After applying for a job and hearing back from the company, the next milestone to conquer is the HR interview. These interviews highly affect the scenario of you getting the job.
Usually, the HR interview questions for freshers are a decent mix of simple introductory questions to break the ice, tricky questions to judge the presence of mind, situational questions to test the practicality, behavioural questions to analyze emotional intelligence, and other questions such as background, and job knowledge.
Certain HR interview questions are tricky, but they are truly the easiest ones that are supposed to be answered while maintaining a balance between the two alternatives presented.
For instance, if the interviewer asks you, “Would you lie for the company?” a straight-up affirmation or negation would be a wrong answer.
The correct answer to the question would be that you will try your best not to lie and manage the situation, but if it’s really necessary for the good of the company and its employees, you might not mind lying.
HR interview answers are expected to be sharp, honest, and concise. Some of the general abilities that are observed and tested in an HR interview are:
- Personality
- Mental Ability
- Values
- Ambitions
- Goals
Common Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers
Introductory questions
Usually, the HR interview questions for freshers begin with the introduction of the candidate. These are not only meant to break the ice but also set the base of how the interview will go.
Sample Introductory Questions:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Introduce yourself.
- How would you describe yourself?
Tips to Answer:
- All of the questions mentioned above might have a different set of words used, but all of those questions expect your introduction.
- Your introduction should include an overview of all aspects of you, such as your family, your education, some light personal details, and most importantly, you can focus on your capability to be a good fit for the company by mentioning certain instances where you’ve shown those attributes which are required for the job role.
- Remember, the interviewer does not want to hear your resume all over again. That’s a total turn-off.
- You can also include certain adjectives, such as tech-savvy, creative, time-efficient, problem-solver, etc., in your answer as they create a positive outlook of you and emphasize your pros.
Sample Answers:
- “I have been a straight-A student throughout my school as well as my college. I just finished my BA English Honors with a satisfactory grade. I would describe myself as an enthusiastic and engaging speaker when it comes to my oratory skills. I have been awarded multiple awards for the same. I would be an asset to your company as I am creative, adaptable, and familiar with your line of work even without having any job experience. This opportunity, if provided, would surely turn into the mutual growth of the company as well as me.”
- “I have been dreaming and working hard since the first day of my college to pursue my dream job at your company finally. I have completed my B. Tech. in Computer Science just with the target of becoming a Software Developer. I have actively participated in all projects, camps, and activities regarding the same. I can easily adjust to a new environment with no issues whatsoever. I aim to prove myself whenever given the opportunity.”
- Background and related questions
After the introduction, HR interview questions for freshers certainly do not include the previous job-related questions. Instead, they are related to the background and overall capabilities of the candidate.
Common HR Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers
1. Tell me about your background.
Tips: Try to cover all of your background in short. Don’t include too many personal details.
Sample Answer: “I belong to Xyz city, and I just graduated from Abc College completing my graduation. I belong to a nuclear family. My interests include writing and reading. I have been an indispensable part of my college’s extra-curricular activities.”
2. What are your strengths?
Tips: Do not exaggerate or try to boast about anything. Just list a few adjectives which you think are your biggest strengths.
Sample Answer: “I perceive that my biggest strengths are leadership, time-management, and dedication. I also think that my positive attitude and creativity are great assets.”
3. What are your weaknesses?
Tips: Be honest about it. The way you own your strengths, similarly you own your weaknesses too.
Sample Answer: “I would consider myself a bit impatient and always want my work to be perfect, which takes a toll on other things sometimes, especially my personal life.”
4. What motivates you?
Tips: You can make it personal and do not just blurt out words such as money.
Sample Answer: “Learning new things every day for my individual growth has been a great motivating aspect of my life. It has also made me pick new hobbies such as music.”
5. What do your friends say about you?
Tips: Don’t praise yourself a lot here. Try to keep it simple. You may add a short story here.
Sample Answer: “My friends would describe me as a great listener and a problem solver. Some of my friends probably say that I am very organized and reliable.”
6. Are you a risk-taker?
Tips: Even though it might seem like a one-word answer question, it is not. Try to answer in the middle and not give an extreme answer.
Sample Answer: “I would consider myself to be neither an extreme risk-taker nor a total stuffed shirt. Taking a risk depends on the situation presented. I do not oppose it when it’s necessary.”
As the name suggests, situational questions are those HR interview questions for freshers in which the candidate is given a situation and has to answer accordingly. These questions either offer a choice or a simple “what would you do if…”
Sample HR Interview Questions and Answers:
7. What would you do if you had this job and won a lottery worth 100 crores out of the blue?
Tips: We all know how much we would love a lottery but do not say that aloud. This question is a trap to weed out the money-minded and materialistic candidates for the job position.
