1. Tell us something about yourself. This is the first question, you can expect during any interview you face. This usually is a question to start the communication and set the ball rolling for the interview. You can answer this question by providing some information about your work experience, technologies you have worked upon, educational qualifications. If you are a fresh graduate, you can provide some information about your family also. The trick is to put the full stop at the right place to provoke the next question you want. For e.g. “Recently I developed a website using Drupal. It was quite an interesting but challenging job which I enjoyed.” 2. Why do you consider yourself a suitable candidate for this position? The answer to this question lies in the preparation you did before the interview. It is extremely important that you research the requirements of the position well and match them with your skills. For e.g. if the position requires an Asp.net developer with good knowledge of health care domain, tell the interviewer about your technical skills and your domain knowledge. Fresh graduates can talk about their technical skills, ability to learn and grasp things quickly. 3. Why do you want to leave your present job or company? You may want to leave your present job for any reason but make sure that you do not talk bad about your manager, company or job. It reflects your complaining attitude. Provide a sincere reason for e.g. “I think, I have grown up with my last employer as much as I could. I want to grow further and I believe that is possible with a new employer.” 4. You have stayed in your current job for quite a long time, why? There are many people who do not change their jobs for years and when they go out looking for a new employer, this is one of the most important questions they are asked. Some people might look upon staying with the same employer for long as “lack of ambition”. A good answer to this question can be something like, “Yes, you are right. I stayed with my last employer for almost 5 years but I was continuously growing in the company, doing new things, handling bigger challenges. So, I was quite happy working with them for these many years.” You can then talk about how you grew with your last employer. 5. What do you know about us? Research the company and its business a bit before appearing for the interview. Also, find out a bit about the technologies they work upon. You don’t need to know everything inside out but having a fair idea about the company makes you appear interested in the position, to be taken seriously. For e.g. I see that your company does a lot of projects based on OpenSource platforms like Joomla, Drupal, Magento which is quite interesting as I have a similar kind of experience. 6. What do you do to improve your knowledge? The field of IT is very revolutionary. It is extremely important to keep yourself abreast with the new technological developments and this needs you to take some time out of your work schedule so that you can keep sharpening your saw. To answer this question, you can tell the recruiter about the forums which you keep visiting, blogs which you keep reading. It will be an advantage if you are a member of some local user group. 7. Can you perform under pressure? Most of the times, the job of software development is that of working under pressure. Sometimes, it will be the pressure of delivering on time while it can be that of a bug that has sprung all of a sudden in your code. So, expect pressure in everything you do. It is important to maintain your performance and develop strategies to deliver under pressure. You can then go ahead an talk about your way of dealing with pressure and performing under it. 8. Tell us some of your strengths. Again, it is important to study the requirements of the position before you appear for the interview. List out your strengths and offer the ones that this role demands. For e.g. if you are appearing for the position of a Tech Lead – VB.net, talk about your VB.net skills, any extra knowledge which you have about coding with VB.net in comparison to other candidates, your team management skills etc. 9. Tell us some of your weaknesses. You have to be careful while answering this question. Do not offer a weakness which will directly affect your selection but at the same time saying that you do not have any weakness will not be right too. Every human being has weaknesses, so it is perfectly OK for you to have some too. The best way to answer this question will be to turn one of your strengths as a weakness and say that others accuse you of having this weakness but you think it is important to work in this manner. For e.g.: “My colleagues accuse me of paying to much attention to syntaxes but I believe it is important when you are writing the code to avoid spending too much time on finding and fixing the bugs later on.” Another way to answer this question is to offer a totally un-related weakness for e.g. “I have been staying alone for so many years now but I still can’t cook independently.” 10. Are you comfortable working in a team? The whole work of software development or IT is a team work. So, the only answer to this question can be: “Yes, I am comfortable working in a team.” If you have any problems in working as a team, it is important to work on them and develop yourself as a team player. 11. How do you rate your communication skills? Again, IT is about dealing with people within and out of the company. So, it is important to have good communication skills. By good communication skills we mean, ability to understand and explain in a common language. So, if you believe that your communication skills are weaker, you need to work on them. Anything less than average or good is not acceptable here. 12. You do not have all the experience we need for this position? It is not possible for a candidate to have all the experience an employer requires. Even if you match yourself up to the expectations on technical front, there will be some difference in the work environment. And, it is absolutely fine. The best way to deal with this question is to analyse the requirements of the position well and match your skills as close to them as possible. If something is still left untouched, offer your quick grasping power and ability to learn quickly as a solution & back it up with an example from the past. 13. How would you compensate for the lack of experience you have for this position? As we discussed in the last question, your ability to understand and pick up new things quickly should be able to compensate for the lack of work experience you have. 14. If you were hiring for this position, what qualities would you look for in a potential candidate? Closely understand the qualities and skills a person holding the position would need and match them with the qualities you have. If you believe that you are missing a big quality required for the position under discussion, say that, “I understand that this is an important quality required in the person holding this position but given a chance, I will inculcate it in me.” Back it up with a confident body language. 15. Do you know anyone who works for us? Offer some one’s name if they really know you well and can offer a positive feedback about you. 16. What is your style of management? In today’s scenario, everything needs customization, so here also, one size can’t fit all i.e. one management style won’t work in all situations. So, offer “situational” as your style of management. 17. Have you ever fired anyone? How would you go about firing a person, if required? The basic purpose of asking this question is to check your EQ and see if you have the guts to make tough decisions. If you have fired anyone in the past, discuss your experience and approach. If you have never done so in the past, discuss the approach you would take to make and implement such a decision. Keep the focus of your answer on the fact that you would try to do your best to ensure that your team performs to its best but if a particular member is not able to perform even after you taking all the steps to help him, you would make the tough decision to ensure that the project doesn’t suffer. 18. What irritates you about co-workers? The purpose of this question is to see how well you can fit into a team. Basically, you should not have a problem with a person, although you can have a problem with the style of working. So, to answer this question you can simply say, “I understand that IT is about team work, so we can’t afford to problems with co-workers but if someone is not serious about their work or does a low quality work affecting the whole project, I definitely do not like it” 19. Is there any particular kind of person you can not work with? For the reason given in the above questions, the answer to this question should be a “No”. This is basically a different way of putting up the last question. 20. What qualities would you look for in your senior? You can mention some generic qualities like intelligence, good sense of humour, dedicated to his team etc., which all the managers think that they have in abundance. 21. What motivates you at work? To answer this question, you can mention things like – new challenges, good environment which all employers think that they offer. 22. Will you be happy to work in night shifts or over the weekends? You need to answer this question taking into consideration what is suitable for you. Say that you can work in the night shifts, only if you can really do it. 23. Have you ever committed a mistake at work? To err is human. So, it is perfectly OK if you committed a mistake at work but before answering the question analyse the magnitude of mistake you did and the effect it had on the company. What is more important is – what did you do to rectify the mistake and make sure that you don’t do it again? So, mention the mistake you committed and keep the focus of the answer on the steps you took to rectify it. 24. What position would you prefer while working on a project? This question is for you to answer based on the skills and qualities you have. If you have the capability to handle different positions, discuss that also in the interview. 