Human Resources Business Partner
Posted Sep 4, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
You would partner with leaders in the Chicago and Milwaukee offices. How do you learn what a business unit actually needs from HR?
What they are checking: Whether they start by understanding the business before pushing HR programs on it.
Tell me about an employee relations investigation you handled from start to finish.
What they are checking: Whether they can run a fair, well-documented investigation and reach a sound conclusion.
Tell me about a time you had to tell a senior leader something they did not want to hear.
What they are checking: Whether they can push back with tact and keep the relationship.
What would you do
HNTB's employees are mostly engineers and planners. How would you adapt your HR approach for a technical workforce?
What they are checking: Whether they can earn credibility with professionals who may see HR as overhead.
A manager wants to fire a strong performer who just complained about the manager. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they spot retaliation risk and can guide a manager away from a costly mistake.
How would you support talent management, like performance reviews and development plans, across an office you are not always in?
What they are checking: Whether they can stay present and useful to offices spread across two cities.
HNTB is employee-owned. How might that change how you talk to employees about benefits and their future?
What they are checking: Whether they can connect HR conversations to what ownership means for employees.
An employee asks you about a policy, and you realize the policy is applied differently in the two offices. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they catch inconsistency risk and work to fix it across the firm.
About the work
How have you used HR data or analytics to change a decision a leader was making?
What they are checking: Whether they can turn numbers into a recommendation leaders act on, which the role names directly.
Walk me through how you would help a leader decide on a compensation adjustment for a key engineer who has an outside offer.
What they are checking: Whether they understand pay equity and market data, not just matching offers.
How do you keep up with changes in employment law in Illinois and Wisconsin?
What they are checking: Whether they know two states can have different rules and stay current on both.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by HNTB.