Sample Answer: “I would love to have that sort of savings for the future. That would certainly not stop me from working further as it is something I want to do for self-growth and to feed the passion I have inside of me.”
8. Would you lie for the company?
Tips: Never say no or yes. Build up to the point that you don’t lie, but if it’s for the good of all, you might.
Sample Answer: “I am honest and truthful. I would certainly not prefer lying, but my teacher once said- “If you had to choose between being right or being kind, always choose kind”.”
9. Do you prefer teamwork or working alone?
Tips: Again, don’t choose one extreme answer. Doing that will limit the scope of work you may get in the future or the whole job as well. So, always choose a mid-way when it comes to choice-based questions.
Sample Answer: “In the past as well, I had to perform various tasks and complete assignments in a team as well as alone. I have tried my best to prove myself in both of the scenarios. In other words, I can easily adjust to both while I prefer working alone.”
Behavioral Questions and Answers for HR Round
Behavioral questions are experience-based or patterned behaviour-based questions. These types of HR interview questions for freshers vary drastically from those for experienced candidates because behavioural questions are mostly based on past job experiences. These particular HR interview questions for freshers are all about “Tell me about a time when….”
Following are some commonly asked behavioural questions for freshers:
10. Give me an example of when you multitasked.
Tips: You are open to give personal life examples here. They want to know if you can multitask. You can also explain your way of multitasking.
Sample Answer: “I mostly prefer completing one task at a time to deliver a good quality product, but there have been times I’ve had to multitask. I make a checklist and work accordingly. A small example of multitasking I’ve done is listening to a lecture in college while making notes side-by-side.”
11. Tell me about a time when you had to react to stress.
Tips: Be smart. They are not interested in what the stress was. They want to know how you managed it.
Sample Answer: “College assignments and lectures can be stressful sometimes. I had to give my exams and submit a few assignments simultaneously, which created a stressful situation for me. I scheduled my days and completed all the tasks one by one. That way, I could prepare for my exams as well as complete my assignments.”
Tricky Questions
Tricky questions are sort of irrelevant when it comes to the context of HR interviews, but they serve the real purpose of judging the candidate’s mental ability and presence of mind. At first, you might think that this question is irrelevant.
Such questions aim to judge how well you can answer if you are not prepared for a particular question or situation.
Tricky HR Interview Questions & Answers for Freshers
12. If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
Tips: The name of the animal doesn’t matter here. What matters is why you chose that particular animal.
Sample Answer: “If I were an animal, I would be a dog as they are faithful, friendly, and reliable.”
13. John’s mother has four kids. The names of her three kids are Timothy, Simon, and Jackson. Who is the fourth kid?
Tips: Listen carefully. In questions such as this one, they want to know if you’ve been paying attention to what they say or not.
Sample Answer: “John”
Job-Related Questions
HR interview questions for freshers also include a set of questions set around the job role.
14. What are your salary expectations?
Tips: You don’t want to expect too much because you don’t want to come off as a money-minded candidate, and you don’t want to expect too little because you don’t want to seem like the candidate who is ready to work for less money.
Sample Answer: “Being a fresher, I don’t have any experience of salary expectations. I want to work here to gain experience and learn new things. I know salary is also a factor, but the main one is work only.”
15.Why should we hire you?
Tips: Don’t exaggerate. Just give suitable reasons for being the perfect fit for the company.
Sample Answer: “In my opinion, I might certainly be an excellent fit for your company thanks to my versatile skills. I would turn out to be a great asset as I can easily adapt to your work environment, and I have the passion and determination to learn something new. I promise that hiring me would turn out to be a great decision.”
16. How long are you planning to work with us if we hire you?
Tips: Even if it’s short-term, don’t say it. It’s true that you have to be honest, but it is also correct that you have to answer in a smart way.
Sample Answer: “If I get hired, I am planning to work in this company for as long as there is mutual growth of the company as well as me.”
Wrapping Up
The HR interview usually ends with the question, “Do you have any questions for me?”
Tips: You can either say no to that politely, or you can ask a genuine question. Asking a question usually shows seriousness and actual interest in the job, which is a good sign.
Sample Answer: “I would like to know about the tasks I am expected to do if I get hired as a Software Developer.”
Conclusion on HR Interview Questions for Freshers
HR interviews can be tricky, scary, and intimidating. Just remember that you have to prepare well and stay confident.
HR interview questions for freshers are not to be worried about at all. They certainly know that you’ve probably never done this before, and they might go easy on you.
HR interview questions for freshers can be easily dealt with good listening, thinking before speaking, and the use of smart language. Don’t forget to make eye contact and smile casually once in a while for a positive impression. All the best!
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