HR interview questions and answers for senior executives

1. Assuming that you are selected, what will be your strategy for next 60 days
!f ! am selected for this "osition, !#ll use my initial 60 days in understanding my
role carefully in terms of the contribution to the business and increasing the
overall "ro$tability. !#ll sit with my line manager and other %uniors to understand
what has already been done and what its im"act has been. &rom there on, !#ll
formulate my strategy to growth in close con%unction with managers and see
that it is "ro"erly im"lemented.

'. How would you im"rove u"on our "roduct( com"any
)ince !#d be coming from an altogether new environment, ! am bound to "ossess
a new "ers"ective towards everything here including the com"any, "roduct,
customers, environment, strategy etc. *his will enable me to constructively
question things which anyone else here might not do. *his will hel" in im"roving
the things and ma+ing the "roduct , com"any better.
Having wor+ed closely with "roduct develo"ment team ! understand how the
research for "roduct develo"ment is carried out and how is customer
requirement analysed- !#d be able to "rovide a value addition there too.
HR interview questions and answers for freshers
HR interview questions and answers for ex"erienced
16 more HR interview questions with answers
)am"le HR interview questions and answers
.. /on#t you thin+, you are overquali$ed for this "osition
0ou might feel that ! "ossess more degrees than you require for this "osition. 1ut,
! believe that ! grow everyday when ! tal+ to my sta2, customers and su"eriors.
)o, basically the learning "rocess continues through out the life 3 ! don#t thin+ !
am over quali$ed.
4. Have you ever had a "roblem with your "eer 5an you give us an exam"le
0es, it ha""ened once. ! was quite friendly with a colleague of mine from the
other de"artment. 6hile tal+ing to him during the lunch hour, ! casually told him
about the new mar+eting strategy that the mar+eting team was thin+ing about.
He mentioned it to his boss and that caused a lot of confusion between the two
de"artments. *his taught me a lesson that you must not discuss any
de"artmental strategies with anyone from other de"artment unless you have
been authorised by your boss.
A""roach to answer HR interview questions
HR !nterview 7uestions 8 !nfosys
HR interview questions for freshers 8 *5)
!nterview questions for HR 9rofessionals
:. ! see, there#s some ga" in your wor+ history. 6hy
0es, ! was feeling exhausted after years of non8sto" wor+. )o, ! decided to ta+e a
brea+ and s"end some time with my family on a re%uvenating vacation. ! am
ha""y to have returned fully recharged.
6. 5an you tell us something about your "revious boss
All my bosses "ossessed some s+ills worth learning. ! have always tried to learn
something new from them including my "revious boss.
;. !s there anything that you do not li+e about your last or current %ob
! was quite enthusiastic while %oining my last %ob. *owards the end, the number of
challenges and o""ortunity to grow further started diminishing. A challenge
loving and growth oriented "erson li+e me doesn#t en%oy this.
<.Have there been instances, when your decision was challenged by your
colleague or manager
0es, there have been many such instances. ! li+e "eo"le who challenge my
decisions rather than following me blindly. *his +ee"s me ensured that ! am
surrounded by thin+ing brains rather than %ust a set of dumb followers.
6hen someone challenges your decisions, you are bound to rethin+ over it and
the chances of reaching the best o"tion are brighter.
=. !f you are allowed to change one thing about your last %ob, what would it be
! have been wor+ing at a senior level since last many years. *hese roles have
always needed me to ma+e real time decisions. )ometimes the facts, $gures and
other information in real time cases are not com"lete , still we have to ma+e a
decision. !n such cases, there exists a "robability of ma+ing inaccurate decisions.
>nowing this, ! usually run down my old decisions to see the outcome. !t ma+es
sure that ! don#t re"eat a mista+e ever again in future. 6hile carrying out one
such exercise, ! realised that the "roduct "romotion strategy that ! recommended
would have been di2erent, if ! had had the com"lete data and $gures but there
was no way to get them in real time.
10. How long can you commit to wor+ with us
! li+e new challenges and a chance to grow. As long ! +ee"ing getting these, !
don#t thin+ !#ll need to switch over. !#d li+e to believe that this relationshi" lasts
for many years. However, ! haven#t set a time limit as such.
