In today's diverse workplace, HR Managers play a critical role in creating environments where all employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute fully. Inclusion and belonging refers to the organizational practice of creating a workplace culture where all individuals feel welcomed, respected, and able to participate and contribute authentically, regardless of their background, identity, or perspective.

For HR Managers, fostering inclusion and belonging extends beyond simply implementing diversity initiatives. It requires actively designing systems, policies, and cultures that recognize and value differences while creating psychological safety for all employees. This competency manifests in daily HR activities through equitable hiring practices, inclusive policy development, bias mitigation, conflict resolution that honors diverse perspectives, and the creation of development opportunities that recognize different needs and experiences.

Behavioral interview questions are particularly effective for evaluating candidates' inclusion and belonging competency as they reveal past behaviors rather than theoretical knowledge. When interviewing candidates, listen for specific examples that demonstrate their ability to recognize diverse perspectives, create inclusive environments, address biases, and implement policies that support belonging. Probe for the reasoning behind their actions, the challenges they faced, and the measurable outcomes they achieved.

Before conducting your interviews, prepare by reviewing the candidate's background and designing a structured interview process that asks all candidates the same core questions. This approach helps mitigate bias and ensures fair evaluation. Additionally, consider using a standardized scorecard to assess candidates consistently against your predetermined criteria.

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you identified a policy or practice in your organization that was unintentionally creating barriers for certain groups of employees. How did you address it?

Areas to Cover:

• How they identified the issue (proactive or reactive)
• Their analysis process for understanding the impact
• Stakeholders they involved in addressing the issue
• Specific changes they implemented
• Any resistance encountered and how they navigated it
• Outcomes for affected employees and the organization
• How they ensured the solution was truly inclusive

Follow-Up Questions:

• What data or feedback helped you recognize this issue existed?
• How did you build support among leadership for making changes?
• How did you measure whether your solution was effective?
• What did you learn from this experience that informed your approach to other policies?

Describe a situation where you had to address resistance to diversity and inclusion initiatives. What was your approach and what was the outcome?

Areas to Cover:

• The nature of the resistance and its context
• How they diagnosed the root causes of resistance
• Their communication approach with resistant individuals or groups
• Strategies used to build understanding and support
• How they balanced persistence with respect for different viewpoints
• Changes in attitudes or behaviors that resulted
• Systemic changes implemented to address underlying issues

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you maintain your composure and effectiveness when facing pushback?
• What specific concerns did the resistant parties express, and how did you address each one?
• How did you distinguish between legitimate questions and more problematic resistance?
• What would you do differently if you encountered a similar situation in the future?

Share an example of how you've measured the effectiveness of inclusion efforts in an organization. What metrics did you use and why?

Areas to Cover:

• Their approach to selecting meaningful metrics
• Quantitative and qualitative methods employed
• How they established baselines and targets
• The process for collecting data in sensitive areas
• How they analyzed results and identified trends
• Their approach to communicating findings to different stakeholders
• How measurement informed subsequent actions

Follow-Up Questions:

• What challenges did you face in measuring inclusion effectively?
• How did you ensure your measurement approach itself was inclusive?
• What surprised you most about the data you collected?
• How did you move from measurement to actionable insights?

Tell me about a time when you helped create a sense of belonging for someone who felt marginalized or excluded in the workplace.

Areas to Cover:

• How they became aware of the situation
• Their approach to understanding the person's experience
• Specific actions taken to address the immediate situation
• Any broader changes implemented as a result
• How they balanced addressing the specific situation while respecting privacy
• The outcome for the individual and the wider team
• Follow-up to ensure sustained improvement

Follow-Up Questions:

• What signals or feedback helped you recognize this person was feeling excluded?
• How did you build trust with the individual to understand their experience?
• What systemic factors were contributing to the exclusion?
• How did this experience influence your approach to creating inclusion more broadly?

Describe how you've incorporated diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into recruitment and hiring processes.

