand funding to increase EE awareness of this assistance program
ANS A
26. An HR leader explains the necessity for measuring results by saying that
this is a matter of good governance. What does the leader mean by this?
a. It demonstrates responsibility for use of organizational resources
b. Measurement is the outcome of the management process
c. Measuring results helps improve relations with internal stakeholders
d. Proof of results supports further investment in HR activities
ANS A
27. What is one of the chief benefits of reviewing strategic results periodical-
ly throughout the strategic management period?
a. It promotes accountability for those charged with managing strategic
activities
b. It improves both the effectiveness and efficiency of strategic activities
c. Evaluation of data at the end of the strategic period is easier
d. It supports the creation of effective measurement tools
ANS B
28. What is an HR leader's most important concern in preparing to present
strategic results to management?
a. Provide as much data as possible
b. Keep it short and at a high level
c. Communicate a logical narrative with the data
d. Plan communication tactics to create audience interest in the fact-driven
presentation ANS C
29. An organization replicates home staffing policies as it expands oper-
ations in other countries. This is an example of which talent acquisition orientation?
a. Ethnocentric
32. What gives an employee a very clear and concise resource to guide job
performance?
a. Statement of minimum qualifications
b. Offer letter
c. Job description
d. List of duties and responsibilities
ANS C
33. The statement "Must possess a working knowledge of customer security
requirements and incident investigation" included in a job description for a security specialist position BEST exemplifies a
a. primary duty
b. minimum qualification
c. success factor
d. performance standard
ANS B
34. Service specialists are given a lot of discretion when dealing with cus-
tomers, and those interactions have a big effect on the organization's sales. The difference in revenue generation and customer satisfaction between high performers and low performers is significant. What BEST describes the high performers?
a. pivotal talent pool
b. Mentor candidates for low performers
c. EEs with special skills
d. Future leaders
ANS C
35. Degrees, training, and certifications required for a position are consid-
ered
a. KSAs
b. job specifications
c. job competencies
d. role profile
ANS A
36. In comparing internal and external recruiting sources, a potential advan-
tage of recruiting externally is
a. improved workforce morale
b. shorter onboarding and orientation
c. better retention of high performers
d. enriched diversity and inclusion
ANS D
37. Which recruitment source allows candidates to discuss a position open-
ing with the employer without making a formal job application?
a. Contract agencies
b. Third-party recruiters
41. The potential effects of hiring the wrong candidate include
a. only tangible finances
b. poor morale and productivity
c. increased onboarding and orientation costs
d. loss of proprietary information
ANS B
42. A company attracts more than 200 applications per vacancy. Which
process facilitates sorting to eliminate unqualified individuals?
a. Screening
b. Interviewing
c. Pre-employment assessments
d. Realistic job previews
ANS A
43. A list of a candidate's published articles and presentations given at a
conference is typically part of a(n)
a. application form
b. curriculum vitae
c. resume
d. screening interview discussion
ANS B
44. An interviewer asks a candidate to describe a time when he failed to
complete a task or project on time despite intending to do so. This BEST exemplifies which type of interview?
a. competency-based
b. chronological
c. pre-screening
d. work sample
ANS A
45. An interviewer asks a candidate a series of tough questions in rapid suc-
cession and projects a "show-me" attitude in her words, facial expression, body language, and behavior. This BEST exemplifies a
a. structured interview
b. unstructured interview
c. fishbowl interview
d. stress interview
ANS D
46. What type of assessment tests factors such a conscientiousness, extra-
version, agreeableness, emotional stability, and openness to experience?
a. Cognitive ability
b. Work sample
c. Personality
d. Aptitude
ANS C
d. A standardized process provides a few hours of training regarding cus-
tomer complexity and service expectations ANS C
50. Systems that provide resources for line managers to increase a new
hire's productivity and engagement during the first six months on a job describe
a. realistic job previewing
b. orientation
c. onboarding
d. coaching
ANS C
51. What are the components of EE engagement?
a. Personality characteristics, work environment, behaviors
b. Management direction, rewards, training
c. Clear job descriptions, fair performance appraisal, opportunities
d. Immediate feedback, prompt discipline, fair treatment
ANS A
52. What term is used to describe an undesirable form of engagement where
EEs appear engaged but do not actually feel or think in an engaged way?
a. transactional engagement
b. unsustainable engagement
c. transitional engagement
d. false engagement
ANS A
53. What is the relationship between EE engagement and EE well-being?
a. high levels of well-being lead to a stagnant workforce
b. engagement does not require well-being
c. engagement is directly related to well-being
d. engagement must precede efforts to create well-being
ANS C
54. What driver of EE engagement appears to be common around the globe?
a. innate characteristics
b. leaders who deliver financial success
c. promise of lifelong employment
d. organizational communication
ANS D
55. Which manager is most likely to be successful in creating and supporting
EE engagement?
a. Manager A lets EEs find their own path and make their own mistakes
b. Manager B avoids any stressful work schedule dilemmas
c. Manager C consults with EEs when work questions arise
d. Manager D provides preferential treatment to high performers
ANS C