25. What are the most important things for you as a manager? The two things which should be most important for a manager to succeed in his role are: a.) His team should be happy and keep performing b.) The project he is working on with his team is successfully finished with minimum problems. 26. Will you be happy to re-locate, if required? Again, a question for you to answer based on your position. If you are anticipating this question in the interview, it is better to discuss this with your family also before you go to face the interview. 27. What kind of a salary are you looking for? Try to put the ball back in interviewer’s court by asking him about the salary they offer for a position like this. Most of the big companies will have a fixed remuneration for each level. However, if this is negotiable, you will have more negotiation power if you have some work experience. So, know your lower limit (amount below which you can’t go) and also know the maximum salary in the industry for the position then put forward a figure which is not very exact. It is better to mention a range. For e.g. if you are expecting something around 55 K, say that you expect something in mid fifties. Don’t keep the range to broad otherwise you will be offered something towards the lower end. If you are a fresher, most of the times you will have to accept the company’s offering for the position. However, if you find it too less, you can definitely discuss that during the interview. 28. Do you have any questions for us? This is usually the last question you can expect during an interview. It is extremely important to have some intelligent questions to ask the interviewer otherwise you may just sound dull and un-interested. Research the company a bit and discuss if they have been in news recently. You can also discuss about the growth prospects for you within the company etc. 29. Discuss the most stressful situation you came across in your previous job. Here you should discuss a stressful situation that you were able to overcome and keep a positive tone, do not say you never came across a stressful situation. Typical answers can be: -Our team’s targets were increased three fold and initially everyone was overwhelmed by the number, but we discussed it with our manager and he was co-operative and understood the situation. But he wanted us to give it a try and was ready to reduce the targets to a more realistic number. -You can also talk about a very demanding project where you worked for long hours/2 shifts and had to sacrifice on family time, but once the project was done you got recognition for the hard work and you were over the stress. 30. For how long do you expect to stay with our organization? You should ensure that you give an impression that you will pay back more than what you take from the company: -You can say I will stay here as far as I see an opportunity for growth, as I am looking for a stability in work place -If they stress on number of years say 3-4 years, and more if I can explore new challenges/growth opportunities 31. Why should we hire you? -Here you should discuss the profile you have applied for and your strengths/experience with which you can add value to the job -Discuss your achievements at your previous job, and say that I have developed my skills to suit my current profile, but I want to develop myself futher and face new challenges, and for that I need to change my job. - I will always be willing to change roles share responsibilities to suit company requirements 32. Discuss your strengths Discuss strengths that show your professional expertise, some of the answers could be: -Multi tasking: Say I have been working on mulitple project and I am required to keep tabs on each project and co-ordinate with a lot of teams, and I am able to do it efficiently. -Problem Solving: You can say that in my current job role I have spent a good time to know how to solve problems. My team members see me as a go-to person to solve issues. -Communication -Team player -Quick learner Support each point with your examples 33. Discuss your weaknesses and how do you plan to overcome it Discuss weaknesses in positive light always discuss how you plan to overcome it, some of the answers could be: -I am always willing to take up additional responsibilities, but I end up being over worked so now I am realistic about what I can do, so that I do work to the required standards -If you lack certain technical skill, which is not crucial for the job you can state that and say you are planning to take up a training course/certification to get over it -If you do not wish to discuss your weakness, you can say, I cannot compete with Rajnikant :P 34. What is your idea of an ideal company? Do not go over board and ask for , it might give an impression that you are too demanding, some of the answers could be: -An ideal company provides maximum opportunities for growth of employees. -They provide comfortable and flexible work environment, so that employees can perform at their best and work towards company’s benefit. -A company that encourages learning -A company that encourages open culture 35. Why are you leaving your previous job? Do not go around defaming your company, it will give a bad impression about you. Give reasons such as: -Professional Growth -New challenges -Change in profile -Planning to relocate (if applicable) -With time I found my job was becoming monotonous and I didn’t want this to have any impact on the job I was doing for my employer -I am not actively looking for a job change but, I saw this opening and it looked interesting. 36. Tell us something about your achievements at your previous job. -Talk about your professional acheivements, if you were recognised as a high performer or you got good feedback from your manager -You can also discuss you annual ratings -Discuss your promotions/appraisals 37. Tell us what do you know about our company -Browse through the company website and make sure you know what the company does and make sure you do so in short -Discuss the positives aspects of the company, the interviewer should feel that you have done your home work 10. Why do you want to work for us? -Start by discussing the profile you have applied for and go on to say that the organization would provide an opportunity to enhance your knowledge and help you to grow professionally -Discuss how you would be of use to the organization and how you plan to develop your professional competencies 38. Are you willing to relocate/travel? -Always say yes if you need the job -You can ask whether they will compensate for relocation costs 39. Are you a good team player? Companies look for team players as well as those who are self starters and can work independently, so you need to be versatile: -You should show that you enjoy working in a team. Say that you are open to suggestions from team members and seniors. -It is always good to work in a team as one can get the support of other members and in times of crisis everyone can work together to achieve the goal. 40. Can you work independently? -Yes, I can work independently without supervision or support from a team Do not emphasize on working independently as that will be seen as an inability to work with others. 41. Do you have any questions for us? Always have a question ready to answer this one: -You can ask whether the company allows for lateral and vertical role changes -You can also ask whether the company encourages learning and development of employees -Ask whether the company has plans for expansion -You can also discuss your role in detail 42. Are you willing to work for long hours, if the project demands that from you? -Discuss situations when you must have done so to fulfill project requirements in the past 43. What is your current CTC and what are your expectations? -Be honest about your CTC, as you will have to produce you salary slip as a proof of emplyment -Be realistic when you state your expected CTC, you can ask for a 30-40% hike -If you are underpaid at your current company you can look for the standard salary paid for the experience you have and ask for that amount 44. Are you planning to go for further studies? Be transparent in your answer. -If you are pursuing further studies, say so. Tell them why you want to go for that course -If you are taking up a distance education course or a part time course, they should know, as you will need to take leaves when you appear for exams 45. Tell us something about yourself, discuss 5 characteristics List down points that will help you professionally: -Independent -Responsible -Hard working -Multi tasker -Prompt -Add your characteristcs 46. Tell us something about your hobbies Answer it with honesty, as they can go deeper into this discussion. You can include: -Browsing the internet -Blogging, -Listening to music, -Chatting with friends -Reading newspapers, -Reading books, -Shopping, -Watching movies…. 47. What is more important to you money or success? This is tricky question, as money and success both are important and you cannot outweigh the importance of one over the other. Personally you might prefer money over success or success over money, but it is better to be neutral when answering this question in an interview: You can say, that money and success both are important for you, but if you have to choose you would choose success. The reason being, if one is successful money often follows and you need not focus on money over success..

