HR Interview Questions

1. TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF.

Because this is often the opening question in an interview, be very careful that you don’t run off at the mouth. Keep your answer to a minute or two at most.

Cover four topics: early years, education, work history, and recent career experience. Emphasize this last subject. Remember that this is just a warm-up question. Don’t waste your best points on it.

2. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION?

You should be able to discuss products or services, revenues, reputation, image, goals problems, management style, people, history, and philosophy. But don’t act as if you know everything about the place. Let your answer show that you have taken the time to do some research, but don’t try to overwhelm the interviewer, and make it clear that you wish to learn more.

Give your answer a positive tone. Don’t say. “Well, everyone tells me that the company’s in heaps of trouble and that’s why I’m here”– even if that is why you’re there.

3. WHY DO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR US?

The deadliest answer you can give is “Because I like people”. Here, and throughout the interview, a good answer comes from having done your homework so you can speak in terms of the company’s needs. You might say your research has shown that the company is doing things you would like to be involved with and it’s doing them in ways that interest you. For example, if the organization is known for strong management, your answer should mention that fact and show that you would like to be a part of that team. If the company places a great deal of emphasis on research and development; emphasize the fact that you want to create new things and that you know this to be a place in which inventiveness is encouraged. If the organization stresses financial controls, your answer should mention a reverence for numbers.

4. WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR US THAT SOMEONE ELSE CAN’T?

Here you have every right, and perhaps obligation to toot your own horn and be a bit egotistical. Talk about your record of getting things done, and mention specifics from your resume or inventory of career accomplishments. Say that your skills and interest, combined with a history of getting results, makes you valuable. Mention your ability to set priorities, identify problems, and use your experience and energy to solve them.

5. WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST ATTRACTIVE ABOUT THIS POSITION? WHAT SEEMS LEAST ATTRACTIVE ABOUT IT?

List three or four attractive features of the job, and mention a single, minor, unattractive item.

6. WHY SHOULD WE HIRE YOU?

Create your answer by thinking in terms of your ability, your experience, and your energy. (See Question 4)

7. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A JOB?

Keep your answer oriented to opportunities at the organization. Talk about your desire to perform and be recognized for your contributions. Orient your answer toward opportunities rather than personal security.

8. PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR DEFINITON OF THE POSITION FOR WHICH YOU ARE BEING INTERVIEWED.

Keep your answer brief and task-oriented. Think in terms of responsibilities and accountability. Make sure that you really do understand what the position involves before you attempt an answer. If you aren’t certain, ask the interviewer; he or she may answer the question for you.

9. HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE YOU TO MAKE A MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTION TO OUR FIRM?

Be realistic. Say that, while you would expect to meet pressing demands and pull your own weight from the first day, it might take six months to a year before you could expect to know the organization and its needs well enough to make a major contribution.

10. HOW LONG WOULD YOU STAY WITH US?

Say that you are interested in a career with the organization, but admit that you would have to continue to feel challenged to remain with any organization. Think in terms of “As long as we both feel achievement-oriented.”

11. YOUR RESUME SUGGESTS THAT YOU MAY BE OVERQUALIFIED OR TOO EXPERIENCED FOR THIS POSITON. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Emphasize your interest in establishing a long-term association with the organization, and say that you assume that if you perform well in this job, new opportunities will open up for you.

Mention that a strong company needs a strong staff. Observe that experienced individuals are always at a premium. Suggest that because you are so well qualified, the company will get a fast return on its investment. Say that a growing, energetic company can never have too much talent.

12. WHAT IS YOUR MANAGEMENT STYLE?

You should know enough about the company’s style to know that your management style will complement it. Possible styles include: task-oriented (“I enjoy problem solving, identifying what’s wrong, choosing a solution, and implementing it”); or results-oriented (“Every decision I make is determined by how it will affect the bottom line”). The participative style is also popular: an open-door method of managing in which you get things done by motivating people and delegating responsibility.

13. ARE YOU A GOOD MANAGER? CAN YOU GIVE ME SOME EXAMPLES? DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU HAVE TOP-MANAGEMENT POTENTIAL?