11. 0ou seem to be drawing a good salary. 6ill you be ?> in ta+ing a salary cut
! believe that at one "oint of time in career salary becomes secondary and self
actualisation become more im"ortant. 6hile ta+ing u" any new %ob, it will be my
"riority to ensure that the wor+ culture, chances to contribute and grow are
su@cient along with the money ! am "aid. ! also believe that any good com"any
who cares about its em"loyees ensures that they are "aid well.
1'. 6hat is your ex"ected salary
! believe that an ideal remuneration for any "osition recognises the ability,
rewards the "erformance and "rovides the em"loyee an o""ortunity to indulge in
his hobbies and "assions. ! am sure that this com"any also ta+es care of these.
1.. 6ould you li+e to as+ us anything
! would li+e to +now about the career growth ! can ex"ect being with this
com"any. ! am quite an ambitious "erson and this information will be hel"ful.
)+ill test for HR "rofessionals
&requently as+ed questions during a "ersonal interview
AnalyAe strengths for !nterview
/ownload .' most commonly as+ed HR interview 7,A in 9/&
*ell us something about yourself.
6hy do you consider yourself a suitable candidate for this "osition
6hy do you want to leave your "resent %ob or com"any
0ou have stayed in your current %ob for quite a long time, why
6hat do you +now about us
6hat do you do to im"rove your +nowledge
5an you "erform under "ressure
*ell us some of your strengths.
*ell us some of your wea+nesses.
Are you comfortable wor+ing in a team
How do you rate your communication s+ills
0ou do not have all the ex"erience we need for this "osition
How would you com"ensate for the lac+ of ex"erience you have for this "osition
!f you were hiring for this "osition, what qualities would you loo+ for in a "otential
candidate
/o you +now anyone who wor+s for us
6hat is your style of management
Have you ever $red anyone How would you go about $ring a "erson, if
required
6hat irritates you about co8wor+ers
!s there any "articular +ind of "erson you can not wor+ with
6hat qualities would you loo+ for in your senior
6hat motivates you at wor+
6ill you be ha""y to wor+ in night shifts or over the wee+ends
Have you ever committed a mista+e at wor+
6hat "osition would you "refer while wor+ing on a "ro%ect
6hat are the most im"ortant things for you as a manager
6ill you be ha""y to re8locate, if required
6hat +ind of a salary are you loo+ing for
/o you have any questions for us
/iscuss the most stressful situation you came across in your "revious %ob.
&or how long do you ex"ect to stay with our organiAation
6hy should we hire you
/iscuss your strengths
/iscuss your wea+nesses and how do you "lan to overcome it
6hat is your idea of an ideal com"any
6hy are you leaving your "revious %ob
*ell us something about your achievements at your "revious %ob.
*ell us what do you +now about our com"any
Are you willing to relocate(travel
Are you a good team "layer
5an you wor+ inde"endently
/o you have any questions for us
Are you willing to wor+ for long hours, if the "ro%ect demands that from you
6hat is your current 5*5 and what are your ex"ectations
Are you "lanning to go for further studies
*ell us something about yourself, discuss : characteristics
*ell us something about your hobbies
6hat is more im"ortant to you money or success
1. *ell us something about yourself.
*his is the $rst question, you can ex"ect during any interview you face. *his
usually is a question to start the communication and set the ball rolling for the
interview. 0ou can answer this question by "roviding some information about
your wor+ ex"erience, technologies you have wor+ed u"on, educational
quali$cations. !f you are a fresh graduate, you can "rovide some information
about your family also.
*he tric+ is to "ut the full sto" at the right "lace to "rovo+e the next question you
want. &or e.g. BRecently ! develo"ed a website using /ru"al. !t was quite an
interesting but challenging %ob which ! en%oyed.C
'. 6hy do you consider yourself a suitable candidate for this "osition
*he answer to this question lies in the "re"aration you did before the interview. !t
is extremely im"ortant that you research the requirements of the "osition well
and match them with your s+ills.
&or e.g. if the "osition requires an As".net develo"er with good +nowledge of
health care domain, tell the interviewer about your technical s+ills and your
domain +nowledge.
&resh graduates can tal+ about their technical s+ills, ability to learn and gras"
things quic+ly.
.. 6hy do you want to leave your "resent %ob or com"any
0ou may want to leave your "resent %ob for any reason but ma+e sure that you do
not tal+ bad about your manager, com"any or %ob. !t reDects your com"laining
attitude.