Searching for a job can be a full time job in itself. Networking, scouring the help wanted ads, and filling out applications can sometimes seem like more effort than it's worth, especially when contemplating how to answer interview questions. But don't give up -- you never know when you'll get a call from the human resources department of a wonderful company asking to schedulea face-to-face interview. 

When that call does come, you can delight in the idea that you are only one step away from your dream job. So shine your shoes and start giving some thought to the best way to answer the interviewer's questions! 

Here are a few job interview tips to learn how to answer human resource jobinterview questions:

·              Be honest. You are giving the interviewer their very first impression of you. Be sure that you present yourself as honest, trustworthy, and forthcoming when answering questions.

·              Display a positive attitude. Everyone prefers to work with upbeat people; no matter what the questions are, try to answer them in an optimistic, upbeat and enthusiastic way.

·              Highlight your skills and abilities at every opportunity. If you have previously worked in the same job field, emphasize your advancements and achievements. If you haven’t, be sure to relate the skills you do have to the job for which you are applying. Give examples of any successes you may have had at other jobs that might be similar.

·              Point out your education and training if it is applicable. If you have attended conferences, seminars or other job-related professional development or training sessions, be sure to mention what you have gained from those experiences.

·              Give credit to others when appropriate. If your last employer or manager was a great motivator or made the work environment comfortable and productive, mention it. Speaking well of others can reflect well on you during an process.

·              Never point out the shortcomings of others.Avoid talking about any personal issues you may have had with past employment situations, managers, bosses, or coworkers when being asked interview questions, because the interviewer will assume that you may have these same issues with coworkers or managers at a new company over time.

·              Highlight particular life events that have given you skills that might apply to this position. For example, volunteering in the past may have increased your ability to communicate well with a variety of people and/or developed your time management skills. This can apply likewise even to those who have extensive job experience.

·              Be open and friendly, but not too chatty! Directly answer the questions, but do so in a calm, friendly and complete manner.

·              Prepare ahead and ask questions. Most interviewers will ask if you have any questions for them, so it is best to prepare these ahead of time as best you can. Ask what type of potential growth or advancement exists for the person who will be hired. You can even ask why the prior employee, if there was one, left the position. These types of questions let the interviewer know that you are interested. Present yourself as though you've done your homework about the company's history (You have, haven't you?!) and that you hope to play a part in its continued growth and success.

·              Focus the interview on what you can offer the company, not on your limitations. You may have limitations as to what you can offer the new company. These are best avoided during the interview. For example, it is best to avoid a discussion about needing to leave the office promptly at 5:00 every day due to your daycare situation. Wait until you are actually offered the job before bringing these types of issues up. Your initial interview is not the time to approach these types of subjects!

Interview Questions

In this competitive market, you should be well prepared to answer some typical interview questions. They might include:

1) Tell me something about yourself.
2) Why do you want to work for our company?
3) What interests you about the position for which you are applying?
4) What are some of your strengths?
5) What are some of your weaknesses?
6) Have you ever had conflict with someone at a job? How did you resolve it?
7) Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
8) Why did you leave your last place of employment?
9) How would a co-worker describe you?
10) What do you think you can contribute to this company?
11) Do you work better alone or as a team?
12) Do you have any questions for us?