Areas to Cover:

• Specific changes made to job descriptions, sourcing, or screening
• How they addressed potential bias in the interview process
• Their approach to building diverse candidate pools
• Methods for ensuring fair evaluation of candidates
• Training or guidance provided to hiring managers
• Metrics used to track progress
• Challenges encountered and how they were addressed

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you balance diversity goals with other hiring criteria?
• What resistance did you encounter, and how did you address it?
• What results did you see from these changes?
• How did you ensure these changes became embedded in the organization's practices?

Share an example of how you've helped managers or leaders develop their skills in fostering inclusion within their teams.

Areas to Cover:

• Assessment approach to identify development needs
• Training, coaching, or resources provided
• How they gained buy-in from the leaders
• Specific behaviors or practices they focused on changing
• How they measured progress
• Challenges encountered and how they were addressed
• Systemic supports implemented to reinforce development

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you tailor your approach to different leaders' learning styles or starting points?
• What resistance did you encounter, and how did you address it?
• How did you help leaders move from intellectual understanding to behavior change?
• What feedback did you receive from team members about changes in their leader's approach?

Tell me about a time when you had to navigate a conflict between employees that involved cultural or identity differences.

Areas to Cover:

• Their approach to understanding all perspectives in the conflict
• How they created psychological safety for all parties
• Specific mediation or conflict resolution techniques used
• How they addressed any biases or misunderstandings
• The resolution process and outcome
• Follow-up to ensure sustained improvement
• Broader learnings applied to prevent similar conflicts

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you prepare yourself to mediate this situation effectively?
• What challenges did you face in helping each party understand the other's perspective?
• How did you balance addressing the specific conflict while respecting confidentiality?
• What would you do differently if you encountered a similar situation?

Describe a time when you recognized your own bias or knowledge gap related to a diversity issue. How did you address it?

Areas to Cover:

• The context in which they recognized the bias or gap
• Their reflection process and emotional response
• Resources or people they turned to for learning
• Specific steps taken to address the bias or gap
• Changes in their behavior or approach as a result
• How this experience influenced their approach to inclusion more broadly
• How they've helped others learn from their experience

Follow-Up Questions:

• What made you realize you had this bias or knowledge gap?
• What was challenging about this self-discovery process?
• How did this experience change your approach to inclusion work?
• How have you applied this learning in your professional role?

Share an example of how you've helped an organization integrate inclusion into its core values and day-to-day operations.

Areas to Cover:

• Their approach to assessing the organization's starting point
• How they built understanding and support for change
• Specific policies, practices, or processes that were modified
• Their approach to engaging different levels of the organization
• How they addressed resistance or barriers
• Methods for measuring progress and impact
• Sustainability mechanisms built into the changes

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you tailor your approach to the organization's culture and context?
• What challenges did you face in moving from intention to action?
• How did you balance quick wins with longer-term systemic change?
• What feedback did you receive about the changes, and how did you address it?

Tell me about a time when you advocated for an inclusive practice or policy that wasn't initially supported by leadership. How did you approach this challenge?

Areas to Cover:

• The specific practice or policy and why they believed it was important
• Their analysis of reasons for initial lack of support
• Research or data they gathered to build their case
• Their communication strategy with different stakeholders
• How they addressed concerns or objections
• The outcome of their advocacy efforts
• Lessons learned about effective advocacy for inclusion

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you determine this was an issue worth pursuing despite lack of initial support?
• What specific objections did you encounter, and how did you address each one?
• How did you maintain momentum and morale during the advocacy process?
• What would you do differently in a similar situation in the future?

Describe a time when you had to implement an inclusion-related initiative with limited resources. How did you approach this challenge?

Areas to Cover:

• The specific initiative and resource constraints
• Their prioritization process and criteria
• Creative approaches to leveraging available resources
• How they engaged others to contribute and support
• Trade-offs made and how they were decided
• Results achieved despite constraints
• Lessons learned about efficient inclusion work

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you determine which aspects of the initiative were most critical?
• What creative solutions did you find to address resource limitations?
• How did you manage expectations among stakeholders?
• What did this experience teach you about sustaining inclusion work?

