Top 10 HR Interview Question and Answers

HR Interview Question and Answers with Explanation

Have you used your creativity to work through a problem? 

Why are they asking this question? Nobody has a book that tells them how to solve any problem that will come up at work. The interviewer just wants to know how creative you can be to solve problems. 

Give examples that are relevant to what you are applying for. Describe the problem, the approach you used, and what the result was: 

“I have to establish relationships with executives. The hardest part is getting in touch with them. I have learned how to find any email address at a company when you can find that of one person. I Google for an email address of anybody at that company to figure out how their system works. When I find an executive’s name, I can get in touch with them directly. This has given me a higher rate of responses than just trying to reach them by phone or an intermediary.” 

What technical skill has helped you most? 

Why are they asking this question? An ever-increasing skill is a technical aptitude no matter your role. The interviewer just wants to get a better understanding of what your strongest skills are. 

Give them a technical skill that is relevant to the job you are interviewing for. Show your expertise by giving them an example of the way you used it and why it was successful for you: 

“I have an understanding of how to utilize social media. I have trained sales staff to use LinkedIn to increase a company’s visibility.” 

Have you learned or master any new skills recently? 

Why are they asking this question? The interviewer wants to know something about that you like learning throughout life. Institutes are looking to hire people who want to learn and not just stay stagnant. 

Give examples of something you have recently learned that is relevant to the job you want. Tell them how what you learned is relevant and what you have accomplished: 

“I recently learned more about how important body language is. It has helped me to identify what people are trying to communicate with their bodies even when they are saying something different. This skill has been helpful with going to business meetings and establishing new relationships.” 

What types of things have you accomplished to be more qualified for your career?

Why are they asking this question? The interviewer wants to know if you will learn new things over the course of your career. Companies hire people who like learning and aren’t stagnant. 

Give an example of how you continue to improve and learn to be a better learner:

 “Generally I have faith that it is important to keep learning so I can improve. I try to take part in as many professional  and personal development opportunities as possible. I attend two or three conferences a year in my field. I participated in cross-training from other departments at my current job. Additionally, I am an active contributor in several relevant LinkedIn groups.” 

How have you sharpen your knowledge in the past year? 

Why are they asking this question? The interviewer wants to know if you like learning over the course of your life. Companies want to hire individuals who are always learning and aren’t just stagnant. 

Give a few examples of how you continue to improve and learn to be a better learner:

 “I believe that it is important to continue to learn so I can be better at my job. I go to as many seminars as I can fit into my schedule during the year. I make sure that some of the seminars have something to do with other departments at my job, so I am cross-trained if I’m ever needed to help out elsewhere within the company.” 

Do you have any unique experiences that separate you from others? 

Why are they asking this question? The interviewer wants to know the reasons why they should hire you rather than someone else. 

Try to focus on building yourself up rather than knocking other people down. This is the time to give yourself a huge boost: 

“I cannot speak for other Candidates, but yes I know why I am a great fit for this job. I’m the right choice because I have 15 years of experience taking on a progressively responsible role in my field. I have exceeded objectives and helped to grow the business. I have been asked to represent and lead the company, assist wherever needed, and train others. I constantly learn and keep improving my skills by taking advantage of all relevant, continuing education opportunities. Even though I have a history of success, I still try to reach new goals and overcome challenges. I have followed your company closely for several years. I know that we can be great partners in success.” 

Give me an incident that happened in your life that shows the way you faced a challenge and the way you dealt with it. 

Why are they asking this question? Each job is going to have its challenges, and the interviewer wants to know how you will handle it. 

Give them relevant examples of an incident that happened on the job, the way you handled it, and the result: 

“When you are helping People, you can only do your best, but you cannot make everyone happy all the time. There was one client who felt I was not doing everything I could to help. She came into the office screaming. I was able to calm her down, and she met with the president of the company. He gave her the opportunity to complain. I had documented all of the work I had done with her and was able to show the way I provided her the same service as I had with other clients. We heard later that she was dealing with other problems. This gave me the chance to strengthen my relationship with the president and explain how I worked.” 

Why were you given a promotion?

 Why are they asking this question? The interviewer wants to learn how you were able to move up the corporate ladder so quickly. Talk about all the accomplishments that allowed you to get the promotion. Emphasize the accomplishments that are relevant for this job: 

“I was promoted from account manager to trainer within one year. This was because of my stellar sales record while maintaining and growing accounts, along with my ability to lead others and train them to work efficiently.” 

Did you acquire any skills from your internships? 

Why are they asking this question? If you have just graduated from college with only limited work experience, the interviewer wants to learn what skills you might be able to bring into a full-time position. Try to focus on the skills that you gained from an internship that is relevant to the job you are interviewing for: 

“The most important skills that I learned were to manage my time, pay attention to detail, and work effectively within a team.” 

Have you ever had to give a person difficult feedback and how did you handle it?

Why are they asking this question? When you are in a management position, you might have to talk with a subordinate or coworker about a difficult problem. The interviewer wants to know the way you would handle it. 

Give them relevant examples that tell the story up to needing to have the conversation, what was talked about during the conversation, and how it ended: 

“It is never easy to provide somebody with difficult feedback but to work effectively you have to do it at times. It seemed like a friend or coworker was letting their hygiene habits slip. They went from wearing nice outfits to stained clothing. It looked like they were not showering. I had a private conversation with them and mentioned how the other coworkers had noticed how their habits had changed and were getting concerned. They explained that they have become overwhelmed with becoming a new parent and hygiene wasn’t on their radar like it had been in the past. They told they would take care of it. They did change the way they dressed and cleaned up. I am glad I told them since it could have cost them their job.” 

Have you called in sick to work for more than a couple days with any job?

 Why are they asking this question? The interviewer wants to know the type of work ethic you have, and how much time you come to work will give them some clarity. If you do not regularly take off work, explain some times that you did and why it was important to you. Give some clarity into your work ethic: 

“I always felt that when I was absent from work, I was missing out on something, so it was very rare that I would take time off at all. The only time I can remember, with the exception of vacation time, was to help care for a family member after they had surgery.”