Remember that you are interviewing them as well. Always have some questions for your prospective employer. Questions you might ask may include:

       1) What types of opportunities for advancement exist within your company?

2) Do you provide staff training and development? If so, ask for specific examples.

3) Why did the person who had this position leave? (Ask this if it is not a newly created position.)
4) Are there regular performance reviews for employees?

Avoid asking questions about salary, vacation time, benefits, the 401k plan, and how many holidays you get until you have been narrowed down as a finalist for the position or have been offered the job directly. Do your homework and be sure you are clear about the salary that you are able to accept.

You may even try interviewing for a few jobs that you don't really want so that you get comfortable with the actual interview process. Then, when the perfect job comes along, you will be calm, cool, and collected during your interview. As the saying goes... practice makes perfect!

With this advice on how to prepare for a job interview, you will be on your way to landing quality employment. All it takes is some of your time to think through the best answers to interview questions and that, along with a top-notch, error-free application and maybe even a few continuing education courses under your belt, will have a paycheck deposited in your bank account in no time at all.

Most Common HR Interview Questions

• Tell me about yourself: - The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short statement prepared in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise. Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest back and work up to the present.
• Why did you leave your last job? - Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers or the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking reasons.
• What experience do you have in this field? - Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.
• Do you consider yourself successful? - You should always answer yes and briefly explain why. A good explanation is that you have set goals, and you have met some and are on track to achieve the others.
• What do co-workers say about you? - Be prepared with a quote or two from co-workers. Either a specific statement or a paraphrase will work. Jill Clark, a co-worker at Smith Company, always said I was the hardest workers she had ever known. It is as powerful as Jill having said it at the interview herself.
• What do you know about this organization? - This question is one reason to do some research on the organization before the interview. Find out where they have been and where they are going. What are the current issues and who are the major players?
• What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year? - Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones handy to mention.
• Are you applying for other jobs? - Be honest but do not spend a lot of time in this area. Keep the focus on this job and what you can do for this organization. Anything else is a distraction.
• Why do you want to work for this organization? - This may take some thought and certainly, should be based on the research you have done on the organization. Sincerity is extremely important here and will easily be sensed. Relate it to your long-term career goals.
• Do you know anyone who works for us? - Be aware of the policy on relatives working for the organization. This can affect your answer even though they asked about friends not relatives. Be careful to mention a friend only if they are well thought of.
• What kind of salary do you need? - A loaded question. A nasty little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like, That’s a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position? In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not, say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.
• Are you a team player? - You are, of course, a team player. Be sure to have examples ready. Specifics that show you often perform for the good of the team rather than for yourself are good evidence of your team attitude. Do not brag, just say it in a matter-of-fact tone. This is a key point.
• How long would you expect to work for us if hired? - Specifics here are not good. Something like this should work: I’d like it to be a long time. Or As long as we both feel I’m doing a good job.
• Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that? - This is serious. Do not make light of it or in any way seem like you like to fire people. At the same time, you will do it when it is the right thing to do. When it comes to the organization versus the individual who has created a harmful situation, you will protect the organization. Remember firing is not the same as layoff or reduction in force.
• What is your philosophy towards work? - The interviewer is not looking for a long or flowery dissertation here. Do you have strong feelings that the job gets done? Yes. That’s the type of answer that works best here. Short and positive, showing a benefit to the organization.
• If you had enough money to retire right now, would you? - Answer yes if you would. But since you need to work, this is the type of work you prefer. Do not say yes if you do not mean it.
• Have you ever been asked to leave a position? - If you have not, say no. If you have, be honest, brief and avoid saying negative things about the people or organization involved.
• Explain how you would be an asset to this organization - You should be anxious for this question. It gives you a chance to highlight your best points as they relate to the position being discussed. Give a little advance thought to this relationship.
• Why should we hire you? - Point out how your assets meet what the organization needs. Do not mention any other candidates to make a comparison.
• Tell me about a suggestion you have made - Have a good one ready. Be sure and use a suggestion that was accepted and was then considered successful. One related to the type of work applied for is a real plus.
• What irritates you about co-workers? - This is a trap question. Think real hard but fail to come up with anything that irritates you. A short statement that you seem to get along with folks is great.
• What is your greatest strength? - Numerous answers are good, just stay positive. A few good examples: Your ability to prioritize, Your problem-solving skills, Your ability to work under pressure, Your ability to focus on projects, Your professional expertise, Your leadership skills, Your positive attitude .
• Tell me about your dream job. - Stay away from a specific job. You cannot win. If you say the job you are contending for is it, you strain credibility. If you say another job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with this position if hired. The best is to stay genetic and say something like: A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and can’t wait to get to work.
• Why do you think you would do well at this job? - Give several reasons and include skills, experience and interest.
• What kind of person would you refuse to work with? - Do not be trivial. It would take disloyalty to the organization, violence or lawbreaking to get you to object. Minor objections will label you as a whiner.
• What is more important to you: the money or the work? - Money is always important, but the work is the most important. There is no better answer.
• What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is? - There are numerous good possibilities: Loyalty, Energy, Positive attitude, Leadership, Team player, Expertise, Initiative, Patience, Hard work, Creativity, Problem solver
• Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor - Biggest trap of all. This is a test to see if you will speak ill of your boss. If you fall for it and tell about a problem with a former boss, you may well below the interview right there. Stay positive and develop a poor memory about any trouble with a supervisor.
• What has disappointed you about a job? - Don’t get trivial or negative. Safe areas are few but can include: Not enough of a challenge. You were laid off in a reduction Company did not win a contract, which would have given you more responsibility.
• Tell me about your ability to work under pressure. - You may say that you thrive under certain types of pressure. Give an example that relates to the type of position applied for.
• Do your skills match this job or another job more closely? - Probably this one. Do not give fuel to the suspicion that you may want another job more than this one.
• What motivates you to do your best on the job? - This is a personal trait that only you can say, but good examples are: Challenge, Achievement, Recognition
• Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends? - This is up to you. Be totally honest.
• How would you know you were successful on this job? - Several ways are good measures: You set high standards for yourself and meet them. Your outcomes are a success.Your boss tell you that you are successful
• Would you be willing to relocate if required? - You should be clear on this with your family prior to the interview if you think there is a chance it may come up. Do not say yes just to get the job if the real answer is no. This can create a lot of problems later on in your career. Be honest at this point and save yourself future grief.
• Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead of your own? - This is a straight loyalty and dedication question. Do not worry about the deep ethical and philosophical implications. Just say yes.
• Describe your management style. - Try to avoid labels. Some of the more common labels, like progressive, salesman or consensus, can have several meanings or descriptions depending on which management expert you listen to. The situational style is safe, because it says you will manage according to the situation, instead of one size fits all.
• What have you learned from mistakes on the job? - Here you have to come up with something or you strain credibility. Make it small, well intentioned mistake with a positive lesson learned. An example would be working too far ahead of colleagues on a project and thus throwing coordination off.
• Do you have any blind spots? - Trick question. If you know about blind spots, they are no longer blind spots. Do not reveal any personal areas of concern here. Let them do their own discovery on your bad points. Do not hand it to them.
• If you were hiring a person for this job, what would you look for? - Be careful to mention traits that are needed and that you have.
• Do you think you are overqualified for this position? - Regardless of your qualifications, state that you are very well qualified for the position.
• How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience? - First, if you have experience that the interviewer does not know about, bring that up: Then, point out (if true) that you are a hard working quick learner.
• What qualities do you look for in a boss? - Be generic and positive. Safe qualities are knowledgeable, a sense of humor, fair, loyal to subordinates and holder of high standards. All bosses think they have these traits.
• Tell me about a time when you helped resolve a dispute between others. - Pick a specific incident. Concentrate on your problem solving technique and not the dispute you settled.
• What position do you prefer on a team working on a project? - Be honest. If you are comfortable in different roles, point that out.
• Describe your work ethic. - Emphasize benefits to the organization. Things like, determination to get the job done and work hard but enjoy your work are good.
• What has been your biggest professional disappointment? - Be sure that you refer to something that was beyond your control. Show acceptance and no negative feelings.
• Tell me about the most fun you have had on the job. - Talk about having fun by accomplishing something for the organization.
• Do you have any questions for me? - Always have some questions prepared. Questions prepared where you will be an asset to the organization are good. How soon will I be able to be productive? and What type of projects will I be able to assist on? are examples.

