How to prepare for HR Interview: 5 Questions asked in HR Interview

How to prepare for HR Interview: Top 5 HR interview questions and their answers

HR Interview is one of the most crucial yet tricky part of the interview process

The HR interview is the very first and the determining factor for securing the job. It usually decides how far you, as an interview candidate, will go in the interview process. Thus, HR interview is the significant step to secure the job position. Any interviewer from the HR department usually ask usual and general questions. These questions help them in understand your strengths and weaknesses and also highlights your skill set. In order to perform well in the HR interview, you must always do a good homework and practice and then proceed for any job interview. 

Here are the top 5 HR interview questions and their answers.

So, the top 5 HR Questions are:

• How would you describe yourself?
• Why do you want to leave your job?
• What would you say is your strength?
• What are your weaknesses?
• What are your salary expectations for this job?

Giving a right and honest answer is very important in HR interveiw

Let’s see the answers for these questions:

How would you describe yourself?

This question is one of the favorite questions of the HR professionals. You can use this question to make the first good impression on the HR professionals. However, this looks as an easy question but it is a tricky question and shapes the way to the rest of the interview. In order to answer this question, you must be prepared. If you are not properly prepared or you get nervous while answering, you might answer the questions fearfully and give an impression of being doubtful about yourself. Some of the better and interesting answers for this answer can be -

• "I have a curious mind. I have trained myself to learn in every situation of life and grasp new things."
• "I like to accept new challenges. Finding solutions to these challenges helps and drives me for constant learning."

All the above-mentioned answers will look more effective if you support these with real-life example. It will create a good impression on the HR interviewer.

Why do you want to leave your job?

This is again a tricky question. While answering this question, you must take care of few things. You must never speak negative about your previous employer. You must make it a point to never tarnish the reputation of previous employer. If you speak negatively about your previous employer, it will create a bad impression the HR interviewer. This clearly shows the lack of professionalism and reveals you as a more negative personality. For this HR interview question, you must always give a positive and professional experience such as -

• "With time, my work expectations have evolved. So, this proposal looks better suited to me."
• "I want to have a sound professional growth and have an insights of how a big organization works. I think this is the best place for me to grow professionally."

What would you say is your strength?

It is very important for you to know yourself properly before going for HR interview. It is always advised to you to make a list of your true strengths and abilities. You must always mention those qualities which you have gained through your professional experience. You must always highlight your strengths and competencies that are most relevant to the job profile. You should be confident about yourself but you should not boast about yourself. Subtly, you must express your strengths and skills to the HR interviewer. Some examples of answers for this question are-

• "I am a focused person. Having my entire focus on my work is one of my greatest strengths."
• "I have learned to manage my time. Along with time management, organizational skills are my biggest strengths." 
• "I have to respond to difficult circumstances. I have a keen mind to focus on finding solutions of the problems without hampering my work."
• "I am very patient and listen very carefully. When I listen, I try to absorb as much as I can. This helps me in getting more and more knowledge."

What are your weaknesses?

Telling one’s weakness is one of the most sensitive topics to be discussed. Do not use any typecast answers. Any HR interviewer does not want to hear any typecast answers. You might have heard some type casted and cheesy answers but these kinds of answers simply look like an exaggeration of your weaknesses. So, try not to portray yourself as overly perfectionist or extremely well-organized or anything like that. Just be honest in your answers. It is very obvious that no one wants to look negative in an interview. But it is extremely important not to look over-smart in front of the HR interviewer. You must give some examples of how some of your personality traits have troubled in your professional life previously and how you are working on them. Some of the examples for answers to this question are-

• "Earlier, I was not at time estimation. I could not properly judge the time needed to complete the work and made superficial commitments. But now I have worked hard on time estimation and management skills. Now, I can proper estimation of time and deliver my work on time."
• "Sometimes, I feel demotivated due to work-pressure. But now I have learned to maintain my tempo and overcome the phase of demotivation. 
• "I am not able to sit for long and extended hours at a time. My concentration breaks but I work in short time intervals with full concentration.”
• "I am little shy in nature. I take some time to gel-up with people.”

What are your salary expectations for this job?

Generally, this looks as the trickiest part of the interview. Through this question, HR interviewer wants to see how good you are at evaluating yourself. The answer you give to this question reflects your confidence. In order to properly answer this question, you must be well-versed with the terms of market. Conduct a proper research on the salary offered for similar position in other organizations. Also, you must be fully known about company for which you are appearing for the interview. Some good answers for this question are -

• "I am hoping at least (per year x) per year. "
• "Before discussing salary, I would like to know the job profile offered in detail."
• “I have just completed my college and it is time for me to learn. Therefore, at this stage, I am expecting a salary which is at least according to the norms of the industry. "

Let's hope these questions and answers help you in preparing for your HR Interview.