HR interview questions are an important point of discussion for every job aspirant. In the initial screening phase of the selection process in an interview, the interviewer or an HR professional will ask candidates a set of HR interview questions; these can be general HR questions or basic HR questions. The objective of these questions is to know the candidate’s basic skills and interest in the job role and to clarify various points about the candidate’s application and resume.
What can the candidate expect from an HR interview?
During an associate hr interview question round, the candidate can expect high-level, general HR interview questions on themselves, their past work expertise, and their motive for searching for a new position. The candidate can expect to receive questions that suggest their aptitudes and competencies; however, these do not go too in-depth regarding role-specific responsibilities.
The candidate can expect to be asked these HR round interview questions:
• What is their expected salary?
• What are their achievements?
• Why are they searching for a replacement role?
• Why are they leaving their current company?
• What are they searching for in the new opportunity?
• How they may perform in the new environment?
• How have they functioned in their former environment?
• How have they handled conflict with coworkers?
• How have they handled hard-hitting situations?
• What are their objectives in life?
The HR interview round can even cover the company’s advantages, work hours, and organizational structure.
Is the HR round of the interview process important?
Yes, the HR interview round is a very important round within the hiring process, not just a mere formality. It is, in fact, an extremely vital step within the hiring process and sometimes is crucial in determining whether or not you get to maneuver forward in the recruitment process.
This is very true for large companies, where your HR representative becomes an ally throughout the hiring process. They are your point of contact for each question and concern you would possibly have as you progress from round to round.
Every job aspirant is keen to know these HR interview questions in order to prepare well for their interview. Some of the general HR questions for interview or questions asked in HR interview are mentioned in this article below-
Question. Tell me something about yourself
Whenever a candidate appears in any kind of interview this is the first and the very basic HR question asked by the interviewer. Through this general HR interview question, the interviewer wants to check how well a candidate can present himself or herself. Through this, the interviewer gets an idea about the candidate’s confidence level and interest in the job role.
Tips to answer this question-
The Candidate should answer this question very frankly and should not hesitate. The candidate should mention his achievements. He/She should show confidence in his or her voice. The candidate should not just summarize their resume and should avoid mentioning their place of birth and other personal details unless required.
Question. Why are you interested in this position/ role?
One of the basic questions asked in an HR interview to a candidate is, why is he or she interested in the position or that particular role? This question helps the interviewer to know if you are only interested in a particular role or are also open to other roles offered by the company as well.
Tips to answer this question-
While answering this HR question the candidate should be very specific and on point. The candidate should highlight his or her interest in the particular role and if he or she is also interested in other roles. The candidate should never mention that he or she is interested in any particular role just because the pay scale is better than other roles. Salary or the pay scale should never be the factor to be interested in any job or role. The candidate should use words from the job posting to emphasize their interest and should show enthusiasm for the company and the role it is offering.
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Question. Why are you leaving your current job or why did you leave your previous job?
If a candidate was already working and is switching his or her job for whatever reason may be, the interviewer will surely pose this HR interview question to him or her. The purpose behind this is to know in-depth the reason for the candidate to switch the job.
Tips to answer this question-
As an answer to this question, the candidate should mention skill development and career growth as a reason to switch or change jobs. The candidate should never criticize his current job role, boss, or the company he/she is/was working in, rather he/she should appreciate and talk positively about them; this speaks a lot about how a person is and what their character is. but the candidate should keep in mind not to over-praise as this will make the HR interviewer wonder as to why the candidate is even leaving or has left his or her previous job if he/she was satisfied enough. Under no circumstance, the candidate should mention a low salary as a reason for switching or leaving the job.
Question. What are your hobbies and interests?
To know the candidate more, the next HR interview question which the interviewer will pose is about the hobbies and interests of the candidate. This question helps the interviewer to know what type of person the candidate is outside of their professional life, and whether they prefer activities like gaming, reading, drawing, etc.
Tips to answer this question-
While answering this HR interview question, the candidate should be very frank and just speak about his or her interest. The candidate should keep in mind to not speak just anything in order to impress the interviewer. For example, if the candidate does not know how to play the guitar and is not interested in music, he or she should not say that they know it or they are interested in it. It is because there are chances that the interviewer might ask the candidate to do so right then and there or just put up another question about the topic to which the candidate might not have an answer. This can be embarrassing and can portray a bad image of the candidate to the interviewers.
Question. What are your strengths?