9rovide a sincere reason for e.g. B! thin+, ! have grown u" with my last em"loyer
as much as ! could. ! want to grow further and ! believe that is "ossible with a
new em"loyer.C
4. 0ou have stayed in your current %ob for quite a long time, why
*here are many "eo"le who do not change their %obs for years and when they go
out loo+ing for a new em"loyer, this is one of the most im"ortant questions they
are as+ed. )ome "eo"le might loo+ u"on staying with the same em"loyer for
long as Blac+ of ambitionC.
A good answer to this question can be something li+e, B0es, you are right. !
stayed with my last em"loyer for almost : years but ! was continuously growing
in the com"any, doing new things, handling bigger challenges. )o, ! was quite
ha""y wor+ing with them for these many years.C 0ou can then tal+ about how
you grew with your last em"loyer.
:. 6hat do you +now about us
Research the com"any and its business a bit before a""earing for the interview.
Also, $nd out a bit about the technologies they wor+ u"on. 0ou don#t need to
+now everything inside out but having a fair idea about the com"any ma+es you
a""ear interested in the "osition, to be ta+en seriously.
&or e.g. ! see that your com"any does a lot of "ro%ects based on ?"en)ource
"latforms li+e Eoomla, /ru"al, Fagento which is quite interesting as ! have a
similar +ind of ex"erience.
6. 6hat do you do to im"rove your +nowledge
*he $eld of !* is very revolutionary. !t is extremely im"ortant to +ee" yourself
abreast with the new technological develo"ments and this needs you to ta+e
some time out of your wor+ schedule so that you can +ee" shar"ening your saw.
*o answer this question, you can tell the recruiter about the forums which you
+ee" visiting, blogs which you +ee" reading. !t will be an advantage if you are a
member of some local user grou".
;. 5an you "erform under "ressure
Fost of the times, the %ob of software develo"ment is that of wor+ing under
"ressure. )ometimes, it will be the "ressure of delivering on time while it can be
that of a bug that has s"rung all of a sudden in your code.
)o, ex"ect "ressure in everything you do. !t is im"ortant to maintain your
"erformance and develo" strategies to deliver under "ressure. 0ou can then go
ahead an tal+ about your way of dealing with "ressure and "erforming under it.
<. *ell us some of your strengths.
Again, it is im"ortant to study the requirements of the "osition before you a""ear
for the interview. Gist out your strengths and o2er the ones that this role
demands.
&or e.g. if you are a""earing for the "osition of a *ech Gead 3 H1.net, tal+ about
your H1.net s+ills, any extra +nowledge which you have about coding with H1.net
in com"arison to other candidates, your team management s+ills etc.
=. *ell us some of your wea+nesses.
0ou have to be careful while answering this question. /o not o2er a wea+ness
which will directly a2ect your selection but at the same time saying that you do
not have any wea+ness will not be right too. Ivery human being has
wea+nesses, so it is "erfectly ?> for you to have some too.
*he best way to answer this question will be to turn one of your strengths as a
wea+ness and say that others accuse you of having this wea+ness but you thin+
it is im"ortant to wor+ in this manner. &or e.g.J BFy colleagues accuse me of
"aying to much attention to syntaxes but ! believe it is im"ortant when you are
writing the code to avoid s"ending too much time on $nding and $xing the bugs
later on.C
Another way to answer this question is to o2er a totally un8related wea+ness for
e.g. B! have been staying alone for so many years now but ! still can#t coo+
inde"endently.C
10. Are you comfortable wor+ing in a team
*he whole wor+ of software develo"ment or !* is a team wor+. )o, the only
answer to this question can beJ B0es, ! am comfortable wor+ing in a team.C !f you
have any "roblems in wor+ing as a team, it is im"ortant to wor+ on them and
develo" yourself as a team "layer.
11. How do you rate your communication s+ills
Again, !* is about dealing with "eo"le within and out of the com"any. )o, it is
im"ortant to have good communication s+ills. 1y good communication s+ills we
mean, ability to understand and ex"lain in a common language. )o, if you
believe that your communication s+ills are wea+er, you need to wor+ on them.
Anything less than average or good is not acce"table here.
1'. 0ou do not have all the ex"erience we need for this "osition
!t is not "ossible for a candidate to have all the ex"erience an em"loyer requires.
Iven if you match yourself u" to the ex"ectations on technical front, there will be
some di2erence in the wor+ environment. And, it is absolutely $ne.
