Here is the list of top 10 Human Resource interview questions which are commonly asked in each and every HR interview.
HR Interview is almost the last round of selection process in any company or organization. When this stage comes, the first question comes in every job seekers mind is that what sort of questions will interviewer ask in the HR interview? Tackling the questions of the interviewer and putting them in clear sentences is a major and challenging task especially to the freshers who didn't has no prior experience.
Question 1. Tell me about yourself
Answer: It is the most often asked question in interviews and also the most tricky question. Start by telling why you are well qualified for the position. Remember, always match your educational & experience qualification to what the interviewer is looking for. In other words you should give information what the interviewer is looking for. Be careful that it should not seem rehearsed.
Question 2. What are your greatest strengths?
Answer: Number of answers are good to give, but in positive manner. Some good instances are:
About your problem solving skills, ability to work hard, professional expertise, leadership skills, positive attitude etc.
Question 3. Do you have any blind spots?
Answer: Disguise your strength as a weakness. Beware this is an eliminator question, designed to shorten the candidate list.
Question 4. Why should I hire you?
Answer: Try to know the interviewer’s greatest needs and demands, this question will give you advantage over other candidates and give him best facts for hiring you than someone else.
Question 5. Why did you leave your last job?
Answer: Always answer in a positive manner regarding reason. Never talk negatively or badly about your previous organization. If you do, you will cut a sorry figure. Give suitable reasons for leaving last job.
Question 6. Where do you see yourself five years from now?
Answer: Don’t be too specific. Make assure interviewer that you wanna make a long-term commitment with the organisation and this is the exact position you are looking for.
Question 7. Describe your management style?
Answer: Tell about some common labels as progressive or consensus etc. can have several meanings or descriptions depending on which management expert you listen to. The situational style is safe, and fits to all.
Question 8. Are you a team player?
Answer: Of course, I’m a team player. Always say this and should have examples ready. Tell that you often perform for the good of the team rather than mean is good evidence of your team attitude.
Question 9. How would you be an asset to our organization?
Answer: Highlight and let them know about your strengths. This is the exact question where you can win their heart and with confidence.
Question 10. Do you have any questions for me?
Answer: Always have some questions prepared for the interviewer. How soon will I be able to be join? Etc
So, tell me a little about yourself.
I'd be very surprised if you haven't been asked this one at every interview. It's probably the most asked question because it sets the stage for the interview and it gets you talking. Be careful not to give the interviewer your life story here. You don't need to explain everything from birth to present day. Relevant facts about education, your career and your current life situation are fine.2. Why are you looking (or why did you leave you last job)?
This should be a straightforward question to answer, but it can trip you up. Presumably you are looking for a new job (or any job) because you want to advance your career and get a position that allows you to grow as a person and an employee. It's not a good idea to mention money here, it can make you sound mercenary. And if you are in the unfortunate situation of having been downsized, stay positive and be as brief as possible about it. If you were fired, you'll need a good explanation. But once again, stay positive.3. Tell me what you know about this company.
Do your homework before you go to any interview. Whether it's being the VP of marketing or the mailroom clerk, you should know about the company or business you're going to work for. Has this company been in the news lately? Who are the people in the company you should know about? Do the background work, it will make you stand out as someone who comes prepared, and is genuinely interested in the company and the job.4. Why do you want to work at X Company?
This should be directly related to the last question. Any research you've done on the company should have led you to the conclusion that you'd want to work there. After all, you're at the interview, right? Put some thought into this answer before you have your interview, mention your career goals and highlight forward-thinking goals and career plans.5. What relevant experience do you have?
Hopefully if you're applying for this position you have bags of related experience, and if that's the case you should mention it all. But if you're switching careers or trying something a little different, your experience may initially not look like it's matching up. That's when you need a little honest creativity to match the experiences required with the ones you have. People skills are people skills after all, you just need to show how customer service skills can apply to internal management positions, and so on.6. If your previous co-workers were here, what would they say about you?
Ok, this is not the time for full disclosure. If some people from your past are going to say you're a boring A-hole, you don't need to bring that up. Stay positive, always, and maybe have a few specific quotes in mind. "They'd say I was a hard worker" or even better "John Doe has always said I was the most reliable, creative problem-solver he'd ever met."7. Have you done anything to further your experience?
This could include anything from night classes to hobbies and sports. If it's related, it's worth mentioning. Obviously anything to do with further education is great, but maybe you're spending time on a home improvement project to work on skills such as self-sufficiency, time management and motivation.8. Where else have you applied?
This is a good way to hint that you're in demand, without sounding like you're whoring yourself all over town. So, be honest and mention a few other companies but don't go into detail. The fact that you're seriously looking and keeping your options open is what the interviewer is driving at.9. How are you when you're working under pressure?
