HR interview questions with answers

2010-12-19T03:50:00.000-08:00

Career Goal Interview Questions

Communication Skills Interview Questions

Company Knowledge Interview Questions

Desiveness Interview Questions

Leadership Skill Interview Quesions

Interest Interview Questions

Flexibility Interview Questions

HR Interview questions (career goal related )

2009-10-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

1 ) HR question: Tell me about your dream job.

Answers:

A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and can't wait to get to work.
Where I can do at my level best with the best performance in progressive way so that I can learn as well with my personal experience and others learning attitudes.

2 ) HR question: Why did you leave your previous job? Till when you will work for us, if hired?

Answers:

It gives negative impression if you say something bad about the employees or your boss. It's also not safe to say that you left that due to better job offer or some personal reason.
A practical and suitable answer is that,"I left that job as there my working area was restricted to old patern and i was unable to apply my creativity and ideas.
I will want to leave this job : if I will be offered Uninteresting and Unchallengeable work. If I am not getting job satisfaction or i will have to work in unhealthy work environment, where there is no proper recognition of my work and i am getting less as per industry standard.

3 ) HR question: What is your long-term employment or career objective?

Answers:

Job Satisfaction is my long term career objective. If I am satisfied with the job then there is no question of quitting or changing the career objective. But of course this is always associated with the horizontal and vertical growth in the career.

4 ) HR question: What kind of job do you see yourself holding five years from now?

Answers:

I m looking for the job which makes me more productive,in which i can have more interest, a job in which i can learn more, in which i can be more creative, to work with good environment and with goo people and management, if i get the job which have all these
things, then i don't think about any jumping..
5) HR question: After ten or fifteen years how do you imagine yourself ?
Answers:

This is a tricky question and you should, at first study about the growth hierarchy of it's employees.But it's ok to say for any company that I would try to build and maintain your campany's fame and reputation. I hope Imay be a reputed manager in your company.

6) HR question: How do you consider this job with respect to your overall career goals?

Answers:

I have keen interest in this field and your organization is providing me that job profile, which will be the backbone of my future career. As I am starting my career,i will like to work for such a reputed firm.

7) HR question: your mistakes in your past that affected your present career objectives?

Answers:

Don't specify any of your mistake .........it may leads to show your weakness.

8) HR question: ARE THE SKILLS REQUIRE TO ENTER IN SOFTWARE INDUSTRY?

Answers:

According to my view a person need not have very good programming skills to enter in to a software company. The other important skills are patience, correct ideas at right time, communication skills are needed in order to interact with clients.
In any software industry the person must have a great mental ability ,response should be quick and logical power should be good

9) HR question:Who has influenced you most with your career objectives. what is the source of inspiration in your life ?

Answers:

Everyone, like my parents ,my teachers because they are very down to earth, self motivated n career oriented. so I always try to learn these qualities from them.

10) HR question: why do u want to change your field from core to it industry ?

Answers:

whatever devices we are dealing with will perform according to the code given to it.if we know how to develop the software we can do miracles with it.so i want to go with the software industry.
Actually I, have not done any technical course as such but the company as given the basic training and to work with. And I realized the BPO industry is booming and thought make a jump career start and put all my experience to achieve my goal in this industry.

11) HR question: Tell me your career aspirations?

Answers:

Looking for a challenging career where my acquired skills and education will get maximized to the best of my abilities. I want to be associated with an organization which provides organizational growth as well as scope for development of the individual.

COMPANY KNOWLEDGE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

2009-10-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

Question1 :How can you say that you will be an asset for this firm?

Answers:

This is a very important question to turn the interview according to your desired direction. Be eager to answer this question.
Expose your strong points and qualities that prove : you are best for the position being discussed.
some times when you bring out your skills, then you can impress the interviewer by showing your useful and advanced knowledge and skills.
A good answer should be like that : I am a hard working and self motivated person. I am humble and honest and always try to be worthy for the company as possible. My dream is to give my all skills and astute for your organization. so that not only I, while my working company will get success.

Question2 :why do you want to join this organization

Answers:

This may be based on the research you have done on the organization. Show your Sincerity here and it will be appreciated. Interrelate it to your long-term career goals. A good answer should be like this :
Your organization is rising and reputed, So I want to be a part of this company, working with you.
My motto of life is not only earning money but I want to be a public figure and want to feel proud while telling to others about my working company. I have read more about your company.Your company provide good salary and incentive so that a worker toil for work.

Question 3: What do u know about this organization?

