This goes out to those that have experience in HR - i.e., interviewing candidates.

18 Comments

1. yvette finley PHRMarch 28,2022 at 9:22PM UTC

   Always have questions prepared! I usually ask “what impressed you the most about your most memorable employee?” Ask what their thoughts on balancing quality and quantity of work tasks? What would my first 60-90 days look like? Lets mock interview so you dont freeze!!!

2. Cyndi RosenblattMarch 28,2022 at 9:55PM UTC

   A common question is "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" This may feel a little pointed to an older employee, but it's pretty standard for us. Unfortunately, there's no single correct answer here. One interviewer might be looking for someone who wants to grow into new roles over time, while another might be looking for someone who will settle in and not want anything different in that timeframe.

   Other common questions/themes are "tell me about a time when everything fell apart. What happened, how did you respond?" They are looking for an actual situation, and want you to describe what action(s) you took in response and what the outcome was.

   Look for "top 10 interview questions" and tips on managing behavioral interviews. Best of luck!

3. Heather CaryMarch 30,2022 at 2:35PM UTC

   You as the candidate should also be asking well thought questions during the interview. In my opinion, this is one of the best ways to show your interest in the job & the company.

   I've been in HR for over 20 years & while recruiting hasn't been my primary focus, it has been more prominent for me in the last 2 years.

   2 of the best questions that I've had candidates ask me are:

   "If you knew all the things about Company that you know now BEFORE taking the job, would you still have taken it?"

   "What is the best & the worst thing about working for Company?"

   Hopefully these questions will give you some more realistic answers about the company. Some interviewers have a tendency to want to paint a rosy picture of the company & job, and questions like those above may give them pause & have them give you an unexpectedly honest reply.

4. Jayne BennettMarch 31,2022 at 12:06PM UTC

   One of my favorite questions is this: "Let's say I'm hired for this position and we're sitting down 6 months later to review how things are going. What are the things that you will be looking at in terms of defining whether or not I am a good fit for this role?"

   I also like to ask questions about working at the company, but defining it in terms of success: "What are the attributes that help people be successful working for this company?"

5. Michelle HoffmanMarch 31,2022 at 12:25PM UTC

   A question I like to ask at the end is "Now that we have met and talked about my skills and the position - What concerns do you have that would keep me from being considered a viable candidate for the job." I have asked this a lot - one interview the interviewer gave me a concern he had - we talked about it and then he complimented me on the question. He said had I not asked the question - he would have not voiced his concern. Yes, I received the job offer - I did not accept as I also received another offer the same day from a company I deemed the position to be a better fit for me.

6. Karen Annette DossMarch 31,2022 at 12:30PM UTC

   I have had good success with that question also.

7. Kristi MarxMarch 31,2022 at 12:39PM UTC

   When I prepared for interviews, I would think of it in categories. E.g. Stress and/or time management, leadership, decision making, saving company money, etc. I would then think of possible questions they could ask in those categories and recall examples from my experience. For instance the question could be, tell me about a stressful time and how you handled it. I would formulate response so I was prepared and not have to come up with it on the fly. E.g. One time our entire system went down and I ...

8. Maggie StoneMarch 31,2022 at 12:44PM UTC

   I typically ask what the training and on boarding process looks like. I usually ask why they/current employees like working there. It is a good way to suss out toxic workplaces.

9. Changemaker993355March 31,2022 at 12:52PM UTC

   Look up the STAR interview. I had never come across it before and I had bombed it for a job I really wanted. They had told me they were impressed with my resume and qualification but threw this in the mix.

10. wearlesMarch 31,2022 at 4:20PM UTC

    I had never known about the STAR thing as well and didn't get the position. I'm glad I know about it now.

11. AnonymousMarch 31,2022 at 1:58PM UTC

    Hi!

    I've been in HR for many years as a recruiter, and am working in another area of HR now. I've been interviewing recently, and in each instance I've made it to the finalist phase. This is my process:

    • review the job description line by line, or paragraph by paragraph, and note how your experience aligns
    • write down your questions. one that works for me is "what would you like the person in this position to accomplish in the first 3 months?" then make sure you, once again, describe what you've done that relates
    • if you think of anything that would be related to what the interviewer says, take notes and make sure that you mention it at some point
    • When the interview starts, thank the person for taking the time to meet with you, and close by saying something like "thank you again for meeting with me! i'm very interested in the position and look forward to hearing from you"
    • In short, show your enthusiasm for the job and how you're qualified to fill it

    Good luck!!!