Once again, there are a few ways to answer this but they should all be positive. You may work well under pressure, you may thrive under pressure, and you may actually PREFER working under pressure. If you say you crumble like aged blue cheese, this is not going to help you get your foot in the door.10. What motivates you to do a good job?
The answer to this one is not money, even if it is. You should be motivated by life's noble pursuits. You want recognition for a job well done. You want to become better at your job. You want to help others or be a leader in your field.11. What's your greatest strength?
This is your chance to shine. You're being asked to explain why you are a great employee, so don't hold back and stay do stay positive. You could be someone who thrives under pressure, a great motivator, an amazing problem solver or someone with extraordinary attention to detail. If your greatest strength, however, is to drink anyone under the table or get a top score on Mario Kart, keep it to yourself. The interviewer is looking for work-related strengths.12. What's your biggest weakness?
If you're completely honest, you may be kicking yourself in the butt. If you say you don't have one, you're obviously lying. This is a horrible question and one that politicians have become masters at answering. They say things like "I'm perhaps too committed to my work and don't spend enough time with my family." Oh, there's a fireable offense. I've even heard "I think I'm too good at my job, it can often make people jealous." Please, let's keep our feet on the ground. If you're asked this question, give a small, work-related flaw that you're working hard to improve. Example: "I've been told I occasionally focus on details and miss the bigger picture, so I've been spending time laying out the complete project every day to see my overall progress."13. Let's talk about salary. What are you looking for?
Run for cover! This is one tricky game to play in an interview. Even if you know the salary range for the job, if you answer first you're already showing all your cards. You want as much as possible, the employer wants you for as little as you're willing to take. Before you apply, take a look at salary.com for a good idea of what someone with your specific experience should be paid. You may want to say, "well, that's something I've thought long and hard about and I think someone with my experience should get between X & Y." Or, you could be sly and say, "right now, I'm more interested in talking more about what the position can offer my career." That could at least buy you a little time to scope out the situation. But if you do have a specific figure in mind and you are confident that you can get it, I'd say go for it. I have on many occasions, and every time I got very close to that figure (both below and sometimes above).14. Are you good at working in a team?
Unless you have the I.Q. of a houseplant, you'll always answer YES to this one. It's the only answer. How can anyone function inside an organization if they are a loner? You may want to mention what part you like to play in a team though; it's a great chance to explain that you're a natural leader.15. Tell me a suggestion you have made that was implemented.
It's important here to focus on the word "implemented." There's nothing wrong with having a thousand great ideas, but if the only place they live is on your notepad what's the point? Better still, you need a good ending. If your previous company took your advice and ended up going bankrupt, that's not such a great example either. Be prepared with a story about an idea of yours that was taken from idea to implementation, and considered successful.16. Has anything ever irritated you about people you've worked with?
Of course, you have a list as long as your arm. But you can't say that, it shows you as being negative and difficult to work with. The best way to answer this one is to think for a while and then say something like "I've always got on just fine with my co-workers actually."17. Is there anyone you just could not work with?
No. Well, unless you're talking about murderers, racists, rapists, thieves or other dastardly characters, you can work with anyone. Otherwise you could be flagged as someone who's picky and difficult if you say, "I can't work with anyone who's a Bronco's fan. Sorry."18. Tell me about any issues you've had with a previous boss.
Arrgh! If you fall for this one you shouldn't be hired anyway. The interviewer is testing you to see if you'll speak badly about your previous supervisor. Simply answer this question with extreme tact, diplomacy and if necessary, a big fat loss of memory. In short, you've never had any issues.19. Would you rather work for money or job satisfaction?
It's not a very fair question is it? We'd all love to get paid a Trump-like salary doing a job we love but that's rare indeed. It's fine to say money is important, but remember that NOTHING is more important to you than the job. Otherwise, you're just someone looking for a bigger paycheck.20. Would you rather be liked or feared?
I have been asked this a lot, in various incarnations. The first time I just drew a blank and said, "I don't know." That went over badly, but it was right at the start of my career when I had little to no experience. Since then I've realized that my genuine answer is "Neither, I'd rather be respected." You don't want to be feared because fear is no way to motivate a team. You may got the job done but at what cost? Similarly, if you're everyone's best friend you'll find it difficult to make tough decisions or hit deadlines. But when you're respected, you don't have to be a complete bastard or a lame duck to get the job done.21. Are you willing to put the interests of X Company ahead of your own?
Again, another nasty question. If you say yes, you're a corporate whore who doesn't care about family. If you say no, you're disloyal to the company. I'm afraid that you'll probably have to say yes to this one though, because you're trying to be the perfect employee at this point, and perfect employees don't cut out early for Jimmy's baseball game.22. So, explain why I should hire you.