HR Interview - Most Popular HR Interview Questions With Generic Answer Formats

Most Popular HR Interview Questions With Generic Answer Formats

While it is impossible to know exactly what you will be asked during a job interview, there are a number of generic questions that most companies will ask you.

In this article, I will present you with some questions that are commonly asked during the job interview process, and I will give you some good responses that you will want to use. It is not necessary for you to use the exact answers that are found in this article. However, it is important for you to understand the the principle behind them.

1. How do you handle stress or pressure?

You could answer this question by saying that stress is an important issue to you. While high levels of stress can be negative, I use stress in a productive way that can allow me to work harder. It is important for me to make sure I have the correct balance of positive stress and negative stress. You could also answer this question by saying you perform better when you are under reasonable levels of stress.

2. What do you find motivates you the most?

This is a question that does not require an answer that is right or wrong. The employer is trying to see how you are motivated. It is also a method they will use to determine if you are compatible for the job. It doesn't make much sense to put you in a position where you will not be motivated by the work you do. The best way to answer this question is to be honest. Let the interviewer know what motivates you the most. Don't tell them what they want to hear because you are trying to get the job. While this may help you in the short term, it can hurt you in the long run.

3. Do you prefer to work alone, or do you work better in groups?

This is a question that you will want to answer carefully. If the position you are applying for requires you to work alone, it doesn't make much sense to answer it by saying you enjoy working in groups. If the position requires you to work in groups, telling the interviewer you like working alone can keep you from being hired. However, the answer you give should be an honest one.

4. Give us an example of a challenging situation you've overcome.

This is a request that will require you to know a lot about yourself. If you've prepared for the interview beforehand, you should be able to answer this question without any problems. You should reflect on your past work experience. You must quickly be able to think about any challenges you've overcome. It doesn't have to be something that is related to employment. If you were in the military, you could describe a challenge you overcame. If you are a college graduate, you can give an example of an academic challenge you successfully overcame.

5. What do you find interesting about this job?

The answer that you give better be more than just the salary. You should be able to give detailed reasons for why you are interested in being hired for a certain position. Answering this question correctly may require you to do your research on the company. This is something that must be done before the interview starts.

6. Why should we hire you?

This is one of the most difficult questions in the interview process. However, it is a good question, especially if you are competing for a position against people who are equally qualified. To answer this question, describe how your skills can be valuable to the company. Not only will you want to direct the towards your accomplishments, but you will also want to demonstrate your personality and desire. Explain that you are impressed with the history of the company, and you want to play a role in the success of the organization.

7. In what ways can you contribute to our company?

You will want to answer this question by selling yourself. Explain how your skills, personality, and experience can allow you to contribute to the company. This is a question that you may want to prepare for in advance. You will want to answer it with a powerful statement. You don't want to be uneasy of hesitant. If the employer suspects this, you may lose your chance to be employed with the company.