*he best way to deal with this question is to analyse the requirements of the
"osition well and match your s+ills as close to them as "ossible. !f something is
still left untouched, o2er your quic+ gras"ing "ower and ability to learn quic+ly
as a solution , bac+ it u" with an exam"le from the "ast.
1.. How would you com"ensate for the lac+ of ex"erience you have for this
"osition
As we discussed in the last question, your ability to understand and "ic+ u" new
things quic+ly should be able to com"ensate for the lac+ of wor+ ex"erience you
have.
14. !f you were hiring for this "osition, what qualities would you loo+ for in a
"otential candidate
5losely understand the qualities and s+ills a "erson holding the "osition would
need and match them with the qualities you have.
!f you believe that you are missing a big quality required for the "osition under
discussion, say that, B! understand that this is an im"ortant quality required in
the "erson holding this "osition but given a chance, ! will inculcate it in me.C
1ac+ it u" with a con$dent body language.
1:. /o you +now anyone who wor+s for us
?2er some one#s name if they really +now you well and can o2er a "ositive
feedbac+ about you.
16. 6hat is your style of management
!n today#s scenario, everything needs customiAation, so here also, one siAe can#t
$t all i.e. one management style won#t wor+ in all situations. )o, o2er
BsituationalC as your style of management.
1;. Have you ever $red anyone How would you go about $ring a "erson, if
required
*he basic "ur"ose of as+ing this question is to chec+ your I7 and see if you have
the guts to ma+e tough decisions. !f you have $red anyone in the "ast, discuss
your ex"erience and a""roach. !f you have never done so in the "ast, discuss the
a""roach you would ta+e to ma+e and im"lement such a decision. >ee" the focus
of your answer on the fact that you would try to do your best to ensure that your
team "erforms to its best but if a "articular member is not able to "erform even
after you ta+ing all the ste"s to hel" him, you would ma+e the tough decision to
ensure that the "ro%ect doesn#t su2er.
1<. 6hat irritates you about co8wor+ers
*he "ur"ose of this question is to see how well you can $t into a team. 1asically,
you should not have a "roblem with a "erson, although you can have a "roblem
with the style of wor+ing.
)o, to answer this question you can sim"ly say, B! understand that !* is about
team wor+, so we can#t a2ord to "roblems with co8wor+ers but if someone is not
serious about their wor+ or does a low quality wor+ a2ecting the whole "ro%ect, !
de$nitely do not li+e itC
1=. !s there any "articular +ind of "erson you can not wor+ with
&or the reason given in the above questions, the answer to this question should
be a BKoC. *his is basically a di2erent way of "utting u" the last question.
'0. 6hat qualities would you loo+ for in your senior
0ou can mention some generic qualities li+e intelligence, good sense of humour,
dedicated to his team etc., which all the managers thin+ that they have in
abundance.
'1. 6hat motivates you at wor+
*o answer this question, you can mention things li+e 3 new challenges, good
environment which all em"loyers thin+ that they o2er.
''. 6ill you be ha""y to wor+ in night shifts or over the wee+ends
0ou need to answer this question ta+ing into consideration what is suitable for
you. )ay that you can wor+ in the night shifts, only if you can really do it.
'.. Have you ever committed a mista+e at wor+
*o err is human. )o, it is "erfectly ?> if you committed a mista+e at wor+ but
before answering the question analyse the magnitude of mista+e you did and the
e2ect it had on the com"any.
6hat is more im"ortant is 3 what did you do to rectify the mista+e and ma+e sure
that you don#t do it again
)o, mention the mista+e you committed and +ee" the focus of the answer on the
ste"s you too+ to rectify it.
'4. 6hat "osition would you "refer while wor+ing on a "ro%ect
*his question is for you to answer based on the s+ills and qualities you have. !f
you have the ca"ability to handle di2erent "ositions, discuss that also in the
interview.
':. 6hat are the most im"ortant things for you as a manager
*he two things which should be most im"ortant for a manager to succeed in his
role areJ
a.L His team should be ha""y and +ee" "erforming
b.L *he "ro%ect he is wor+ing on with his team is successfully $nished with
minimum "roblems.
'6. 6ill you be ha""y to re8locate, if required
Again, a question for you to answer based on your "osition. !f you are
antici"ating this question in the interview, it is better to discuss this with your
family also before you go to face the interview.
';. 6hat +ind of a salary are you loo+ing for
*ry to "ut the ball bac+ in interviewer#s court by as+ing him about the salary they
o2er for a "osition li+e this. Fost of the big com"anies will have a $xed
remuneration for each level.