Answers:

Do some research on the organization before the interview.How the company is performing? Study current issues and the major players?

Question 4: Do u know anyone who works for us?

Answers:

Be aware of the policy on relatives working for the organization. This can alter your answer even though they asked about friends not relatives. Be careful to mention a friend only if they are well thought of.

Question 5: Do you have any questions for me?

Answers: Be prepared to answer this question.Prepare some good question to ask. This shows your keen interest to join the company. Some example questions you can ask :

where I will be an asset to the organization ?
How soon will I be able to be productive? and What type of projects will I be able to assist on?
The best way u can attract the interviewer is to give an answer that is beneficial to the organization.You can say: "Well sir, what are the softwares that I need to learn,so that I can implement them quickly and help in building up our organization".

Question 6: Why should I join this industry?

Answers:

It gives so many opportunities for graduates and postgraduate irrespective of their specialization subjects and more over it recognized the talent of the candidate and utilize their efficiency in right way by giving opportunities.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS interview questions

2009-10-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

Question 1 : how will you establish a harmonious relation with other people?

Answers:
You should be able to understand another person's mindset and his vision. you should have capabilities to listen, feel and share others.

Question 2 : How will you manage? To present complex issues may be technical or non-technical in a simple way, So that people may be your colleges, Juniors, person having less technical knowledge than you, understand it properly...

Answers:

You should be capable enough to express your knowledge in a simplified manner, so that It is easier to understand for your co-workers, juniors,non-tech people.
You should be patient and a good listener to explain it to people having less technical knowledge.

Question 3 : Describe a time when you took extra effort to make sure the person with whom you were communicating with had really understood your point. How did you do this?

Answers:
The candidate's answer should show that they understand why clarification is an important part of communication.

Question 4: how will you manage, when you have to represent your ideas in a conference where people are unwilling to hear you?

Answers:

You should be a good speaker and having enough courage to represent yourself to defend the interest of the company and/or his/her own interests and this shows your strong character. Some time people are having valid points, ideas,but they don't have abilities to convince people, so good communication skill must be required.

DECISIVENESS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

2009-10-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

Question 1 : How long would you expect to work for us if hired?

Answers:

Specification 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.

Question 2: How do you go about making an important decision affecting your career?

Answers:

Career decisions are surely the toughest one and almost inevitable. I follow my instincts during any doubtful situations. b'coz in dilemma u r not in the position to make a decision. what better guide can we get, other then our inner voice, during those difficult situations. This doesn't infect means that decision regarding the priority in life be left just to intuitions. Intuitions also needs input in the form of one's likes and dislikes. Goals proper set once, as such, go a long way in creating a good intuitive judgment.

Question 3: What was your most difficult decision in the last six months? What made it difficult?

Answers:

The toughest decision in the recent days is surely my job shift. one reason that made it really look difficult was the choice between my current and aspiring Employer. situations become more difficult, b'coz my current Employer used to be my Aspiring Employer during the start of my Career.

Question 4: Do you consider yourself to be thoughtful, analytical or do you usually make up your mind fast? Give an example. (Watch time taken to respond)

Answers:

I mostly follow my intuitions with full belief in them. But the outcome decision is based upon the analysis of the situations. So for people around me i am an analytical person, which is true to an extent. I don't come to, even a simplest decision in a rush.

Question5 : This was a question asked in a UPSC interview ,One of the panel members asked many of the prospective or future employees ,that if he is to give him a job then he has to ask his wife to hav sex with him.Many of them said no,yes and different answers were heard of but 1 person said a answer which satisfied the questioner.

Answers:

He must have replied yes with the reasoning that as she is my wife and there is nothing wrong in having sex in husband-wife....as question does not specify who is him??? to b understood as interviewee.

Question 6: The last time you did not know what decision to make, what did you do?

Answers:

Just took the advice of my elders,followed the path best suited keeping faith.

Question 7: What was the last major problem that you were confronted with? What action did you take on it?

----------------------Depends upon u.

LEADERSHIP SKILL interview quesions

2009-10-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

Question1: What is the difference between Leader & Manager?
Answers:

A Manager in business terms ensures tasks are done through others..
A Leader in practical terms motivates others to do the task.
A Manager who can not motivate others to a certain task is not a Leader.
No difference but it is the combination of both which move things forward.
Leader-Person who leads people and develops them to have faith in him.
Manager-Manager himself should be a leader and able to manage other activities which are beneficiary to management.Link between management and his subordinates
A Manager is a person that gets things done
A Leader is a person that tells you what are the things to be done
In other words, a manager makes sure the process is followed and that the goal is achieved. While the leader shows the team the way and decides what are the goals of the team.

