Common questions for an HR interview

Depending on each company, the structure of the recruitment process is different. The HR interview can be the first step or the last one; it can be a one-standing step or mixed with the technical interview.

It is not a standard structure for an HR interview, but there are some “classic” topics in these interviews.

If you are preparing for a recruitment process, you can take a lot of these:

• What do you know about the company?

In most cases, it is an opening question because it helps the recruiter to understand what is your knowledge level and from where to start to present the context. For your preparation, you can do a simple Google search on that company (on their website, LinkedIn page, or other social media platforms).

• Tell me about yourself

A recruiter needs to understand from your side some key points from your experience. Focus on the most important roles you had, the projects you participated in, and the tech stack you used.

• Tell me about your current role

On this question, it is relevant to present the way you work (if you follow any methodology), to describe the team, and the project, and if there are any important moments to follow on your activity (like the end of the project, some changes in the company).

• Please describe me a moment when…

This is a behavioral question to show how you would react in a certain situation that might appear in that role (like a complex situation or a group decision)

• What things do you take into consideration for a new role?

In other words: what would motivates you to accept our offer? Some special technologies, a certain type of team, more money?

• What are your salary expectations?

For sure, you will receive this question because it is information a recruiter must provide to the hiring manager. Some recruiters know the budget for a role; some don’t, so it is better to do your homework and come with this information in mind.

I hear a lot that it is normal to change the job for a better salary. Sometimes, I agree with this. But pay attention to the moves from the market: you can ask for more money in the moment when you are a talent hard to find or you can solve a serious problem for a company. 

• What questions do you have for me?

Please do. This shows that you paid attention to the recruiter and you are interested in that role.

What about you? Have you heard any strange, interesting, or unforgettable questions during your HR interviews?

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