- Tell me something about yourself
- Why did you choose this career?
- What are you passionate about?
- What is your dream job?
- How do you handle stress and pressure?
- Are you willing to relocate?
- What is your greatest strength?
- What is your greatest achievement?
- How do you plan to achieve your career goal?
- Why do you want to work for us?
- How much salary do you expect?
- Do you have any questions for me?
As a student freshly out of college, your initial job interviews could be intimidating. A lot of questions can pop up like How to introduce yourself in an interview, what comes off as the best dress code for interviews? And most importantly what HR interview questions for freshers are asked?
If you are a fresher who has an upcoming job interview, this blog will take you through the 11 most common HR interview questions and answers for freshers.
Let’s begin!
Tell me something about yourself
This is the most basic HR interview question for freshers as an icebreaker between the interviewer and the candidate.
Apart from this when asked “Tell me something about yourself”, the recruiter wants to know what more you could talk about yourself that is not already present in your CV. Here’s a sample of what you can say to this HR question for freshers,
“I have completed my MA in English Major from ABC University where I headed the editorial team for our departmental magazine.
Starting from ideating the theme to editing the pieces, I learned a lot from my professors who provided valuable feedback on our work and helped us improve with each edition.
This also helped me during my internship at DXV Publishing Ltd where I received the Intern of the Month award as my story got a lot of positive responses from readers and it helped in adding fresh perspectives to the content that was being produced.
I have been following your team’s work for a while now and find it really interesting and aligned with what I would like to work on. I know I have a long way to go in terms of learning and it would be great if I get to work with your team.”
Relevant read: Best CV format for freshers
Why did you choose this career?
Amidst the other common HR interview questions for freshers, “Why did you choose this career?” finds its place in the top priority list.
The reason why recruiters ask this question is to ensure that a candidate is genuinely interested in the field, without which he/she will switch at the slightest sight of challenge. You can answer this HR question for freshers in the following manner.
“I have always had a knack for writing and given the fast-changing dynamics of the digital sphere, the content space has become all the more important in the growth of a business.
With the help of a planned digital marketing strategy can help boost the business revenue and target more customers all across.
I am just starting my career and the changing dynamics of digital marketing is a subject of great interest to me and I would love to do so from one of the best teams in the field.”
What are you passionate about?
This particular HR interview question for freshers allows the recruiter to understand various aspects such as your personality traits outside work, whether or not you'll be a good fit for the team, etc. You can answer "What are you passionate about?" in this manner.
“My parents have always encouraged us to pick up a hobby like music, sports, dance as it helps to build discipline. I had signed up for music classes at the age of 5 and soon turned into passion.
Till date I set aside an hour or two for myself where I can practice my music. This helps me to destress and also acts as a form of meditation which helps me to stay calm and focussed.”
What is your dream job?
This is one of the popular HR questions for freshers that recruiters ask to understand what a candidate's goals are and what makes them feel motivated.
It is important for the recruiters to understand these factors as they would want a candidate to be with the organization for the long run.
Here's a way you can answer the HR interview question "What is your dream job?"
“I had pursued a medical degree as I was inspired by seeing my grandfather saving lives and helping people and I wanted to do the same. However, working as a resident highlighted quite a few glitches in my ultimate motive of helping people. One such major factor is the availability of medicines to all strata of society.
But another major block to fix this problem was my lack of experience and knowledge so I decided to enroll in an MBA course for the same and work towards helping the poor get better access to medicines.”
How do you handle stress and pressure?
Stress and pressure are a part and parcel of work-life and are completely south of any stress and pressure you have faced in college.
This makes it an important question in the stack of HR interview questions for freshers, as it gives them an insight into how you function under stress and pressure at work.
You can answer “How do you handle stress and pressure?” in the following manner.
“With the current cut throat competition in every field, stress and pressure is inevitable.
However, I believe some stress is good to keep challenging oneself and that completely works in my stride.
But when it gets overwhelming, I either let out the negative energy by playing a game of badminton or practice music as it helps me to calm down.”
Are you willing to relocate?
Sometimes a job can require you to move to a different city and “Are you willing to relocate?” can help them to narrow down the number of willing candidates.
You can answer such HR interview question and answers for freshers in the following manner.
“Yes, I am willing to relocate. I do not have any commitments as such here, and given that this is my first job I am more interested in learning the tips and tricks of the job. Also, the growth opportunity of the job profile is immense and I do not have any issues in relocating for such an amazing opportunity.”
What is your greatest strength?
It is extremely important for a person to be aware of one’s strengths and weaknesses as it helps to navigate through everyday work-life in an efficient manner.
In addition, “What is your greatest strength?” helps a recruiter to understand whether or not a candidate will be a good fit for the position. Here’s how you can answer such HR interview questions for freshers.
"I think one of my greatest strength is that I am extremely level-headed. I have never had a meltdown even when under severe stress and pressure. I believe it becomes extremely important to be able to tackle a problem without getting jittery as it can lead to complication of the situation."
What is your greatest achievement?
Out of the HR questions for freshers, this is more general in nature. Recruiters usually ask this interview question to gauge what you consider important and why, whether or not you are ambitious enough to progress.
You can answer “What is your greatest achievement?” in the following manner,
“I believe my greatest achievement is the time when my paper got published in a reputed journal and it was appreciated by one of the stalwarts of the field. He later got in touch and a discussion with him helped me get a much deeper understanding and his feedback helped me improve my paper as well.”
How do you plan to achieve your career goal?
A recruiter would always want a candidate to be with their company for the long run. So, they will lean in favour of those candidates who not only have a set career goal but also have a plan of action ready for the same.
“How do you plan to achieve your career goal?” is one such HR interview questions for freshers and here is how you can revert to it.
“I have planned and divided my career goals into long-term and short-term as it helps me to focus and achieve my target easily. Currently I am looking forward to completing my SEO online course as it is an essential part of my job as a content writer.”
Why do you want to work for us?
"Why do you want to work for us?" is another one of the important HR questions for freshers which helps the recruiter to gauge your research and understanding of the company's mission and vision statement, it's achievements and ongoing projects, etc and what actually attracted you to the interview.
After all, recruiters want to hire candidates who are interested in the company's well being and not just the salary offered.
How much salary do you expect?
This is one of the most popular HR interview questions that will come across at every job interview as you progress in your career.
Here’s how you can answer “How much salary do you expect?” in the following manner.
“It is a great question, could you share the amount you offer to a fresher of the same job profile? Thank you for sharing, I am fine with your stated amount.”
Do you have any questions for me?
This is one of the HR interview questions for freshers you need to prepare yourself to answer. Recruiters always ask “Do you have any questions for me?” to allow you to have any confusion cleared or even if you have any further queries about the company/ job profile, etc.
This also highlights to the recruiter that you are genuinely interested in the job and have done your bit of thorough research to show for it.
To conclude, hopefully these 11 common Hr interview questions for freshers are helpful. Apart from preparing for these HR interview questions and answers for freshers do not forget to research about the company before joining and follow these important resume tips for freshers.
Relevant read: How to follow up after an interview
All the Best!