Top 5 Common HR Interview Questions

Dear Reader, most of you would be facing HR interviews often conducted by companies following tech interview rounds. Especially in HR round where questions are often unpredictable, going readily prepared is a tedious task. However, there are some common questions which you can often always expect. Let us lay out what these questions and some good ways to answer those.
1. Tell me about yourself
When asked about yourself, the panel generally would want to check your communication , interpersonal skills ,fluency etc and not your personal details like families,hobbies,interest, etc. However information about your education, strengths and weaknesses can be noted by the panel as they directly indicate your readiness to take a job. Hence you should really focus on important aspects like education while taking care of your clarity in communicating.
2. Why Should I hire you?
The panel expects to know about your capability for the position, self-confidence, willingness in learning new technologies, ability to work hard, participation in organization's growth etc. Hence your answer should convince them that you are a confident team player and you could fit their organization well.
3.Where do you want to be five years from now?
Generally this question could be an indirect way to check if you would be ready to work for a good term rather than a short temporary term.
4. What salary do you want for this job?
One of the best response would be figure out the value you could expect as per the industrial standards. This will give them an impression that you have done your homework and not overshooting the industry standards. (Generally freshers will not be asked this question.)
5. Do you have questions for me?
First thank him for giving you the opportunity. Then you might ask your genuine questions about companies current projects, organizational culture etc. (But be sure not to post questions just for the sake of asking questions.

Examples of Interview Questions

In drafting interview questions, it is important to review the key selection criteria and requirements of the position. The following can be used as a guide in determining what questions to ask.

Presentations

It can be useful in senior positions, or positions which involve presentations to clients, for the selection panel to request a short presentation from the candidate on a particular topic (5-10 minutes). This topic is provided to the candidate prior to interview so they have time to prepare, and may involve providing audio visual material. It is important to communicate the aims and the time frame for the presentation to the candidate.

More information about presentations here.

Example Questions

Introductory Questions

• Why have you applied for the position? What attracted you to this position?
• What skills do you think you can bring to this position?
• What would you describe as your strongest/weakest skills?
• Whatdo you understand the role and responsibilities of the (position title) to be?
• What do you see as being the key challenges and opportunities of the role in delivering a range of services for the University and Division?
• What would be your major priorities in the first few weeks in the position?
• Why are you the best person for the job?
• What’s the place of the ___ unit within The University of Melbourne? Challenges, priorities? With reference to the University’s strategic plan?
• Anything to add in support of your application?
• How does this position fit in with your career plans and do you have a leaning towards a particular area (if role includes various components).
• Describe an example of when you worked the hardest and felt the greatest sense of achievement?
• What do you like most about your current position?
• What do you like least about your current position?

Interpersonal & Liaison Skills

• As you can see from the Position Description, this position requires liaison with staff at different levels of seniority. Can you describe a time when you have had to liaise with staff at different levels, what the project was, how you handled this, and what the outcome was?
• What skills do you believe are important for dealing effectively with customers? Describe an example when you displayed/utilised these skills. What was the result?
• Please describe a situation where you chose to involve others to help solve a problem. What was the problem and how did your action help?
• How do you go about developing rapport with customers, suppliers, people from other parts of the organisation etc?
• We all work at times with people whom are hard to get along with. Tell me about a time when you found your self having to work with a particularly difficult person. How did you handle it?
• Have you ever had to persuade someone to accept your point of view or proposal? Can you give an example of how you did so?
• What steps do you take to ensure clients comprehend the information provided by you?
• Can you tell us an example of when you had to provide an instant response which required you to think on your feet in a situation that really counted?
• In this role, relationships internally and externally will be vital. Describe how you go about establishing and building relationships and if there is any difference in style required for different client groups. Why?
• In implementing a strategy, some areas of the University may have some strategies in place already, but others will not. Describe some examples of how you have bought buy in from a reluctant group or from a green field site.
• What experience have you had in tailoring and developing a training program and in the delivery of that program?

Confidentiality

• The position calls for confidentiality to be maintained at all times. Can you describe a situation when confidentiality was threatened, and how you overcame this? (If not, what measures do you take to maintain confidentiality.)

Finance

• What experience have you had dealing with assisting in the management of accounts, in particular, monitoring expenditure against budget?
• What experience do you have with generating financial reports? What do they contain? How often do you have to prepare them? How are they used?
• Can you describe a situation where you have had to analyse statistical data?
• Have you ever been in a position of having to reduce expenditure to
• operate within a constrained financial climate?
• Describe some examples of strategic planning and budgeting that you have undertaken in previous roles. What is the largest budget you have managed? How do you determine priorities if the allocation of resources is insufficient to carry out all functions in your area of management responsibility?

Attention to Detail

• Take us through the steps that you use to ensure that your work is as accurate as possible.
• We’d like to hear about the way you ensure close attention to detail in your work. What sort of checks and balances do you utilise to ensure accuracy in your written work and in data entry?

Computer Literacy

• What level experience have you had with web design/maintenance? Provide an example of a project you have worked on in relation to web site maintenance (what your specific role was/ task to be completed/ outcome)
• What computer systems do you / have you dealt with in previous roles? What systems would you use on a day to day basis? Are there any systems you would like further development in?