However, if this is negotiable, you will have more negotiation "ower if you have
some wor+ ex"erience. )o, +now your lower limit Mamount below which you can#t
goL and also +now the maximum salary in the industry for the "osition then "ut
forward a $gure which is not very exact. !t is better to mention a range. &or e.g. if
you are ex"ecting something around :: >, say that you ex"ect something in mid
$fties. /on#t +ee" the range to broad otherwise you will be o2ered something
towards the lower end.
!f you are a fresher, most of the times you will have to acce"t the com"any#s
o2ering for the "osition. However, if you $nd it too less, you can de$nitely
discuss that during the interview.
'<. /o you have any questions for us
*his is usually the last question you can ex"ect during an interview. !t is
extremely im"ortant to have some intelligent questions to as+ the interviewer
otherwise you may %ust sound dull and un8interested. Research the com"any a
bit and discuss if they have been in news recently. 0ou can also discuss about the
growth "ros"ects for you within the com"any etc.
'=. /iscuss the most stressful situation you came across in your "revious %ob.
Here you should discuss a stressful situation that you were able to overcome and
+ee" a "ositive tone, do not say you never came across a stressful situation.
*y"ical answers can beJ
8?ur 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
co8o"erative and understood the situation. 1ut he wanted us to give it a try and
was ready to reduce the targets to a more realistic number.
80ou can also tal+ about a very demanding "ro%ect where you wor+ed for long
hours(' shifts and had to sacri$ce on family time, but once the "ro%ect was done
you got recognition for the hard wor+ and you were over the stress.
.0. &or how long do you ex"ect to stay with our organiAation
0ou should ensure that you give an im"ression that you will "ay bac+ more than
what you ta+e from the com"anyJ
80ou can say ! will stay here as far as ! see an o""ortunity for growth, as ! am
loo+ing for a stability in wor+ "lace
8!f they stress on number of years say .84 years, and more if ! can ex"lore new
challenges(growth o""ortunities
.1. 6hy should we hire you
8Here you should discuss the "ro$le you have a""lied for and your
strengths(ex"erience with which you can add value to the %ob
8/iscuss your achievements at your "revious %ob, and say that ! have develo"ed
my s+ills to suit my current "ro$le, but ! want to develo" myself futher and face
new challenges, and for that ! need to change my %ob.
8 ! will always be willing to change roles share res"onsibilities to suit com"any
requirements
.'. /iscuss your strengths
/iscuss strengths that show your "rofessional ex"ertise, some of the answers
could beJ
8Fulti tas+ingJ )ay ! have been wor+ing on mulit"le "ro%ect and ! am required to
+ee" tabs on each "ro%ect and co8ordinate with a lot of teams, and ! am able to
do it e@ciently.
89roblem )olvingJ 0ou can say that in my current %ob role ! have s"ent a good
time to +now how to solve "roblems. Fy team members see me as a go8to
"erson to solve issues.
85ommunication
8*eam "layer
87uic+ learner
)u""ort each "oint with your exam"les
... /iscuss your wea+nesses and how do you "lan to overcome it
/iscuss wea+nesses in "ositive light always discuss how you "lan to overcome it,
some of the answers could beJ
8! am always willing to ta+e u" additional res"onsibilities, but ! end u" being over
wor+ed so now ! am realistic about what ! can do, so that ! do wor+ to the
required standards
8!f you lac+ certain technical s+ill, which is not crucial for the %ob you can state
that and say you are "lanning to ta+e u" a training course(certi$cation to get
over it
8!f you do not wish to discuss your wea+ness, you can say, ! cannot com"ete with
Ra%ni+ant J9
.4. 6hat is your idea of an ideal com"any
/o not go over board and as+ for , it might give an im"ression that you are too
demanding, some of the answers could beJ
8An ideal com"any "rovides maximum o""ortunities for growth of em"loyees.
8*hey "rovide comfortable and Dexible wor+ environment, so that em"loyees can
"erform at their best and wor+ towards com"any#s bene$t.
8A com"any that encourages learning
8A com"any that encourages o"en culture
.:. 6hy are you leaving your "revious %ob
/o not go around defaming your com"any, it will give a bad im"ression about
you.