Question2 :Do you feel you work more effectively on a one to one basis or in a group situation?

Answers:

Effectiveness can be only accountable in a group and I feel more effective in a group, because everyone in a group has some special quality so I can eventually grasp it, we develop inter-personal skills by helping our junior's and learning from seniors.

Question3 :How do you get people who do not want to work together to establish a common approach to a problem?

Answers:

Firstly,we should concentrate on fixing their difference of opinions. then we will work on making them realize the goal and how their difference is going to affect the goal.
Try to be an effective mediator by finding a position that everybody compromises but nobody feel as a looser. In other words, try to find common ground. In addition to that,try to demonstrate how their collaboration benefit both of them and team as a whole.

Question 4: How do you motivate your team members?

Answers:
The following are eight quick tips to motivate your team:

Everyone Has Motivation. Your employees are motivated on some level. It is your job to find the level of their motivation and move your employees to the next level.
To truly be a motivator, you must always be in tune to your employees? Find out why it is beneficial for your employees to do a task, etc. Once you find out the employees? motives, you find out how to motivate them.
It?s about Pain or Pleasure : Motivate your employees toward pleasure or away from pain. You motivate toward the pleasure by providing recognition, incentives, and rewards for doing a good job. You motivate away from the pain of a corrective action, losing a position, or doing a poor job. The key to this motivation is to be consistent with all your employees at all times.
Give Me a Reason :Do it because I said so! Well, with our educated workforce these days, that does n't work anymore. Employees like to know why tasks are being requested of them so that they can feel involved and that the task has worth. Let your employees know why doing the task is important to you, the organization, and for them.
Let Me Understand You : Take time to show sincere interest in your employees as people. Understand what your employees are passionate about in their lives. What are their special passions? What are their personal needs? What brings them joy or pain? What are their short-range and long-range goals? Once you understand the answers to these questions, you can move them to a new level of motivation, because you cared enough to ask the questions and show interest in their success. Once you understand your employee?s needs and goals, they will take more interest in understanding and achieving your goals.
Make Me Proud : Napoleon Bonaparte once said, ?A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.? Give your employees the opportunity to be proud of their work. Reward team members publicly for a job well done. Give them an opportunity in a team meeting to explain how they accomplished the job. Have your organization?s Director, President, Vice President, etc., give recognition to these employees by personally sending a note, recognizing them in an organizational or team meeting, or creating a ?Hall or Wall of Fame? recognition for employees that really have gone beyond the call of duty.
Expect the Best : Expect the best and your employees will rise to that level. How do you do this? You do it with the words you use. Are you expressing positive expectations, or are you using words (kind of, sort of, we?ll try, we have to, we haven?t done that before, and that will never work) that communicate negative expectations? What does your body language say about you? Does it say, ?I?m ready to take on any challenge, and I expect you can also;? or does your body language say ?Please don?t give me another problem. I can?t handle it.? Do our recognitions and rewards move our employees to do their best? Do we consistently communicate our standards and expectations for the best? Do we coach our team to always do better?
Walk the Talk : Our employees model our behavior. If we are confident about a major change in the organization, our employees will follow our behavior. If we come in late and leave early, guess what will happen? Remember, even when you don?t think someone is watching?they are always watching. Set the example for others to follow. Apply these eight simple rules of motivation and you, too, will have the skills to motivate your team to be inspired, innovative, self-directed, and highly productive employees.

Question 5 :What approach do you take in getting your people to accept your ideas or department goals?

Answers:

Never take any predefined approach to make people follow your idea's ,be yourself and think why your approach is good and how it can be beneficial to your people and your organization ,if you get this answer,this is the approach one should follow.
There is no predefined or fixed set of ruled for this,but a generic concept for putting forward your point is that Idea explained along with concrete/significant value addition to their stack holders as well as their surroundings, value could be in term of money, moral or visibility, because things never work-out without usability/ value addition, to their consumers.

Question 6 :How frequently do you meet with your immediate subordinates as a group?

Answers:

Once a week (Monday). Other than this. Start of a new project (Kickoff).
When some milestone happens (1-2 months).
When the reported Defect Density is very high.
When a Technical Meeting is done. Appraisals inputs. Awards & Promotions announcement.
When attrition is going up.

Question 7 :If you do not have much time & they hold seriously differing views, what would be your approach?

