Even the most basic interview questions by HR are often difficult to answer. You just don’t know what the interviewer wants to hear. I know it gets really frustrating when the interviewer is giving blank expressions sitting in their chair.
Not anymore. No more blank expressions. You will have to answer these questions in any kind of HR interview irrespective of the job role. So instead of just throwing random answers in the air, let’s prepare.
Let’s impress the hell out of the interviewer.

Basic Interview Questions by HR (with Answers)

1. Tell us a little about yourself

It really is the first question in every HR interview that has happened or will happen on this planet.

For the interviewer

Now if you are the one interviewing, the person’s resume will tell you plenty. It will tell whether the person has experience in the field the job is for and how much is the experience.

For the candidate

Although majority of the interviewees’ answers revolve around the job role but some digress from the topic. Make sure you don’t start telling them everything about your childhood, hobbies etc. A little bit of personal information is okay but it shouldn’t be more than a minute.
Remember it’s not a date, it is an interview. The interviewer wants to know whether you will be the right fit for the job or not. So your every answer should always circle around how you would be an asset to their organization. For example: You can tell them why you went to that particular college to study that subject and how all that education will be perfect for this job role. If you took a gap year for yourself, tell them what it taught you that would be useful for the company.

Related: Interview Questions For Critical Thinking No One Tells About

2. What are your biggest strengths?

Every interviewee expects this question along with the next one. The interviewer has also been asking this question for years so they know exactly what you are going to say, I would suggest surprise them.

For the interviewer

As an interviewer, this answer tells them about the interviewee’s strongest skills. One person’s strongest skills could be other person’s weaknesses.
They try to look for answers that briefly summarise work experiences and the strongest qualities and achievements that are directly related to the duties of the open job. 

For the candidates

Imagine yourself in the place of the interviewer. Now if you were in that place and every candidate is giving you the same answer, would you want to hire them? No right.
Obviously if everyone is coming for the same job, their basic skills and strengths are going to be the same. But it’s about how you frame your answer. Be clear and precise but also tell them about an incident in brief that would justify your answer. For example if you say your biggest strength is good leadership qualities. So tell them how in the previous job you led a project which increased the sales upto 30%.
Basically prove your strengths and not just blurt out for the sake of answering.

3. What are your biggest weaknesses?

One of the most dreadful questions in any interview by HR. No one knows the right answer to this. And if you do, please feel free to share. The world needs to know.

For the interviewer

It gives them a sense of what could be the potential problem and how big it might become. If the candidate says they lack at social skills and the job role involves conversing with people quite frequently like in sales, they would obviously not want to hire them.
As an interviewer ask them about an incident which proves why that certain thing is their biggest weakness. That would tell a lot about the magnitude of the problem.

For the candidate

Most of the people think they would turn around their biggest weakness into one of the greatest strengths that would make them the trophy employee. Don’t do that, please. Don’t be like I am a workaholic so I would always finish a deadline even when it’s physically impossible for me to do so. We all know that is not how it goes, eventually. Instead, tell them this particular thing is your weakness and how you are working on it. This part is really important. The fact that you are trying to improve and be better shows that you are sincere and would make efforts whenever needed.

4. Why do you want to leave your current job?

Answer to this question needs to be really thought through.

For the interviewer

The interviewer would be looking for definite red flags here in this answer. They want to see what’s making the candidate leave their job and how that would not become a problem for their organization.

For the candidate

Carefully frame this answer. Don’t say you hate your boss or you cannot get along with the employees there. Do not say anything bad about your previous company. If you say something bad then it’s assumed that you would probably say the same if you had to leave this job too. Instead, tell them how the job that you are interviewing for would help you grow professionally. How that would take you to the next level in your career what your previous job can’t. Talk about what you want to learn at this new company and how this job would help you achieve what you want. Also mentioning how that would help their company grow and prosper as well. Remember, it’s a two way street. They are always going to look for their benefit first. But that doesn’t mean that it can not benefit you.

5. Why do you want this job?

For money, obviously. You know this. I know this. But the interviewer does not need to know this. Although you should be interviewing for a job that you actually want to work for, but sometimes life comes in between and it’s okay. Even when you want to become an entrepreneur, you want sufficient bank balance to fall upon.

For the interviewer

The interviewer wants to know if you want the job for the right reason or not. This question allows them to find out how relevant your expectations are from the mentioned job opening.

For the candidate

Tell them how your goals and the company’s goals would benefit each other. Don’t just tell them the basic key points. Elaborate how this job would help you grow professionally and what it brings on the table for them too. Tell them how the position is a perfect fit for you to accomplish what you hope for.

6. A twisted question with no specific answer

These days many companies have started asking twisted vague questions in the interview round by HR, just to know how creative you can be. There is no specific answer to these questions. So if you cannot think of anything, just don’t start fumbling. Chances are even the interviewer doesn’t know the answer, they are just testing your creativity and presence of mind.
If you come up with a creative answer, know that it gained you like a hundred points. Congratulations!
Remember every answer does not need to sound framed, be creative and don’t worry about being ‘wrong’.

7. Do you have any questions for me?

This almost every time means that the interview has come to an end. The last impression should be good, if not the best.

For the interviewer

They want to know how relevant your questions are. It tells them how serious you are about this job and also shows your enthusiasm. Every company wants to hire a candidate who is actually enthusiastic for the job role.

For the candidate

You can learn a lot about the company from this. Don’t waste this opportunity. Obviously don’t shower them with unnecessary questions also. Don’t go around asking questions which you already know answers to.
You also want to know if the company would a good fit for you and if you would be able to survive the job in the coming few years.

Ask questions like:

• What do you expect me to accomplish in the first three months?
• What are your company’s highest priority goals this year relevant to this job opening?
• Who are your company’s top employees?
• How much the company has grown in the last 3 years?
• What would you do if one of your employees face a major personal problem?

Conclusion

There are always going to be strange unexpected questions in an interview by HR but don’t loose hope and focus. Remember whatever your answer is, it has to revolve around how you are the perfect fit for the job role and what all the company will be missing if they don’t hire you. Good luck!