Keep your answer achievement and task-oriented. Rely on examples from your career to support your statements. Stress your experience and your energy.

14. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR WHEN YOU HIRE PEOPLE?

Think in terms of skills, initiative and the adaptability to be able to work comfortably and productively with others. Mention that you like to hire people who appear capable of moving up in an organization.

15. HAVE YOU EVER HAD TO FIRE PEOPLE? WHAT WERE THE REASONS, AND HOW DID YOU HANDLE THE SITUATION?

Admit that the situation wasn’t easy, but say that it worked out well, both for the company and, you think, for the individual or individuals involved. Explain that, like anyone else, you don’t enjoy unpleasant tasks but that you can resolve them efficiently and in the case of firing someone, humanely.

16. WHAT IMPORTANT TRENDS DO YOU SEE IN OUR INDUSTRY?

Be prepared with two or three trends that illustrate how well you understand your industry. You might consider technological challenges or opportunities, economic conditions, the current competitive situation, or even regulatory demands related to the direction in which our business is heading.

17. WHAT ARE THE FRONTIERS OR CUTTING EDGE ISSUES IN OUR INDUSTRY?

Be prepared with two or three key issues.

18. WHY ARE YOU LEAVING (DIDYOU LEAVE) YOUR PRESENT (LAST) POSITION?

Be brief, to the point, and as honest as you can without hurting yourself. If you were laid off in a staff reduction, say so; otherwise indicate that the move was your decision, the result of your desire to advance your career. Don’t mention personality conflicts.

The interviewer may spend some time probing you on this issue. Don’t fabricate a story for an interview; even in today’s reference-shy climate, your story might be checked.

19. IN YOUR CURRENT (LAST) POSITION, WHAT FEATURES DO (DID) YOU LIKE THE MOST? LIKE THE LEAST?

Be careful and be positive. Describe more features that you liked than disliked. Don’t cite personality problems. If you make your last job sound terrible, an interviewer may wonder why you’ve remained there until now or whether you have an attitude problem that would be likely to show up in a new job too.

20. IN YOUR CURRENT (LAST) POSITION, WHAT HAVE BEEN (WERE) YOUR FIVE MOST SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS?

Have specific examples ready. If you’re asked for five examples, don’t cite ten. If you want to show that you were responsible for more than five major achievements, you can say, “I’ve given you the five that seem most important to me. There are others, if you’d like to hear about some other areas of my work.” Then, if the interviewer asks for additional accomplishments, you can give them without appearing to boast.

21. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR (FORMER) BOSS?

Be as positive as you can. A potential boss will anticipate that you might talk about him or her in similar terms at some point in the future.

22. WOULD YOU DESCRIBE A FEW SITUATIONS IN WHICH YOUR WORK WAS CRITICIZED?

Be specific. Don’t be emotional. Think in terms of constructive criticism. Show that you responded positively and benefited from the criticism.

23. IF I SPOKE WITH YOUR (FORMER) BOSS, WHAT WOULD HE OR SHE SAY ARE YOUR GREATEST STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES?

Name three or four strengths and only one weakness; be honest but not negative.

24. CAN YOU WORK UNDER PRESSURE AND DEAL WITH DEADLINES?

Observe that both are facts of business life. Take examples from your list of accomplishments to show how you have dealt successfully with pressure and deadlines in the past.

25. DID YOU CHANGE THE NATURE OF YOUR JOB?

Tell how you improved it.

26. DO YOU PREFER STAFF OR FIELD WORK?

Say that it depends on the job and its challenges.

27. IN YOUR PRESENT (LAST) POSITION, WHAT PROBLEMS DID YOU IDENTIFY THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN OVERLOOKED?

Be brief and don’t brag. Indicate the positive changes your suggestions or leadership resulted in.

28. IF YOU COULD CHOOSE ANY JOB AT ANY COMPANY, WHERE YOU GO?

Talk about the job and company for which you are being interviewed.