Answer:

Best use one of the team oriented technique, Like 6 thinking hats; Just tell the whole team to focus on each type of act for 3 mins; Like … information- what is the subject/objective of the meeting with given information,
feelings ( 30 secs)- to know how the whole group reacts
Caution- the fear of doing it or not doing it
Creativity- how to overcome with better solutions
Benefits- on the whole to the company
Managing the whole show as a leader, will bring down your time and make the team to be more focused with short time.

Question 8 :"What do you feel has been your greatest work-related accomplishment?"

Answers:

Choose one example from your past that was important to you and helped the company you worked for. Give specific details about what you did, how you did it, and what the results were. Try to pick an accomplishment that relates to the position for which you are applying. Employers like to hear about accomplishments that reduced expenses, raised revenues, solved problems or enhanced a company's reputation.

Question 9 :"What is your greatest strength?"

Answers:

This is a great chance to highlight your best skills. Don't pick just one, focus on your top three or four. Some examples are: leadership skills, team-building skills, and organizational skills. Determine which strengths would fit best with the position for which you are applying. For example, if the job announcement stresses the ability to handle multiple tasks, you could say: "I'm good at organizational skills, prioritization and time management. But my greatest strength is my ability to effectively handle multiple projects and deadlines."

Question 10 : "What is your greatest weakness?"

Answers:

Be careful with this one. Most interview guides will tell you to answer it with a positive trait disguised as a weakness. For example, "I tend to expect others to work as hard as I do," or "I'm a bit of a perfectionist." Interviewers have heard these "canned" answers over and over again. To stand out, be more original and state a true weakness, but then emphasize what you've done to overcome it. For example: "I've had trouble delegating duties to others because I felt I could do things better myself. This has sometimes backfired because I'd end up with more than I could handle and the quality of my work would suffer. But I've taken courses in time management and learned effective delegation techniques, and I feel I've overcome this weakness."

INTERESTS INTERVIEW QUESTION

2009-10-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

Question 1 : Tell me, who is your role model, or in your life, which person or event inspired you for your self development ?

Answers:

Tell about your favorite person like, for myself swami Vivekananda,because his books are inspiring me very much for my self development.he is the role model for youth. A.P.J. Abdul Kalaam also inspired me, whose life is an example of hard work, dedication, struggle for career improvement. he is also very simple in nature and down to earth.
My ............. has been the greatest inspiration for me. I have seen him, working hard, getting paid for his work with immense respect from others. He has always taught me to do my best in whatever in doing. He has taught me the way of living life.

Question 2 :Tell me about your educational background.

Answers: It depends upon person to person.

Question 3 : Have you taken a management development course?
Answers:
If you have taken a management development, then it will be beneficial for you.

Question 4 : What kind of books,publications do you read? who is your favorite author and why ?

Answers:

Depends upon u.....if u read any good book , novels.....u can say ..but be prepared ..u can be asked from that book ...if the interviewer also read that book......so go through that.......

FLEXIBILITY INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

2009-10-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

Question 1: If necessary, Would you be willing to relocate ?

Answers:

There may be chance of relocation, so before facing the interview, you should be clearheaded on this matter. Your judgment should be clear, how this is going to affect your family? If you can't compromise then, Just to get the job, do not say yes. If you don't want to face family and career problems and future grief, be honest..

Question 2 : Are you ready to work overtime? Weekends? Nights?

Answers:

This is up to you. Be totally honest. If you can manage, then say yes, otherwise....

Question 3: In recent years, what is the greatest pressure situation, you have faced ? How did you overcome with it?

Answers:

This is up to you. If you explain well, how you did cope up with your problems, it sets an example of your positive merits and qualities.

Question 4 : What is your opinion about the continuous changes in company operating policies & procedures.

Answers:

Study in depth about the company. What are the present and past policies of the particular company and how it proved for the employee and for the company itself.

Question 5 : Tell me, If you feel pressure in your job.
Answers:

It's not safe to put your personal views about your colleges and seniors or the team members. Beware!! Don't complain against them. It show you are not flexible enough and don't fit in team work.

Question 6 : What was the most significant change made in your company in the last six months which directly affected you, & how successfully do you think you implemented this change?

Answers:
If you are changing your job, then this is a common question, which an interviewer can ask.
If u manage to answer suitable answer, it will show your analytical skills, adaptability ans flexibility.

Question 7 : How effective has your company been in adapting its policies to fit a changing environment?

Answers: --------------------------

Question 8 : What was the most important idea or suggestion you received recently from your employees? What happened as a result?

Answers:
Depend upon u.