Share an example of how you've helped build connections and understanding between different groups or teams within an organization.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and existing dynamics between the groups
• Their assessment of barriers to connection
• Specific initiatives or approaches implemented
• How they engaged leaders and members from each group
• Methods for measuring progress and impact
• Challenges encountered and how they were addressed
• Sustained changes in interaction between the groups

Follow-Up Questions:

• What indicators helped you identify that there were connection issues?
• How did you create psychological safety for authentic interactions?
• What resistance did you encounter, and how did you address it?
• How did improved connections impact organizational effectiveness?

Tell me about a time when you had to adjust your communication style to connect more effectively with someone from a different background than yours.

Areas to Cover:

• Their recognition of the need to adjust communication
• How they learned about the other person's preferences or needs
• Specific adjustments made to their communication approach
• The impact of these adjustments on the relationship
• Challenges they faced in making these adjustments
• How this experience influenced their broader communication approach
• Any feedback received about their adjusted approach

Follow-Up Questions:

• What cues helped you recognize that your usual communication style wasn't effective?
• What did you find most challenging about adjusting your communication?
• How did this experience change your approach to communication more broadly?
• How have you helped others recognize when they need to adjust their communication style?

Describe a situation where you used data to identify and address an inclusion or equity issue in the workplace.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific issue and what prompted the analysis
• Data sources and analysis methods used
• How they ensured the data collection itself was inclusive
• Key insights gained from the data
• How they translated data into actionable recommendations
• The implementation process and stakeholders involved
• Impact measurement approach and results

Follow-Up Questions:

• What challenges did you face in gathering relevant and reliable data?
• How did you address potential biases in your data collection or analysis?
• How did you communicate your findings to different audiences?
• What surprised you most about what the data revealed?

Share an example of how you've created or modified employee development programs to ensure they were accessible and beneficial to a diverse workforce.

Areas to Cover:

• Their assessment process for existing programs
• How they identified barriers or gaps
• Specific changes implemented to improve inclusion
• How they engaged diverse perspectives in the redesign
• Implementation challenges and how they were addressed
• Metrics used to evaluate impact
• Feedback mechanisms and adjustment process

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify which aspects of the programs needed modification?
• What resistance did you encounter to making these changes?
• How did you balance standardization with flexibility to meet diverse needs?
• What feedback did you receive about the modified programs?

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell if a candidate truly values inclusion versus just knowing the right things to say?

Look for specificity in their examples, emotional authenticity when discussing challenges, and evidence of personal growth. Strong candidates will share both successes and failures, demonstrate awareness of the complexity of inclusion work, and show evidence of continued learning. Pay attention to whether they center themselves as heroes in their stories or acknowledge the contributions and leadership of others, particularly those from underrepresented groups.

What if a candidate doesn't have direct HR experience but demonstrates inclusion competencies from other contexts?

Inclusion and belonging skills are transferable across many contexts. A candidate who has demonstrated these competencies in volunteer roles, community leadership, project teams, or other professional settings may successfully apply them in an HR context. Focus on the underlying skills and mindsets rather than the specific HR application, especially for candidates newer to HR or those making a career transition.

How many of these questions should I include in a single interview?

For a typical 45-60 minute interview focused on inclusion and belonging, select 3-4 questions that best align with your organization's current needs and the level of the position. This allows sufficient time for candidates to provide detailed responses and for you to ask thoughtful follow-up questions. Remember that depth of conversation is more valuable than covering many questions superficially.

What if a candidate struggles to provide examples related to inclusion and belonging?

This could indicate limited experience with diversity work, but don't immediately disqualify them. Try reframing the question to focus on related skills, such as "Tell me about a time you had to understand and address different needs among team members" or "Share an example of when you had to change your approach to work effectively with someone different from you." Their ability to transfer these experiences to inclusion contexts may give you insight into their potential.

How should I balance evaluating inclusion competency against other required skills for the HR Manager role?

While inclusion competency is increasingly critical for HR roles, it should be evaluated alongside other required competencies like strategic thinking, business acumen, and technical HR knowledge. Consider the specific challenges your organization faces and weight competencies accordingly. In organizations needing significant culture change around inclusion, this competency might be weighted more heavily than in organizations with more mature inclusion practices.

Interested in a full interview guide with Inclusion and Belonging for HR Manager Roles as a key trait? Sign up for Yardstick and build it for free.