HR interviews are usually tough as HR managers ask tricky interview questions for HR positions to save time and to figure out what kind of employee you really are, especially if you are applying for a position in the HR department. Sometimes, it also happens that even after an HR job hunter has rehearsed every anticipated question, there always seems to be an unexpected question from the HR that would somehow open the candidate’s hidden problems. So don’t miss the true intention of a seemingly harmless interview questions.
As Asia’s fastest growing HR company, we have listed some of the questions you might expect during an interview for a position in the HR department. You would surely enjoy reading this list of HR interview questions. These questions are simple yet vague enough to keep you on your toes. You may also notice some similar questions or ideas listed, but they are kept separate on purpose, as their meaning resonates differently to an experienced candidate and a fresher in HR.
So enjoy reading this huge list of HR interview questions for freshers and experienced candidates!
HR Interview Questions for Freshers
Freshers would always be a little anxious before an interview. The candidate needs to be well prepared and make a good initial impression, in order to set tone for the entire session. In an interview for an HR position, there is no right or wrong answer. You have to know just the right way of answering such interview questions for HR positions.
So some basic tips for freshers to keep in mind before the interview:
1) Be prepared.
2) Be punctual.
3) Be professional.
4) Be polite.
5) Be confident.
6) Be positive.
7) Be practical.
Here are some interview questions which are expected to be asked during your HR interview:
1) Can you speak more about yourself?
2) What do you think are your greatest strengths at work?
3) What is the one thing that you want to improve about yourself?
4) Where would you be in five years from now?
5) Have you ever faced a challenging situation? How did you deal with it?
6) Give me three reasons proving you deserve this job?
7) What kind of hobbies and interests do you possess?
8) Can you talk about a person who inspires you and why?
9) Are you willing to change your role and profile when required for a project?
10) What are your plans for the future in terms of higher education?
11) Why would you choose this organization and not someone else?
12) Tell me the one thing that you like about our company?
13) What are the kind of expectations you have from your first job?
14) How much would you value integrity in your work?
15) Can you tell us something about your family and your growing up days?
HR Interview Questions for Experienced Candidates
Experienced candidates are grilled more than the freshers. Being a part of HR is about being a great people’s person and human resources professional realizes this importance. Therefore, if you come with experience, you are expected to know better. Here is a structured list of various types of questions you might have to go through during your, possibly intimidating, interview for an HR position.
General HR Interview Questions:
1) Can you talk about your life in a summary?
2) Why would you choose to work here and not somewhere else?
3) Do you take yourself to be successful?
4) Can you share your salary expectations?
5) Can you share your greatest strengths?
6) Can you share your greatest weakness?
7) Can you work well in a team? Please share some of your strategies for executing good team work?
8) How will you prove to be an asset to this organization?
9) Can you talk about the kind of ethics you follow at work?
10) Will you be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines?
Screening Interviews:
1. How committed do you think you will be to this position?
2. Can you describe yourself in under a minute?
3. Tell me why did you decide to leave your last job?
4. Do you know what this company is into?
Analytical Questions:
1) Describe how you handle yourself when you are stressed or under pressure. Talk about a tough situation you found yourself in with a co-worker or manager and how you handled that particular situation.
2) Describe a position you have held where your problem-solving skills were regularly tested.
3) Can you talk about a few significant types of decisions you’ve had to make in your past job?
4) Can you share with me a time when you had to quickly analyze a situation and make a quick decision?
5) Give me one example of a time when you had to quickly analyze a situation and make a quick decision.
6) How would you manage two projects that require your time?
Personal Development Questions:
1) How does this particular position and job fit in with your career goals?
2) How do you keep yourself updated about your current job and the HR industry?
3) Do you have a method or a strategy to measure the quality of your work?
4) Can you share a few of your aspirations beyond this job?
5) Share some of the steps you initiated that helped in multiplying your skills?
Initiative Questions:
1) Do you initiate or add quality to your work? Have you done so in the past?
2) How have you kept up with professional development over the last three years?
3) Describe a project/experience that you found enjoyable and demanding?
4) If you were asked to step in your boss’ shoes for a couple of months, how would you go about it?
Offbeat Questions:
1) Can you give me a list of five things that make you nervous?
2) If you want to bring your dog to work but one of your team members is allergic to dogs, what would you do?
3) Describe HRMS to a seven-year-old.
4) If you found 10 million dollars that belongs to nobody, what would you do?
5) How many ways do you think there are to find a needle in a haystack?
6) If you were into sales, what would you spend more time on, achieving your sales target or creating a good customer experience?
7) What has surprised you about the interview process so far?
In most interviews, your behavioral skills would be ascertained. And you will often not even be aware of the exact behavior or behavioral history that the HR manager is probing for. Read the books for HR interview questions and answers, do your research and keep this article handy for interview questions for HR positions. We hope you’ll make it through the lion’s ring. We will soon publish a PDF and PPT with HR interview questions for you. Keep watching this space for that PDF & PPT.
If you have any other ideas about HR interview questions, please feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.
Good Luck!
