For Experienced

In addition to the general questions fresher graduates face in an HR interview, here are some typical questions which experienced people can face during the interview:

What makes you interested in this job?

If you can’t add any value to the company, the interviewer will not be very interested in knowing how this job can offer you a career progression and how much you enjoy taking up new challenges. The best way is to keep the focus of your answer on how your skills, experience and personal qualities fit into the requirements of this particular position.

Why do you think should we take you for this job?

Analyse the requirements of the job profile well before you go for the interview. Relate your skills, experience and qualification with the and these are reasons why they should consider you for this position.

If there are any new things that you are expected to perform in the new job you can say that every new job needs a person to do something new and you have an ability to grasp new things quickly. Back this up with an example from your last job.

What is the motivating factor for you at work?

You can say that competition and new challenges motivate you at work.

Why do you want to leave your present job?

The reasons for switching the job could be numerous. The best answer to offer for this question is to say, “for better prospects”.

Now they can ask you another question, what do you mean by better prospects? To this you can say, better prospects in terms of experience, and exposure.

If you have been made redundant, put your words across very carefully. Your wrong words can give an impression that only you were the one whose position was made redundant, which hardly might be the case.

May be you can say something like, “Over last 8 months a lot of restructuring was going on in the company and 40 positions became surplus. One of them was mine but I have learnt a lot during my tenure at XYZ company and I am sure I can add a lot of value to a position like the one we are discussing about”.

What is your greatest achievement?

Find an answer to this question from the recent past and focus on the qualities that were required to achieve it.

What qualities would you look for, if you were recruiting someone for this position?

The purpose of this question is to estimate your understanding of the position. Make sure that you have analysed the requirements of the role before appearing for the interview. Focus your answer on the skills, personal qualities and experience you would seek in a person for this position.

You seem to be working with the same company since a long time. - Why?

Staying with the same company for too long may be considered as lack of ambition in the candidate.
You can put this negative thought to rest by telling the interviewer how you were adding value to yourself being in the same company. Discuss some different kinds of assignments you handled and their importance to the company.

You seem to have switched many jobs-why?

Too much job hopping gives an impression that the candidate is unstable and unreliable. If you have switched jobs very often you can say that you did it to broaden your experience.

You do not have all the experience we are seeking for this position.

The answer to this question lies in your analysis of the requirements for this role. If you have most of the qualities required for the role, you can highlight that and say that you understand every new job needs a person to learn new things and you are pretty capable to picking up new things quickly.
Back this up with an example about the new things you learnt at your last job.

How did you manage to attend this interview during your working hours?

Interviewer knows that you won’t ask for a permission in office to attend the interview. You can say that you took an off from the office to attend this interview.