12. Jen BrassaniniMarch 31,2022 at 2:06PM UTC

    Agree with this advice as an HR Manager and generalist who has been hiring non stop since fall of 2020. The job description is where the questions should be based from as well as any decision making criteria. I also recommend using the job description or position announcement to customize your resume and cover letter. Good companies tell you what they are looking for and it is just up to you to connect the dots from your experience.

13. Cathy ScottMarch 31,2022 at 2:14PM UTC

    The Preparation is key!

    Here are some helpful steps:

    1) Grab some index cards

    2)Look up STAR interview

    3)Read the advice below, especially the prep advice.

    4)Write out on each card (in your own voice) answers to the most common questions in your profession. ( pick the top 5)

    5) tell a short story on each success using numbers; percentages or anything that quantifies your successes.

    6) Review your past performance reviews to write down strengths others have written about you. ( What strengths does your Manager point out about you?)

    7) it’s your job to tell them what you want them to hear. You should control part of the interview.

    8) Ask for the job and tell them it’s the right match for you!

    Dont skip the last step.

    You will end up with a dozen or more index cards. These answers should work with multiple questions. A Hiring Manager will always want specifics in your short stories:so give them a time, place, and the outcome. Ex: Last year, I was assigned a budget task at xyz company. I was not comfortable with the task given but worked with 2 accountants who guided me through. My supervisor gave me 3 weeks. I was able to get it done in 2 weeks and Manager loved it. We still use that spreadsheet today and it has saved the company…

    Recalling your past successes will help predict your continued success.

14. Ruth SathreMarch 31,2022 at 2:50PM UTC

    One of my favorite questions is how long have you been at your current position and, if different, how long have you been at the company? A related question is about the department average length of employment. This set is looking at job satisfaction and turnover.

15. AnonymousMarch 31,2022 at 3:43PM UTC

    My recommendation is to first identify your key strengths. Then think of one or two situations that describe those strengths. use the star technique . Then no matter what question they ask, you have a bunch of pre-prepared scenarios in your mind that you can use to answer the questions, that will also highlight your strengths. This is a much better way to prepare for interviews, shows self-awareness, and is better than trying to memorize answers to questions.

    but to answer your question. One question that I like to ask, is, when is the last time you were courageous at work. Tell me about it and how you came to your decision to act?

16. AnonymousMarch 31,2022 at 6:30PM UTC

    Thank you everyone! In all my years, I had never really "prepped" for an interview before, other than to read the job description and make sure my resume was accurate.

    Thanks to all your help (and others), I sailed through the questions and asked several of my own. I think the interview went well, so now we wait and see.

    Thanks again!

17. Shelby CMarch 31,2022 at 9:28PM UTC

    I see I am late to the party and everything went well! Congrats. In case it was not mentioned, here is what I do:

    The best thing that you can do besides the obvious which you stated is research the company. Dig through their website, read their annual reports for the last three years, learn about their competition, figure out the industry/familiarize yourself with it, get a feel for the company culture, read articles about its successes and failures.... Anything you can find. The internet is a beautiful thing and due to the way that Google works, I would search it and bing.

    Then, when they ask you questions, you can tailor your responses. You can also be educated about the position and company. I have looked into a few and discovered they are not a good fit and withdrawn. So, if it is a new company, it is particularly helpful. Don't feel like you need to know all the numbers and statistics, but if the company has done something inspirational that you think you may be able to tie back to, then memorize it. You will knock their socks off for the sheer amount of effort.

    I knew a Director who is virtually impossible to impress, hard to work for, and feared by her employees. She is the company President now. ;) When she said she needed a new Assistant and hers was resigning, I felt my stomach cringe because when the staff saw her on the security monitors they would run and hide. She also had particular difficulty with females. Long story short, after a LOT of candidates, we did some interviews and one stood out to me. This position was all about fit and grit and I thought she had both and could go toe to toe with the Director.

    The director was lukewarm about everyone until the candidate showed up the next day and dropped off a poster. It had the "Top 12 Reasons I Am Perfect For This Position". I hadn't ever seen anything like it before or since. The boss was impressed and a relationship began. They were together all the way up through her promotions, but her Assistant did not want to transfer to the home office with her when they expanded and were acquired by a larger company.

    Now, she is running everything here. Her boss trusts her enough to be her boots on ground states away. She is irreplaceable. They have been together twenty years. A lot of marriages don't last that long.

18. Laura Ann KleinApril 1,2022 at 2:34AM UTC

    So happy it went well! Post when you hear you got the job :)