Information Provision / Advice / Communication

• Describe a situation where you have had to clarify a rule or policy for a client.
• Describe a situation where you have had to develop policy information. What was the policy, what was your role, what was developed? (Separate questions)
• What examples can you offer of instances where you have drafted correspondence, minutes or reports?
• What are some of the most difficult writing assignments you have been given or have taken on yourself? Explain.
• Have you ever written any procedures or rules for use by a client/customer or by your own organisation? Explain.
• What are some of the most important reports you have written? What reactions did they get? How hard were they to write and why?
• What are some of the biggest or most demanding groups you have made presentations to? How do you alter your presentations to fit the required audience?
• What are some of the most complex policy or procedure interpretations you have had to explain to other people?
• What reports have you recently prepared that were the most challenging and why.
• What are some of the most important reports you have written? What reactions did they get? How hard were they to write and why?
• The ability to communicate an unpopular decision is always difficult, especially when you do not personally agree with the decision. When have you had to do this and what was the outcome?
• Describe any significant projects, ideas etc. you have conceived within the past year. How did you know they were needed and would work? Were they used? Did they work?
• What kinds of guidelines/procedures have you written? Do you have any rules that you follow in writing these? What are they? How do you implement them?
• Can you describe some examples where you have drafted correspondence, minutes or reports?
• What measures do you have for monitoring client/customer feedback?

Problem Solving

• Give an example of a complex problem that you have had to solve. What happened? What was the result?
• Describe a situation where you have had to source information for a client. What avenues did you take to find the information?
• Describe how you approached a particularly challenging or difficult problem you had to solve. What did you do? How did you do it?
• The area this position is located constitute a small team, but with that said, individuals are required to be proactive. Can you think of an occasion when you’ve taken the lead on an issue, or problem and what was the outcome?

Planning

• Describe a situation where you have had competing demands placed on you. How did you deal with the situation so all parties were satisfied? What was the outcome?
• Please describe any significant projects, ideas etc. you have conceived within the past year. Were they used? Did they work? How did you know they were needed and would work?
• Have you planned a large meeting or conference? Walk me through the steps you took? What was the outcome?
• Did you develop your unit’s operational plans or goals? How did you go about doing this? How useful are they on a day-to-day basis?
• Can you walk us through a major project you have been responsible for and tell us how you planned the activities and how the schedule worked out?

Time Management

• Describe how you set about ordering your activities each day/week. How do you determine priority in competing demands?
• Can you walk us through a major project you have been responsible for and tell us how you planned the activities and how the schedule worked out?
• How have you determined what constitutes top priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples.
• Take us through the steps that you use to ensure that your work is as accurate as possible?
• Describe the system you use for keeping track of multiple projects. How do you track your progress so that you can meet deadlines? How do you stay focused?

Adaptability

• Tell us about some situations in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes in organisational priorities? What was the impact of the change on you?
• Tell us about a time in your job at ___ where you had to abruptly change what you were doing. What did you do? How did it affect you?
• I see you have moved a number of times. What are the most difficult problems you have faced in moving?
• Describe a situation in which your initial attempts to gain someone’s support or cooperation failed. Did you try again? What approach did you use the second time?
• What do you do when your time schedule is upset by unforeseen circumstances? Give an example.
• It seems there is a great deal of difference between working for ___ and ___. Can you tell us about those differences? Did they present problems for you? How did you overcome these problems?
• We have all had occasions when we just couldn't get everything done on time. When and why has this happened to you? To what extent did this impact on your accuracy?
• There are times when we are all faced with implementing a policy decision, which might lie outside our personal comfort levels or might be in conflict with our values. Please describe a time when this has happened to you, how did you handle it and what, with hindsight, would you do differently?
• Describe a time when you have been trying to do something and have come up against difficulties because of policies and procedures. What did you do and how did you bend the rules? What was the outcome and would you do this again?

Leadership & Management

• Please describe an example from your previous work experience where you have been required to demonstrate leadership and direction to staff you have managed. What steps did you take and what were the outcomes that demonstrated your leadership?
• Describe some examples of strategic planning and budgeting that you have undertaken in previous roles. What is the largest budget you have managed? How do you determine priorities if the allocation of resources is insufficient to carry out all functions in your area of management responsibility?
• What experience have you had in developing and managing a major organisational unit operational plan or budget?
• What experience do you have in managing large and complex projects?
• Describe strategies you have or would employ to achieve outcomes for a new intitiative where you do not have direct control of resources.
• Can you describe a situation where you have been asked to provide strategic policy advice to your manager? What was involved and what was the outcome?
• What strategies might you use in this position to ensure that the School’s relationships with Faculties and Departments are optimal?
• Can you describe a situation where you have had to make a decision that involved a high degree of risk? How did it turn out?
• How do you successfully manage change in an environment where there may be some resistance to different approaches to work or particular tasks from some staff?
• Describe the characteristics of a good quality assurance system for a University. What approach would you recommend for the preparation of a portfolio submission to AUQA?
• Tell us some of the toughest groups you have had to get cooperation from. Did you have any formal authority? What did you do and what was the result?
• Tell us about a new policy or new idea you recently implemented that was considerably different from the standard procedure. What approach did you take to get your employees to go along with it? What was the result?
• Have you ever led task forces, committees or groups that did not report to you but from whom you had to get work? What did you do to get what you wanted from the group? What were the satisfactions and disappointments?
• Managing resources successfully in straitened times requires innovation. We are interested in an example of how you may have re-engineered activities to achieve better outcomes and/or efficiencies and particularly how you may have employed (information technology/other staff) in this process.
• Have you ever had problems in getting your subordinates/clients to accept your ideas of department goals?
• Give us some examples of when your ideas were strongly opposed in a discussion. How did you react?
• In any positions of leadership you have held, what form of reporting have you used to monitor the progress of your staff in achieving departmental goals and objectives?
• Give me an example of a time in which you feel you were able to build motivation in your co-workers or subordinates at work.
• What have been some recent responsibilities you have taken on in your role as___, why did you assume these responsibilities?
• Describe a situation when you have included subordinates in your decision making. To what extent did you incorporate their input?
• Do you have any methods to keep informed of what is going on in your area of supervision? What are they?
• How do you set objectives for the year? What do you do to see that they are reached? How are they progressing?
• Every manager has problems where his/her work unit and staff are not as committed to the organisations vision as you would like. Can you give an example of when your work unit experienced this problem? (Various questions: How did the lack of commitment manifest itself? Cause of it?, Who identified it?, How did you deal with it?, How did your staff react?, Were they consulted?, The result?, Are you satisfied with the result?, What would you do differently next time?, What have you learned from this? What have you put in place to prevent it from happening again?)
• Please describe an example of where you have been required to demonstrate leadership and direction in (state particular issue applying to your position) across an organisation.
• If you had to describe your management style, what would it be?

