Inspirational journeys

Follow the stories of academics and their research expeditions

SHRM-CP Certification Exam Questions 2023 - Day 14

Jenny Clarke

Mon, 24 Mar 2025

SHRM-CP Certification Exam Questions 2023 - Day 14

1. The HR manager wants to demonstrate genuine interest in learning about the principal's approach to recognizing his employees. What should the HR manager do to most effectively demonstrate this?

A) A. Listen actively to the principal as he describes his approach and rationale in person.
B) B. Ask the principal to outline his approach in an e-mail to capture all relevant details.
C) C. Use behavior-based interview techniques to accurately capture the principal's practice of recognizing employees.
D) D. Invite the school's director to facilitate a conversation with the principal to ensure that he participates.



2. How should the HR manager give feedback to the principal to help him more appropriately recognize employee contributions?

A) A. Give talking points to the school's director to deliver, since the principal doesn't see the HR manager as a credible coach.
B) B. Maintain control of the conversation with the principal, ensuring that the message is delivered without misinterpretation.
C) C. Send the principal weekly e-mails containing articles on how to appropriately motivate the school's staff.
D) D. Issue the principal a documented verbal warning to stop his unwanted advances toward his executive assistant.



3. What is the best way to deliver negative feedback to a subordinate?

A) Wait for a quiet moment, when any stress related to the issue has subsided. 
B) Start and end with positive feedback, even if it is about a minor performance element.
C) Create a work environment in which employees feel valued even when negative feedback is necessary.
D) Deliver positive feedback in person and negative feedback in writing for the purpose of documentation.



4. For much of a meeting, one team member is unofficially leading the discussion while several others are quietly listening. What should the manager leading the meeting do?

A) Tell the talkative team member that you are in charge.
B) Summarize what the talkative team member has said and then move to the next agenda item.
C) Allow the meeting to flow without interruption.
D) Ask the quiet participants for their reactions.



5. Refer to the following scenario for the next 3 questions. In his initial meeting with the HR team, a newly hired HR director hears a number of concerns relating to talent acquisition, including the new hire selection process. The HR director believes these concerns, as he personally experienced several questionable actions during his own hiring process. In the current process, interviewers use an unstructured approach, where each candidate is asked different questions and interviewers use different criteria to evaluate responses. The HR director also learns that the company has a track record of poor hiring, inconsistent decision making, and lack of diversity in certain departments. The HR team is not confident that the organization is hiring the best people. However, that is not a concern the rest of the organization shares. Each department believes that its hiring approach is effective. Historically no department has shown an interest in trying a new approach. The HR director wants to address his team's concerns soon. He also recognizes that the rest of the organization will need to be convinced to change. Which is the best immediate course of action he could take?

A) A. Create a structured interview process that standardizes the questions asked and the criteria for grading.
B) B. Maintain the current process but have HR participate in all of the interviews going forward.
C) C. Solicit feedback from organizational stakeholders about the key qualities they are looking for in talent.
D) D. Analyze turnover, performance, and exit interview data over the past two years to present to leaders.



6. The HR director confirms that absence of diversity is an issue in certain departments. Given the organization's lack of recognition, what is the next step he should take?

A) A. Discipline the interviewers for engaging in discriminatory hiring practices that have occurred.
B) B. Explain to interviewers and managers why diversity among employees is good for business.
C) C. Encourage interviewers to read a copy of the company's diversity policy.
D) D. Develop a company-wide diversity hiring program to help reverse this identified trend.



7. Which action should the HR director take to encourage department heads to use a new hiring process?

A) A. Conduct an audit of company-wide hiring practices to demonstrate internal discrepancies.
B) B. Present anecdotal evidence from similar companies that show the benefits of a centralized hiring processes.
C) C. Conduct a benchmarking study to compare the organization's hiring outcomes (diversity, etc.) to those of similar organizations.
D) D. Ask department heads what data they would need from a new hiring process.



8. A well-funded Asian art museum includes a new traditional tea garden that can accommodate both public and private events. Current staff have little understanding of Japanese tea rituals, and the museum is willing to invest in staff development. Which is the best approach HR should recommend to develop cultural awareness and appreciation for the tea garden experience?

A) Transfer a tea ceremony master from Tokyo to train the event planning staff.
B) Conduct internal training on tea culture experience that includes proper behavior.
C) Travel to Tokyo to experience tea culture and tour tea gardens.
D) Have the team divide assignments to research the tea garden experience by topic and cross-train each other.



