Essential Work Sample Exercises for Hiring a People Operations Specialist

People Operations Specialists serve as the backbone of modern HR departments, bridging the gap between employees and organizational policies while ensuring smooth operations across multiple HR functions. Their role is multifaceted, requiring a unique blend of interpersonal skills, technical proficiency, and meticulous attention to detail.

When hiring for this critical position, traditional interviews alone often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities. While resumes and behavioral questions provide valuable insights, they cannot fully demonstrate how candidates will perform in real-world scenarios that demand quick thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication.

Work sample exercises offer a window into a candidate's practical abilities by simulating actual job tasks. For People Operations roles specifically, these exercises help evaluate how candidates handle employee inquiries, manage HR systems, process documentation, and contribute to improving HR processes—all essential functions that directly impact employee experience and organizational efficiency.

The following four exercises are designed to assess key competencies required for People Operations Specialists: communication skills, technical proficiency with HR systems, process improvement capabilities, and attention to detail. By incorporating these exercises into your interview process, you'll gain deeper insights into each candidate's potential performance and fit for your organization's specific needs.

Activity #1: Employee Inquiry Response Simulation

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to respond to employee inquiries with clarity, empathy, and accuracy—a fundamental skill for People Operations Specialists who serve as the first point of contact for HR-related questions. The simulation tests communication skills, knowledge of HR policies, problem-solving abilities, and discretion when handling sensitive information.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare 2-3 realistic employee inquiry scenarios of varying complexity (e.g., benefits question, policy clarification, sensitive personal issue).
• Provide the candidate with basic information about your company's benefits, PTO policy, and other relevant HR policies (or create simplified versions for the exercise).
• Designate someone to play the role of the employee with specific concerns.
• Allow 15-20 minutes for the entire exercise, including feedback.
• Consider recording the simulation (with candidate permission) for later review.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the company information provided about HR policies and benefits.
• Respond to inquiries from an "employee" as if you were the People Operations Specialist.
• Focus on providing accurate information while demonstrating empathy and professionalism.
• If you don't know an answer, explain how you would find the information or escalate the issue appropriately.
• Balance efficiency with thoroughness in your responses.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the simulation, provide specific feedback on one aspect the candidate handled well (e.g., "Your explanation of the PTO policy was clear and concise").
• Offer one area for improvement (e.g., "Consider acknowledging the employee's frustration before diving into policy details").
• Give the candidate an opportunity to respond to a similar but shorter follow-up inquiry, incorporating the feedback provided.

Activity #2: HRIS Data Management Exercise

This exercise assesses a candidate's technical proficiency with HR information systems and attention to detail when managing employee data. Accuracy in data management is crucial for maintaining reliable HR records, ensuring compliance, and supporting data-driven decision-making within the organization.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a simplified mock HRIS environment or spreadsheet with sample employee data (names, departments, positions, compensation, etc.).
• Intentionally include 5-7 errors or inconsistencies in the data (e.g., missing information, incorrect formatting, duplicate entries).
• Prepare a set of 3-4 specific tasks for the candidate to complete (e.g., update employee information, run reports, identify discrepancies).
• Allocate 25-30 minutes for this exercise.
• If using an actual HRIS system, create a sandbox environment with dummy data.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided HRIS system or spreadsheet to familiarize yourself with the data structure.
• Complete the assigned tasks, which may include:
• Updating employee information based on provided change requests
• Running specific reports or queries
• Identifying and correcting data inconsistencies
• Documenting any issues found that weren't explicitly mentioned
• Explain your approach and reasoning as you work through the exercise.
• Prioritize accuracy while working efficiently.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on what the candidate did well (e.g., "You efficiently identified all the data inconsistencies").
• Offer constructive feedback on an area for improvement (e.g., "Consider developing a more systematic approach to data validation").
• Allow the candidate 5-10 minutes to explain how they would implement the feedback and improve their approach to data management.