This is one of the most basic HR interview questions asked in an interview. This kind of HR interview question is often asked by the interviewer in order to check how the candidate can use his plus points or talents to give benefits to the company.
Tips to answer this question-
While giving an answer to this HR interview question, the candidate or the job aspirant should stick to job-related or work-related strength and should not speak about his/her personal life. The candidate should tell key points about him/her which he/she applies to his or her work and which gives benefits to the company as a whole.
Question. What are your weaknesses?
This is another similar HR interview question like the one mentioned just above. This question is often asked by an interviewer to check how well you identify and accept your flaws.
Tips to answer this question-
While answering this question, the candidate needs to be very accepting. The employer is always looking for a candidate who admits his weak points and works on them to become better rather than ignoring and not accepting them. The candidate should be honest in his answer no matter what his or her weaknesses are and should accept them.
Question. What are your aims and objectives in life?
This is another very common HR interview question which the candidates come across during an interview. This question is generally asked by the interviewer to know the candidate’s short-term and long-term goals in life.
Tips to answer this question-
A person’s goals and objectives in life speak a lot about him or her. While answering this question the candidate should sound real and not fictional. The candidate should first mention his or her short-term goals in life, personal and professional, and after that should mention his or her long-term goals and objectives in life.
Question. What are your achievements?
This is yet another HR interview question that a candidate will most probably come across in an interview. The motive behind asking this question is to know if a candidate has achieved anything special in his or her personal or professional life.
Tips to answer this question-
This question can be asked to the candidate in different ways – what are his or her achievements in life? or what is a thing he or she is proud of is? While answering this question, the candidate should strictly stick to professional and work-related achievements. The candidate should never make up anything which he or she has not achieved at work as the interviewer will come to know it during a later stage when they conduct a background check. The candidate can highlight achievements at the school or college level or in the previous workplace.
Question. Name someone who is your idol?
This HR interview question is often posed by many interviewers. The motive behind asking this question to the candidate is to figure out what type of people he or she follows. As we all know, our personality and way of thought can be easily determined by evaluating the type of people we admire.
Tips to answer this question-
While answering this question, the candidate should strictly stick to professional life and should tell about anyone he or she admires in the field they want to work at. A candidate can also mention people who they admire and who have done something extraordinary for our country/ world/ environment or have achieved something great in their life. The person can be of any field and not necessarily from the same field as the candidate.
Question. Are you applying for other jobs also?
This is yet another important common HR question which a candidate might come across. The purpose of this question is very specific. The interviewer wants to know if the candidate admits that he has applied to other places or companies. This question is also made to check the candidate’s honesty level, whether the candidate reveals or hides the truth about his applications in other job roles, in case he or she has applied for any.
Tips to answer this question-
While answering this question, the candidate should be honest. The candidate should never say that they did not apply to another company or position in case they have done so. The candidate should be clear about his applications in any other role or firm.
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Question. Why should we hire you?
The motive behind this HR interview question is to check where the candidate stands different from other candidates, or in other words, the interviewer wants the candidates to highlight the points which make them stand out in the crowd and present them as the right fit for the job role.
Tips to answer this question-
While answering this question, the candidate should tell their qualifications and highlight the points which make them unique and different from others. In order to praise oneself, the candidate should never defame or try to put others down. Candidates should just focus on their qualities which make them stand out in the crowd.
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Question. How do you deal with stress, pressure, and anxiety?
This is yet another question asked in HR interviews and comes up in an interview in order to test the candidate’s mental capacity to handle professional pressures. It is a basic HR interview question asked to judge how well a candidate can handle job-related stress and pressure.
Tips to answer this question-
Like any other answer, the candidate should be honest here also. A candidate should never boast about something he cannot do or is poor at. If a candidate feels afraid or anxious due to job-related pressure or stress, he or she should be open about it. The candidate should not be ashamed of admitting and asking for help in this case.
Question. What do you know about this company/position/vacancy?
Now, this is yet another common HR question that is put up in order to check a candidate's level of interest in the company and the position he/she has applied for. An interviewer is always looking for a candidate who has the purpose or desire to do any work rather than just merely applying for a job.
Tips to answer this question-
The best way to answer this question is to have done prior research. By doing some research about the company, the candidate can easily answer from where and how he or she came to know about the company and/or the position. The candidate should also not concoct the answer and/or make it look dramatic but should be honest and real while answering.
Question. How would you improve our current product or service?
