General HR Interview Preparation Guide

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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.

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.

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.
So, mention the mistake you committed and keep the focus of the answer on the steps you took to rectify it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Your ability to understand and pick up new things quickly should be able to compensate for the lack of work experience you have.

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.

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.

I believe that at one point of time in career salary becomes secondary and self actualization become more important. While taking up any new job, it will be my priority to ensure that the work culture, chances to contribute and grow are sufficient along with the money I am paid. I also believe that any good company who cares about its employees ensures that they are paid well.

I like new challenges and a chance to grow. As long I keeping getting these, I don't think I'll need to switch over. I'd like to believe that this relationship lasts for many years. However, I haven't set a time limit as such.

I have been working at a senior level since last many years. These roles have always needed me to make real time decisions. Sometimes the facts, figures and other information in real time cases are not complete & still we have to make a decision. In such cases, there exists a probability of making inaccurate decisions.
Knowing this, I usually run down my old decisions to see the outcome. It makes sure that I don't repeat a mistake ever again in future. While carrying out one such exercise, I realised that the product promotion strategy that I recommended would have been different, if I had had the complete data and figures but there was no way to get them in real time.

Yes, there have been many such instances. I like people who challenge my decisions rather than following me blindly. This keeps me ensured that I am surrounded by thinking brains rather than just a set of dumb followers.
When someone challenges your decisions, you are bound to rethink over it and the chances of reaching the best option are brighter.

Yes, I was feeling exhausted after years of non-stop work. So, I decided to take a break and spend some time with my family on a rejuvenating vacation. I am happy to have returned fully recharged.

Yes, it happened once. I was quite friendly with a colleague of mine from the other department. While talking to him during the lunch hour, I casually told him about the new marketing strategy that the marketing team was thinking about. He mentioned it to his boss and that caused a lot of confusion between the two departments. This taught me a lesson that you must not discuss any departmental strategies with anyone from other department unless you have been authorized by your boss.

You might feel that I possess more degrees than you require for this position. But, I believe that I grow everyday when I talk to my staff, customers and superiors. So, basically the learning process continues through out the life - I don't think I am over qualified.

Since I'd be coming from an altogether new environment, I am bound to possess a new perspective towards everything here including the company, product, customers, environment, strategy etc. This will enable me to constructively question things which anyone else here might not do. This will help in improving the things and making the product & company better.
Having worked closely with product development team I understand how the research for product development is carried out and how is customer requirement analysed; I'd be able to provide a value addition there too.

If I am selected for this position, I'll use my initial 90 days in understanding my role carefully in terms of the contribution to the business and increasing the overall profitability. I'll sit with my line manager and other juniors to understand what has already been done and what its impact has been. From there on, I'll formulate my strategy to growth in close conjunction with managers and see that it is properly implemented.

While asking this the interviewer wants to see, how do you identify yourself yourself with the job role. Relate your educational qualification, work experience and personal qualities with the role to answer this question.

A possible answer could be, the role of a human resource manager needs the person to connect with others on a human level and help them meet their aspirations while following the company's policies, structure and rules. I think with an experience of 'X' years, I know well how to deal with humans and my last employment has given me a good insight into the rules and regulations an HR manager has to keep in mind while operating.

You may find this question asked in different forms during the interview. The purpose of asking the same question in same way is to judge the consistency of candidate’s answers.

Ensure that you have read the job specifications properly before you appear for the interview. While answering this question, identify the qualities a person needs as an HR Manager and see how you fit into them. Take out the qualities which make you a strong candidate for this position and offer them to the interviewer. The qualities which are usually sought in the candidate for this role are: Knowledge, Intuition, Versatility, Flexibility, Focus and above all a human touch in every thing you do. If you have any extra qualification like the knowledge of a software useful in handling the job, you can discuss that also during the interview.

It is absolutely OK to accept that every human being has weaknesses but if you can make your weaknesses work to your advantage that makes you a winner. A probable answer to this question could be, while dealing with the employee’s problems at times I get very attached to them but I think this helps me in understanding their problems better and offering them a solution while being within the company limits. I have experienced that this attitude of mine towards the staff help them being more open to me and loyal to the company.

Knowledge,
Intuition,
Versatility,
Flexibility,
Focus and above all a human touch in every thing you do

While answering this question, don’t simply say that I love to work with people and that is the reason I am into HR. This is the most common answer and moreover something which makes the interviewer burst into laughter. This answer easily makes them understand that you are saying this just to get the job.

A better way would be to identify some work areas that an HR manager has to perform in his daily routine and relate them to your interest. A possible answer could be, I liked to be a part of the recruitment team which can identify right people and put them into right places. An employment into recruitment slowly developed into a full fledged HR profession.

The purpose of this question is to understand your knowledge of the role.

The responsibilities of an HR manager include:

Recruitment, Training, Organizational Development, Communication, Performance development and management, Salary and benefits, Team Building, Building Employee relationship, Developing Leadership, Motivational exercises, Developing companies policies and procedures, Managing the health care program for employees etc.

Depending on the size of the organization, the HR manager has a team performing each of these roles.