Nive reasons such asJ
89rofessional Nrowth
8Kew challenges
85hange in "ro$le
89lanning to relocate Mif a""licableL
86ith time ! found my %ob was becoming monotonous and ! didn#t want this to
have any im"act on the %ob ! was doing for my em"loyer
8! am not actively loo+ing for a %ob change but, ! saw this o"ening and it loo+ed
interesting.
.6. *ell us something about your achievements at your "revious %ob.
8*al+ about your "rofessional acheivements, if you were recognised as a high
"erformer or you got good feedbac+ from your manager
80ou can also discuss you annual ratings
8/iscuss your "romotions(a""raisals
.;. *ell us what do you +now about our com"any
81rowse through the com"any website and ma+e sure you +now what the
com"any does and ma+e sure you do so in short
8/iscuss the "ositives as"ects of the com"any, the interviewer should feel that
you have done your home wor+
10. 6hy do you want to wor+ for us
8)tart by discussing the "ro$le you have a""lied for and go on to say that the
organiAation would "rovide an o""ortunity to enhance your +nowledge and hel"
you to grow "rofessionally
8/iscuss how you would be of use to the organiAation and how you "lan to
develo" your "rofessional com"etencies
.<. Are you willing to relocate(travel
8Always say yes if you need the %ob
80ou can as+ whether they will com"ensate for relocation costs
.=. Are you a good team "layer
5om"anies loo+ for team "layers as well as those who are self starters and can
wor+ inde"endently, so you need to be versatileJ
80ou should show that you en%oy wor+ing in a team. )ay that you are o"en to
suggestions from team members and seniors.
8!t is always good to wor+ in a team as one can get the su""ort of other members
and in times of crisis everyone can wor+ together to achieve the goal.
40. 5an you wor+ inde"endently
80es, ! can wor+ inde"endently without su"ervision or su""ort from a team
/o not em"hasiAe on wor+ing inde"endently as that will be seen as an inability
to wor+ with others.
41. /o you have any questions for us
Always have a question ready to answer this oneJ
80ou can as+ whether the com"any allows for lateral and vertical role changes
80ou can also as+ whether the com"any encourages learning and develo"ment of
em"loyees
8As+ whether the com"any has "lans for ex"ansion
80ou can also discuss your role in detail
4'. Are you willing to wor+ for long hours, if the "ro%ect demands that from you
8/iscuss situations when you must have done so to ful$ll "ro%ect requirements in
the "ast
4.. 6hat is your current 5*5 and what are your ex"ectations
81e honest about your 5*5, as you will have to "roduce you salary sli" as a "roof
of em"lyment
81e realistic when you state your ex"ected 5*5, you can as+ for a .0840O hi+e
8!f you are under"aid at your current com"any you can loo+ for the standard
salary "aid for the ex"erience you have and as+ for that amount
44. Are you "lanning to go for further studies
1e trans"arent in your answer.
8!f you are "ursuing further studies, say so. *ell them why you want to go for that
course
8!f you are ta+ing u" a distance education course or a "art time course, they
should +now, as you will need to ta+e leaves when you a""ear for exams
4:. *ell us something about yourself, discuss : characteristics
Gist down "oints that will hel" you "rofessionallyJ
8!nde"endent
8Res"onsible
8Hard wor+ing
8Fulti tas+er
89rom"t
8Add your characteristcs
46. *ell us something about your hobbies
Answer it with honesty, as they can go dee"er into this discussion. 0ou can
includeJ
81rowsing the internet
81logging,
8Gistening to music,
85hatting with friends
8Reading news"a"ers,
8Reading boo+s,
8)ho""ing,
86atching moviesP.
4;. 6hat is more im"ortant to you money or success
*his is tric+y question, as money and success both are im"ortant and you cannot
outweigh the im"ortance of one over the other. 9ersonally you might "refer
money over success or success over money, but it is better to be neutral when
answering this question in an interviewJ
0ou can say, that money and success both are im"ortant for you, but if you have
to choose you would choose success. *he reason being, if one is successful
money often follows and you need not focus on money over success..
Fodern day HR !nterview questions and answers
Noing to face an HR interview /on#t be sur"rised if you do not get as+ed the
age old questions li+e B6hy should we hire you ?r *ell us your two strengths(
wea+nesses.C !nstead, ex"ect to see the unex"ected.
*ired of mundane questions with ty"ical answers, HR interviewers are now
re"lacing the traditional HR interview questions with modern questions. *he
focus is on discovering the various as"ects of a candidate#s "ersonality with
questions based on "ractical situations.
