HR as a Strategic Partner

• What are the primary products?
• What industry or industries is the company in?
• What are the competitive advantages of your products?
• What are the short and long-term plans for the company?
• What products are most profitable?
• What market share does the company have?
• Is the company growing or downsizing?
• How profitable is the company?
• Is the company planning to expand over the next 3-5 years?
• What are the top three strategic goals for the company?
• What do the CEO and COO want to accomplish over the next 5 years?
• What are the barriers to achieving the strategic goals?
• Have sales increased or decreased over the last 5 years?
• Is the company making a profit?“ What is the profit margin?
• Has the company profit increased over the last 5 years?
• Does the company have positive cash flow?
• Have expenses increased over the last 5 years?
• Have expenses as a percentage of sales increased over the last 5 years?
• What are the key internal financial reports used by the company?
• Do you know how to analyze the internal financial reports?
• Where can HR have the greatest impact on financial performance?

Your Industry

• What industry is the company in?
• Is the industry expanding or shrinking?

Your Customers

• Who are your key customers?
• Why do they buy from your company?
• How loyal are they to your company?
• What is the average purchase a customer makes?
• Are there categories of customers based on volume, size of order, etc.?

Your Competitors

• Who are the top three competitors in your industry?
• What is the market share of each competitor?
• What strengths does each competitor have?