9. HR has four tools, often referred to as the 4 Ts, that it can use to influence managerial practices and develop new managerial skills. Travel, training, and transfers are three of the tools. What is the fourth, and what is its purpose?

A) Technology. Mobile applications are making international assignments less isolating and are improving cross-cultural communication.
B) Teams. Working on global teams and international projects helps executives develop cross-cultural management skills.
C) Tracking. Performance and process evaluation metrics can teach executives to self-manage their cross-cultural skill development.
D) Task orientation. This involves teaching managers to focus on task goals instead of established diversity-based innovations.



10. Which two tendencies are critical to acquiring a global mindset?

A) Parochialism and exclusiveness
B) Cosmopolitanism and sophistication
C) Ethnocentrism and self-satisfaction
D) Curiosity and change acceptance



1. Right Answer: A
Explanation: A is correct. Engaging with the principal and actively listening for deeper understanding of his thought process will allow the HR manager to develop a relationship with the principal and determine if there is a way that she can support the principal's desire for recognition without violating company policy. B is incorrect, as an e-mail will not typically get to a deeper understanding of the principal's desire to recognize employees, nor does it take an effective step to develop the relationship between the HR manager and the principal. C is incorrect. Behavior-based interview techniques are not the best choice to use in this situation. D is incorrect, as escalating this to the school director would be premature until the HR manager better understands the principal's desire for recognition.

2. Right Answer: B
Explanation: B is correct. Ongoing dialogue allows the relationship between the two to further develop and also allows the HR manager to influence the principal in a non-threatening way. A is incorrect, as there is no suggestion as to how the principal views the HR manager and involving the school director would be premature. C is incorrect, as sending e-mails to the principal is not a way to develop a trusted partnership. D is incorrect, as this would not be an appropriate step to take until it is determined whether this is an isolated incident or a deeper issue with the principal.

3. Right Answer: C
Explanation: Negative feedback is most effective when it occurs within a work context that makes employees feel valued. They see the negative feedback as opportunity to improve and contribute rather than as a personal failure.

4. Right Answer: D
Explanation: Managers support and control discussion during their meetings. This may involve asking quieter participants for their reactions or protecting participants from difficult or abusive group members. Asserting that you are in charge is a poor way of providing support and control.

5. Right Answer: A
Explanation: A is the best answer. It champions the HR function via the implementation of a new, standardized procedure based on an identified need for organizational change. B is incorrect. Simply adding HR into the process will not suffice; a standardized process is still needed. C and D are incorrect, because they do not address the current hiring process.

6. Right Answer: B
Explanation: B is the best answer, because it provides an immediate first step to educating those directly involved in the process on the need for diversity. A and C are incorrect, because they do not solve the problem nor do they facilitate communication about the lack of diversity. D is incorrect as an immediate next step. Developing a diversity hiring program is needed, but it is a longer-term solution that will require formal communication and education.

7. Right Answer: C
Explanation: C is the best answer, because it uses metrics to demonstrate inefficiencies and support process improvement recommendations. A and D are incorrect, because they do not demonstrate the benefits of a new hiring process. B is incorrect. Anecdotal evidence will not suffice; data based on empirical evidence is needed.

8. Right Answer: C
Explanation: For the event planning staff to develop cultural awareness and appreciation for the rooftop tea garden experience, they should travel to Tokyo, if possible. The other options may aid staff understanding but will not offer the cultural immersion to allow them to return and relay the experience that clients will expect.

9. Right Answer: B
Explanation: The 4 Ts are travel, teams, training, and transfers. They can be valuable strategies for creating a global mindset and enhancing the multicultural awareness of leaders and senior managers. In regard to teams, managers can be trained to form all their teams with an eye toward diversity and inclusion (gender, generational, cultural, etc.), not just for its own sake but for the advantages in problem solving and innovation created by more diverse teams.

10. Right Answer: D
Explanation: A global mindset is characterized by intellectual curiosity, a desire to understand larger contexts and multiple perspectives. Employees with a global mindset tend to see change as an opportunity.

80% DISCOUNT: SHRM-CP PRACTICE EXAMS Questions with detailed explanation 2023 - UPDATED

0 Comments

Leave a comment