As I'm sure you know, "because I'm great" or "I really need a job" are not good answers here. This is a time to give the employer a laundry list of your greatest talents that just so happen to match the job description. It's also good to avoid taking potshots at other potential candidates here. Focus on yourself and your talents, not other people's flaws.23. Finally, do you have any questions to ask me?
I'll finish the way I started, with one of the most common questions asked in interviews. This directly relates to the research you've done on the company and also gives you a chance to show how eager and prepared you are. You'll probably want to ask about benefits if they haven't been covered already. A good generic one is "how soon could I start, if I were offered the job of course." You may also ask what you'd be working on. Specifically, in the role you're applying for and how that affects the rest of the company. Always have questions ready, greeting this one with a blank stare is a rotten way to finish your interview. Good luck and happy job hunting.Did you face any difficulty in finding this place?
The interviewer usually asks this question to initiate the talk and put the candidate to ease. You can smile and answer this question by saying: “It wasn’t difficult to find this place.”2. Tell me something about your self.
This is the most commonly asked first question in any interview and the one which can set a ground for rest of your interview. Include details like: Your education background (not beyond 12th standard), some information about your family – father’s profession, mother’s profession, number of siblings (no need to get into their educational details) and some information about your extracurricular activities or hobbies.3. Why does this role interest you? Or why have you applied for this job?
The purpose of this question is to see if you are really interested in this job or you applied to this job just because you are jobless. Relate the job requirements with your candidature and explain why do you believe you are a suitable candidate for this job.4. Why do you think should we take you for this job?
This is another way of asking the last question. A company will want to hire you if you can add some value to it. So, focus your answer on your skills and how they can be helpful for the position you are being interviewed for. Also, tell them about your ability to grasp new things quickly, adjust well into a team and flexible attitude. These are the qualities that employers usually seek in a fresh graduate.Remember to keep an example ready for each personal quality you offer.
5. Are you an Introvert or Extrovert?
Being on either of the extremes at work can be bad for you and the company. Your behaviour at work should be as per the requirement. To answer this question you can say something like: I behave as per the requirement of the situation. For e.g. If I am representing the company at an event which requires me to talk to a lot of people, I become an extrovert while if there is some serious issue under discussion, I think quietly and deeply on it.6. What is your greatest strength?
This is also one of the most commonly asked questions in any interview. Your answer to this question demonstrates your preparation for the interview. Your same set of strengths can not be an advantage in every interview. This needs you to tailor make your answer as per the requirement of the position you are being interviewed for.Before every interview, analyse the requirements of the role carefully and list out the qualities required to perform that role. Now, make a list of the qualities you have and match them with the requirements. You can offer these qualities as your strength for the role.
What do you want to achieve in the next 5 years?
This answer shows your ability to make plans for yourself, have an ambitious but realistic plan:• Say you would like to acquire certain skills and move up the ladder
• If you are interested in Management, say you would like to take up a part-time course/full time course in x years time
Are you willing to change your project/profile when required?
This is very important for a company, they want employees who are willing to change roles, to meet business demands, so the typical answer here is “Yes”. Say “I understand it will be in best interest of the business, if my manager wants me to develop my skills and take up another role.”What skills do you want to develop to succeed in this role?
Again talk about some key skills that are necessary for the role, this will show them that you are ready to learn and are aware of your shortcomings:• Tell them that you, as a fresher, have the ability but formal training to enhance your skills for a professional environment
Are you planning to go for further studies?
This answer needs to be answered tactfully, they want to know whether you are going to stay for long or you are just there to use their training resources and then say goodbye in 6 month’s time.• If you are pursuing further studies, say so. Tell them why you want to go for that course
• If you are taking up a distance education course or a part time course, they should know, as you will need to take leaves when you appear for exams
What newspaper/magazine/book do you read?
• Browse through the newspaper that morning they might ask you what was the front page headline, they might ask you your favorite columnists name• Same goes for the magazine, make sure you have read the last edition
• When giving names of books, remember the author(s) name(s) and be ready to give out some summary of the book
Introduce yourself
This question is usually the first question they HR might ask you. This question could form a basis for further discussion.• Discuss your family background in short
• Discuss your qualification
• Discuss your characteristics that will help you professionally
• Discuss your interest, hobbies
Tell me something about yourself that is no written in your resume.
If you missed out on some points while writing your resume this is your chance to discuss them:• Whenever talking about yourself, be confident, but not over confident.
• Do not praise yourself all the time
• You could discuss some personal traits or acheivements
Do you know anyone who works with this company?
It is fine if you do not know anyone, but if you know it will be good to give out the name:• This shows them about your level of interest, and it is human nature if you know someone who works there you will ask them for feedback about the company or the role
• They could ask that person for your reference