Through this HR interview question, an interviewer wants to know whether the candidate is innovative, whether he or she is a quick-thinker, and whether they will bring new ideas to the table.
Tips to answer this question-
The candidate just needs to show some creativity and planning in advance will help. The candidate should consider potential problems they might be experiencing with their product or service, and how his or her unique skill set can fill that void. The candidate should be honest and brief about the product’s feedback and review and should also focus on how he or she can help the company make the improvement and mention how this change can help the company grow in the future.
The candidate should not be very hateful towards the product or should not call it bad or criticize it continually. He/she should also remember not to make too many praises for the competitor’s product.
Question. What will be your next step if you do not get selected?
When this HR question is asked most of the candidates imagine in their mind that they will not be selected or are not selected in the interview. But this is not always the case. This HR interview question is put forward by the interviewer in order to check how fast a candidate can lose his confidence and hope.
Tips to answer this question-
While answering this question, the candidate should smile and never show disappointment or that he will lose hope if he or she will not be selected. The candidate should show the same amount of confidence, enthusiasm, and energy she reflected in the entire HR interview process while answering this question. If the candidate loses confidence and shows disappointment, the interviewer easily catches it that he or she is not a person who can deal with tough or sad situations.
Question. Where do you see yourself in five years?
This question is usually asked by the HR professional to understand one’s career aspirations and to check whether this company is the right place for the candidate to grow or not. In many ways, this question works as a temperature check to ensure that this is a field the candidate will like to stay on in the future.
Tips to answer this question-
The candidate should refer his or her answer to the job role and how they feel they can grow in the company. The candidate should be realistic and specific in their answer. Mentioning words from the job description is important in the answer. The candidate should highlight how he or she can help the company grow in near future. The candidate should not be non-committal; he/she should display commitment and stability. The candidate should not indicate that they are hoping to leave the company for a better one or that this role is just a stepping stone for them.
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Question. What questions do you have for me or the company?
This HR interview question also has its own purpose just like any other basic HR round interview question. The interviewer asks the candidate this question to check if the candidate speaks up. If the candidate puts up no question for the interviewer or the company that would be a mistake. Asking some thoughtful, smart, strategic questions reflects the candidate’s interest in the job role, as well as his or her potential value as a future employee. The interviewer wants to hire candidates who will ask questions and move the company forward, and this cannot happen if the candidate just accepts everything as-is and does not enquire about anything.
At this point when the interviewer asks the candidate to put up any question, the candidate should consider what his or her genuine concerns and doubts are regarding the role or the company. The candidate might ask the interviewer questions similar to:
● What are the values of this company?
● What characteristics do they look for in candidates in order to represent those values?
● What do they (the HR) enjoy most about working in this Company?
The candidate can also ask any other question on any topic regarding which he or she might have any doubt.
Ultimately, an interview is not just about allowing an HR professional to form an opinion about the candidate or job aspirant, it's also a chance for the candidate to gauge whether he or she even wants to work for the company. Asking questions to the interviewer about the company or role can clear many doubts a candidate might have regarding the job role or the company. So the candidate should use this last question to their advantage to clear any doubts they have.
Wrapping up
Preparing for these HR interview questions is sometimes tricky. Job aspirants sometimes miss great employment opportunities coming their way because of a lack of knowledge about practice in general HR interview questions. It is in such situations that we can help.
If you are a job aspirant who is looking to prepare for HR interview questions, then you are at the right place. Your search ends here.
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Simply visit our website and get in touch with us. Or, just provide us with your requirements and one of our executives will get in touch with you shortly.
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Author Bio:
Prosenjit Mukherjee, General Manager & Head of HR at SCIKEY
Prosenjit have almost 16 years of Global HR and Talent Acquisition experience in mass recruitment, executive search hiring, employee engagement, policymaking, 360-degree Appraisal Mechanism, Trust Index Performance Management, Learning & Development, Virtual Performance Dashboards, Talent Certifications, Change management, Social media management, and Marketing.
He has taken part in many CEO and HR conclaves globally, whereas he has shared his views on leadership and growth. Prosenjit has coached and mentored HR managers on managing business operations, HRBP role, operations, and financial growth management.
During his career, he has worked with top fortune companies, renowned BPOs of Globe, premier IT organization. Prosenjit has received several rewards and felicitations from CEOs and MDs for extraordinary achievements. He had the opportunity to share stages with TedEx speakers.