Staff Management

• Every manager has had problems where his/her work unit and staff are not as committed to the organisations vision as you would like Can you give me an example of when your work unit experienced this problem? The result? Are you satisfied with the result? What have you learned from this? What have you put in place to prevent this from happening again?
• What techniques do you use to motivate staff? Give a recent example, with the results.
• Have you ever had to deal with a difficult staffing problem? If so, what was the problem, how did you go about resolving it and what was the outcome?
• How do you keep your employees informed of what is going on in the organisation? How frequently do you do this? What do you do in preparation?
• Give some examples of how you have turned around someone’s performance — how did you do it and what was the result?
• What recent problems have you had in which you included your subordinates in arriving at solutions or approaches? What approach did you take to get them to accomplish the task?
• It is often difficult to sell new ideas to staff who often feel threatened by the idea of change. How do you personally handle change and how do you help your staff to adjust?
• What procedures do you use for evaluation of subordinate’s performance?
• Part of this role will be the ongoing development of your employees. What experience do you have in this or how would you go about ensuring that staff are provided with the ongoing development and support required?

Health & Safety

• In your past roles, have you ever noticed a process or task that was being done unsafely? How did you come to notice it and what did you do to resolve the issue?
• How do you keep up to date with information and policy in relation to Health and Safety?
• Describe a safety issue that has been presented to you and how you dealt with the issue. What was the outcome?

Judgement

• What were the toughest decisions you had to make while at ___ (company)? Tell us about them. What alternatives did you consider?
• Have you ever made a decision that affected a department other than your own? What was the situation? What was the outcome?
• How do event in your department affect other parts of the organisation? Give examples.
• Give an example of a good decision you have made in the last six months. What were the alternatives? Why was it a good decision?

Initiative

• Describe any new ideas and suggestions you have made to your supervisor in the last six months, which were accepted. What prompted the proposed idea? How did you get them accepted? What were they?
• Give an example of a project or idea you have taken on in spite of considerable opposition or organisational constraint.
• Can you tell us about a time when you’ve recognised and seized an opportunity? What was it, what was the process and result?
• Please describe any significant projects, ideas etc. you have conceived within the past year. Where they used? Did they work? How did you know they were needed and would work?

Teamwork

• What do you see as important in being a good team member?
• What have been your greatest achievements since being in your current role in your existing team?
• What kinds of things do you have to consider when working in a group/team? Use a recent job experience to describe this.
• Give us an example of when you have had to work with others to get a job done. What were some of the difficulties? What were the advantages?
• With what other departments do you frequently interface in your current job?
• Give an example of how you have fostered cooperation and teamwork within a team you have either managed or been a member of. What was it? What was the result?
• How do you keep your employees informed of what is going on in the organisation?
• Have you had the experience where one team member was not pulling their weight, or there was a personality clash? How did you handle the situation?
• Give me an example of the toughest groups you have had to get cooperation from, describe the outcome of the issue and how you handled the whole process.
• How much independence do you have in your current role?
• Can you give an example of when you have worked with others to achieve a successful outcome?
• Describe an occasion when you included employees in your decision making. To what extent did you incorporate their input?
• As mentioned, working in a small team will be an important aspect of this role. Has there been a time when you’ve worked as part of a team to achieve an outcome? Tell us about your role in the team and what you’d see as the central elements to a team’s success.

Marketing

• What do you believe are the core determinants of a successful marketing program and describe how you have devised or improved such a program? How did you evaluate its success?
• Set out what you believe are the key factors that are likely to determine an Australian institutions capacity to expand its international student population.

Presentations

Examples of presentation topics include:

1. The Vice-Chancellor has asked the Division to nominate two key performance indicators which can be included in next year’s University Strategic Plan that would convincingly demonstrate that the Division’s strategic planning process is working. What two would you suggest and why?
2. What the candidate understands the role and responsibilities of the (position title) to be:
   • What they see as the key challenges and opportunities of the role in delivering a range of services to the University and Faculty;
   • What values, strengths and experiences they would bring to the role
3. What is your vision for a (state particular program) for a University? (include any type of program that applies to your position)
4. Provide the candidate with a policy statement and ask them to describe the key points of the policy statement which would be relevant to considerations by the Senior Executive Group of the University, providing advice on implications, strategies and outcomes.
5. If the position involves developing a program:
   • If you were asked to design such a program, what characteristics do you think it should have? How would you go about designing and getting approval for such a program? What barriers do you think you might encounter in putting forward such a plan? What would you do to resolve any problems you encountered?
6. If the position involves any issues/conflict between customers and service providers:
   • If you were the head of the Centre how would you attempt to resolve such difficulties? What action would you take if the people involved continued to be involved in conflict despite your actions? What sort of factors would you take into account in dealing with such an issue?
7. Provide the candidate with data surrounding income and expenditure, student and staff profiles, research profile, forward planning.
   • Based on the data provided and general information you are able to research,
     1. What opportunities and vulnerabilities over the next three years can you identify
     2. What additional information would you need to collect in order to be able to make confident 3 year projections on undergraduate numbers? Postgraduate numbers? Staff numbers?
8. Provide the candidate with a key issue facing the department (Eg: improving general staff communication). Ask the candidate to consider this issue and suggest a plan for addressing it.