Activity #3: New Hire Onboarding Process Improvement

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to analyze and improve HR processes, specifically focusing on new hire onboarding. It tests critical thinking, process optimization skills, and understanding of employee experience—all essential for a People Operations Specialist who will contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide a simplified outline of your current onboarding process (or create a fictional one with obvious inefficiencies).
• Include details such as timeline, responsible parties, required documentation, and key milestones.
• Specify any known pain points or areas of concern (e.g., delayed equipment setup, inconsistent communication).
• Allocate 30-35 minutes for this exercise, including presentation and feedback.
• Prepare specific questions to probe the candidate's reasoning behind their recommendations.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided onboarding process documentation.
• Identify at least 3 areas for improvement, focusing on:
• Enhancing the new hire experience
• Increasing efficiency and reducing administrative burden
• Ensuring compliance and consistency
• Leveraging technology where appropriate
• Prepare a brief (5-7 minute) presentation of your recommendations, including:
• Specific changes you would implement
• Rationale for each recommendation
• Expected benefits and potential challenges
• Implementation considerations
• Be prepared to answer questions about your approach and recommendations.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide positive feedback on one aspect of the candidate's analysis or recommendations.
• Offer one constructive suggestion for improvement (e.g., "Consider how your recommendations might affect other departments").
• Ask the candidate to expand on how they would address the feedback and refine one of their recommendations accordingly.

Activity #4: HR Compliance Documentation Review

This exercise tests a candidate's attention to detail, knowledge of HR compliance requirements, and ability to identify potential issues in HR documentation. These skills are essential for maintaining legal compliance and minimizing organizational risk—key responsibilities for People Operations Specialists.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a sample employee handbook section, policy document, or compliance checklist with intentional issues.
• Include a mix of obvious and subtle problems, such as:
• Outdated legal references
• Inconsistent policy language
• Missing required disclaimers or statements
• Potentially discriminatory language
• Procedural gaps
• Provide context about relevant regulations or requirements.
• Allow 25-30 minutes for the exercise.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided documentation carefully.
• Identify as many compliance issues, inconsistencies, or areas for improvement as possible.
• For each issue identified:
• Explain why it's problematic
• Suggest specific corrections or improvements
• Note any additional information you would need to fully address the issue
• Prioritize the issues based on potential risk or impact.
• Document your findings in a clear, organized manner.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Highlight one strength in the candidate's approach or analysis (e.g., "You effectively identified the most critical compliance risks").
• Provide one area for improvement (e.g., "Consider how these policies might need to be adapted for different locations or employee classifications").
• Ask the candidate to elaborate on how they would implement one of their suggested improvements, incorporating the feedback provided.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allocate for these work sample exercises?

Each exercise is designed to take 25-35 minutes, including time for instructions, the activity itself, and feedback. For a comprehensive assessment, consider incorporating 2-3 exercises across multiple interview stages rather than attempting all four in a single session.

Should we use our actual company policies and systems for these exercises?

While using your actual policies adds relevance, it's recommended to create simplified versions or use sandbox environments to protect sensitive information. The exercises should reflect your company's approach while maintaining appropriate confidentiality.

What if a candidate has no experience with our specific HRIS system?

The HRIS exercise can be adapted to use spreadsheets or a simplified mock-up that tests the underlying skills of data management and attention to detail. Focus on evaluating the candidate's approach to organizing and validating information rather than specific system knowledge.

How should we evaluate candidates who perform well in some exercises but not others?

Consider which competencies are most critical for your specific role and team needs. A candidate who excels at process improvement but needs development in technical skills might be appropriate if you have strong technical resources on your team already. Use the exercises to identify potential growth areas that could be addressed through training.

Can these exercises be conducted remotely?

Yes, all four exercises can be adapted for remote interviews using screen sharing, collaborative documents, and video conferencing. For the employee inquiry simulation, simply conduct the role play via video call. For technical exercises, use screen sharing or provide access to cloud-based tools.

How do we ensure these exercises don't disadvantage candidates from diverse backgrounds?

Review all exercise materials to ensure they're free from cultural bias and provide clear context that doesn't assume specific background knowledge. Allow candidates to ask clarifying questions before beginning, and focus evaluation on problem-solving approach and core competencies rather than familiarity with specific systems or terminology.

The hiring process for People Operations Specialists deserves the same level of care and strategic thinking that these professionals will bring to your organization. By incorporating these work sample exercises, you'll gain deeper insights into candidates' practical abilities and potential for success in this critical role.

Ready to take your hiring process to the next level? Yardstick offers AI-powered tools to help you create customized job descriptions, targeted interview questions, and comprehensive interview guides tailored to your specific needs. Learn more about how our tools can help you find the perfect People Operations Specialist by exploring our example job description.

Ready to build a complete interview guide for this role? Sign up for a free Yardstick account today!