29. WHAT DO YOU FEEL THIS POSITION SHOULD PAY?

Salary is a delicate topic. We suggest that you defer tying yourself to a precise figure for as long as you can do so politely. You might say, “I understand that the range for this job is between $XX and $YY. That seems appropriate for the job as I understand it.” You might answer the question with a question: “Perhaps you can help me on this one. Can you tell me if there is a range for similar jobs in the organization?

If you’re asked the question during an initial screening interview, you might say that you feel you need to know more about the responsibilities involved before giving a meaningful answer. Here too, either by asking the interviewer or doing research during your investigation of the company, you can try to find out whether there is a salary grade attached to the job. If there is, and if you can live with it, say that the range seems right to you.

If the interviewer continues to probe, you might say, “You know that I’m making $XX now. Like everyone else, I’d like to improve on that figure, but my major interest is in the job itself”.

If no price range is attached to the job and the interviewer continues to press the subject, then you will have to respond with a number. You can’t leave the impression that it doesn’t really matter, that you’ll accept whatever is offered.

Don’t sell yourself short, but continue to stress the fact that the job itself is the most important thing in your mind. The interviewer may be trying to determine just how much you want the job. Don’t leave the impression that money is the only thing that is important to you. Link questions of salary to the work itself.

But, whenever possible, say as little as you can about salary until you reach the final stage of the interviewing process. At this point, you know the company is genuinely interested in you and they are more likely to be flexible in salary negations.

30. WHAT OTHER JOBS OR COMPANIES ARE YOU CONSIDERING?

Restrict your answer to fields that are similar to the one in which this company operates.

31. WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? MOVIE YOU SAW? SPORTING EVENT YOU ATTENDED?

Try to show that you lead a balanced life when answering questions about outside activities.

32. ARE YOU CREATIVE?

Be prepared with work-related examples of creativity.

33. DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A LEADER?

Take examples from your work experience.

34. WHAT ARE YOUR LONG-RANGE GOALS?

Refer back to the self-assessment phase of your career continuation efforts. Don’t answer, “I want the job you’ve advertise.” Relate your goals to the company you’re interviewing for: “in a firm like yours, I would like to….”

35. WHAT ARE YOUR STRONG POINTS?

Present at least three. Use concrete, work related examples to illustrate them. Try to relate your answer to the interviewing organization and the specific job opening.

36. WHAT ARE YOUR WEAK POINTS?

Don’t say that you have none. But try to make a negative sound like a strength carried just a bit too far: “I sometimes get impatient and become too deeply involved when a project is running late”

Don’t offer a list of weaknesses. A good interviewer is likely to press you a bit by saying, “Is there something else?” You might answer, “No, I don’t think so on that topic.” If the interviewer persists, come up with a second weakness, but only if you are asked for it. Don’t offer negative information unnecessarily. If the interviewer continues on and asks for a third weakness, say politely that you really can’t think of anything else.

Finally, show that you are working to correct your weaknesses.

37. IF YOU COULD START YOUR CAREER AGAIN, WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?

38.

The best answer is, “Not a thing”. You should try to present yourself as an individual who is happy with his or her life. You’ve enjoyed its ups and downs. You would not, as a result, want to change the things that brought you to where you are today. Mention that it is your past; after all, that has prepared you for this position.

38. WHAT CAREER OPTIONS DO YOU HAVE AT THIS MOMENT?

You should try to identify three areas of interest, one of which includes this company and job. The other two should be in related fields.

39. HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?

Think in terms of a sense of well-being. Consider opportunity and responsibility as components of success.

40. HOW SUCCESSFUL DO YOU THINK YOU’VE BEEN SO FAR?

Say that, all in all, you’re happy with the way your career has progressed. Give the normal ups and downs of life, you feel that you’ve done quite well and expect to continue to succeed in the future. Present a positive and confident picture of yourself, don’t overstate your case. An answer like “Everything’s wonderful; I’m overjoyed!” is likely to make an interviewer wonder whether you’re trying to fool him or yourself. The most convincing confidence is usually quite confidence.