Read ahead to $nd modern day HR#s favourite questions and an a""roach to
answer them. Find here, there#s no right or wrong answer to these questions, it#s
%ust your a""roach that matters.
1. 5an you tell me about the most exciting as"ect of your %ob
AnswerJ *he "ur"ose of this question is to see how excited you are about the
things you do and your inclination towards any "articular thing.
*o answer this question, discuss about the im"ortant things that you do in your
%ob and then go on to ex"lain any "articular thing that you li+e to do the most.
Also, ex"lain the reasons behind li+ing that "articular activity.
&or e.g. B1eing in the $eld of mar+eting 3 some of my im"ortant res"onsibilities
are getting the collaterals develo"ed, interacting with the online and "rint media,
crafting e2ective mar+eting messages, training the new recruits etc. Having an
interest in training 3 ! $nd, training the new recruits and getting them hit the
road most exciting.C
*his tells the recruiter that given a %ob to manage a team of new recruits, you will
be able to handle them well.
'. !f you are as+ed to do something di2erent in your %ob, what would it be 6hy
AnswerJ *he "ur"ose of this question is to chec+ your ability to thin+ logically out
of the box and ta+e an action.
*his question can be answered by telling the recruiter about something that you
thin+ can ma+e a di2erence to the %ob you are currently doing. &or a better
ex"lanation, convert the actions you "ro"ose into results. Also, at this "oint in
time, you need to tell them about the action you have ta+en with your "ro"osal 3
this saves you from being "erceived %ust as a thin+er.
&or e.g. B! believe that communicating the information of our new ad8cam"aign
to the internal team will motivate everyone and also have them "erform with
more vigour. *he tem"late for this is in "rocess and very soon we will see it in
action.C
.. Has there been a time when you went beyond your %ob role How did you ta+e
u" the challenge
AnswerJ *his question aims to see, if you are ha""y to extend yourself beyond
your regular %ob or do you li+e to "erform only a given set of activities. *his is
also a test of your Dexibility.
Ix"lain about how you went about doing that BextraC thing focussing on its e2ect
on the organiAation.
&or e.g. B! have been wor+ing in my current com"any for last 4 years, so ! +now
the business "retty well. 6henever there#s a new initiative required to be ta+en
in the business, ! am one of the very $rst choices of the to" management. )ome
time bac+ the com"any decided to start a new de"artment whose res"onsibility
will be to attract new customers. !nitially it was to be done on the trial basis and !
was given the res"onsibility to "erform this trial. ! could do it successfully,
without much assistance from the seniors. *oday, this de"artment has :
em"loyees wor+ing in it and the business has grown u" by 40O.C
4. /escribe the wor+ environment of your dream %ob.
AnswerJ Fany em"loyees leave the %ob or are laid o2 because they are a mis$t to
the wor+ environment. *he "ur"ose of this question is to see if your "erce"tion of
a good wor+ environment is similar to the environment in this organiAation.
*here#s no wrong or right answer for this question. 5ommunicate the factors
im"ortant to you in your wor+ environment. Additionally, you can as+ them about
the wor+ environment in the com"any when given a chance.
:. /escribe your imaginary co8wor+er to us.
AnswerJ 0our imagination about your co8wor+ers hel"s the interviewer in
understanding your readiness to ta+e u" a "articular "osition, your team "laying
attitude and your style of management.
&or exam"le, if you are being interviewed for a managerial "osition, you can say
something li+eJ B1eing the leader of team, ! would li+e my team to be full of
energy and vigour. *hey should be able to thin+ creatively and "ut across their
views without any fear. 6hile being inde"endent thin+ers, they must res"ect the
disci"line at wor+ and focus on "erformance. ! would a""reciate that each team
member must res"ect each other#s views 3 and yes, !#ll ensure that they get a
congenial environment to wor+ in.C
6. /escribe your imaginary boss to me.
AnswerJ 0our answer to this question gives the interviewer an insight into your
style of management and your ability to get along with the boss.
Answer this question by focussing on the qualities you may see+ in your boss 3
li+e good +nowledge, res"ect for team members, understanding, good sense of
humour 3 which every boss would li+e to thin+, they have in abundance. Fa+e
sure that at no "oint of time, your answer shows that you need a boss who
doesn#t question you bac+ or gives you too much liberty 3 as this might mean
that you do not li+e disci"line and can#t get along well with "eo"le.