Frequently asked questions in HR interview

Frequently Asked HR questions

In this weblog, I will be discussing the frequently  asked questions in the HR interview. 

Introduction:

There are three types of interview questions.

1. Technical 

2. Analytical 

3. Behavioral 

Technical questions are related to coding, programming, database management system etc.

Analytical questions are related to problem solving questions like how many balls can fit in a box or how will you divide four parts of an apple equally to 5 members. So these kinds of questions are asked to check your problem solving and decision making skills.

Behavioral questions are asked to check how you handle work situations. It may be in your education or in your previous work.  In the interview process, 60% to 70% of the questions are behavioral questions. This is how the interviewer will check if you are the right fit for the job.

The most frequently asked HR related questions are:

1. Tell me about yourself?

Most of the interview starts with this question only. By asking this question the interviewer wants to assess the candidate on his/her communication skills and also to assess what is most important to you.

The answer should include:

• Your experiences, education details.
• Your achievements, best work you have done, your certification details and your projects.
• Why you are applying for the job and how well you fit the job. 

Sample answer: (You have to prepare your own answer. This is just an example)

“Good morning. 

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to tell about myself. I am Sairam. I am a confident hard working engineering graduate specialized in Computer Science Engineering with an overall CGPA of 8.5. I also have completed Python and Bigdata courses in addition to the degree courses and also developed my final year project <"Project Name”> using python. I am a certified professional in “Java Programming”. I am from a nuclear family. My strengths are my confidence and patience. This is all about me. Thank you.”

2. Why should we hire you?

The purpose this question is that the interviewer wants to know 

1. If you have the skills required for the job. 

2. How is your attitude or behavior towards work?

3. How you outperform when compared to other people already attending the interview. So you need to justify that you match their job skills and expectations.

The answer should include:

• Your understanding of the job requirements.
• Your careful understanding of what skills the company is looking for?
• Give examples supporting your answer.
• How you are different from other people, like you can mention that you are good team player, fast learner etc.

For e.g.: If you are applying for a web designer post which demands good communication skills, then this is how your answer should be:

Sample answer: (You have to prepare your own answer. This is just an example)

“From your job description, I understand that you are looking for a Web designer with good communication skills and technical skills. I am an effective communicator and presenter. I am proficient and certified in softwares related to Web designing.

I organized a national level seminar in our college and I was in charge of all the communications and queries related to the seminar. I handled all the queries in an empathetic manner and was appreciated from the management for my smart work. I also designed a web page for my college site and got appreciation from my peers and management for my good work.”

3. What are  your strengths and weaknesses?

The purpose of the question is that the interviewer wants to know two things :

1. To check if you know your strengths and focus on what you need to do.
2. To check if you acknowledge your weakness so that you can work on improving them. 

So how to answer Strengths?

“ I am a fast learner. I have worked on different projects. I am very curious to learn new things every day and I actively seek feedback to keep me growing. 

Other strengths that can be mentioned are adaptability, hard working, flexibility, self-motivated etc.”

How to answer Weaknesses?

Think about what you are not good at and what initiative you have taken to improve.

 For example, 

“I am not good at time management because of that I cut too close to my deadlines. To overcome that, I started using certain techniques like posting posts on my laptop, organized  my calendars to include my daily plan and goals so that I started prioritizing my work effectively and stick to deadlines.”

4. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

The purpose of this question is

1. To know your career goals.

2. How long you will stay in their company.

3. Your vision, ambitions and career plans. 

4. To understand if your ambitions or career goals align to the job they are offering.

How to answer this question:

Answer the question stating your action plans. Break the answers into short term and long term goals. Make sure you solely focus on your goals. Project how excited you are to learn new skills and help the company in future.

Also mention the set of actions you will take to achieve your goals.

Sample answer: (You have to prepare your own answer. This is just an example)

“I would like to invest my time and expertise in this job for a couple of years to improve my skills and abilities after which I like to take up additional responsibilities and help others with my expertise. Once I have established my credibility and understand the company’s work culture and protocol, I would like to take up the next role where I can build my own strategies for the projects and teams”.

5. Why do you want this job or why you want to work in this company?

The purpose of this question is that the interviewer wants to know

1. Why you want this job in particular?

2. What motivates you to work in the company?

Sample answer: (You have to prepare your own answer. This is just an example)

“<“ABC” > is a reputed company. A friend of mine who is working in this company has given a good feedback on the company's culture and work life balance. I heard that the company encourages learning and development and rewards hard work and commitment. Also I noticed on your website that you are planning to launch new projects in the upcoming years and I would like to be a part of those projects and growth and use my expertise for the development of the company.”

6.Tell me about the challenges you have faced. 

The purpose of the question is the interviewer wants to know your 

1. Problem solving skills. 

2. How you handle stress.

How to answer this question:

Use the STAR ((S- Situation, T- Task, A- Action, R- Result) technique to answer this question. 

Tell about the challenge you faced and mention the action plans you followed to overcome the problem and tell about what you learnt out of the challenge or problem.

Sample answer: (You have to prepare your own answer. This is just an example)

"In our final year, a team of 4 members were to give a presentation on Big Data Analytics in a conference. However one of our team mates unfortunately got his leg fractured. As we have picked up a specific topic to speak individually, the sudden addition of content had put a lot of pressure on us because it has taken us months to prepare. But we don’t want to miss this opportunity. So I have taken up the extra responsibility of filling his topic too. Thanks to my team’s efforts and proactivity, our team managed to successfully complete the presentation and also was awarded for our best performance.”

7. What is your expected salary?

The purpose of the question is the interviewer wants to 

1. Check your confidence on your skills.

2. Every company has a budget for the salary and they want to know if they can afford you.

The way you answer this question will decide whether you will get you offer or not.

How to answer this question:

• Know your skills and abilities.
• Understand the job requirements and company's profile.
• Research on the industry standards for salary for different locations.

Sample answer: (You have to prepare your own answer. This is just an example)

“Since I am a fresher, I am looking forward to get started with building my career. I am passionate about your company and I believe that the company will provide me opportunities to get hands on experience. I also believe that the company will provide me a salary based on the industry standards for a fresher. Being a part of your company and learning is more important for me.”

8. Do you have any question for me?

The purpose of the question is that the interviewer wants to 

1. Know if you are really interested in the job they offer.

2. It also gives you an opportunity to understand if the job they offer is the right one for your          expectations.

How to answer this question:

• Ask job related and company related questions.
• Discuss about the trainings they offer once you get the offer.
• Ask about your career path in the company, their  work culture etc.
• You can also question the interviewer about his/her experience in the company, his/her roles and responsibilities etc.

Note: 

• Don’t use too many questions. Wrap it up and end with a positive note.
• Don’t ask questions related to salary or your performance in the interview.
• Don’t say that you don’t have any questions to ask because it shows that you don’t bother about the job.