If you are sitting opposite to a HR,then you are just a few runs away from victory . Though attitude plays a key role throughout the interview process it is critical in the HR round as they judge how well you fit in to their corporate environment and the company’s goals. While helping "The Perfectionist" in the family with her HR Round recently we came up with the following Q&A .These answers are just examples and you will improve and learn only if you use them as guidance and come up with your own answers. Also replace the contents in the angular brackets appropriately.
1) Tell us about yourself
You should start by introducing yourself. Then talk about your technical qualifications and percentages .You can give them some high level details about your projects. Read my article on Building your about me for more details.
If you have not worked on your final year projects yet tell them about the certifications you might have done or the electives you have chosen and why.
2) What are your career goals?
I have some short term and long term career goals.
In short term goals, I want to get a challenging and innovative job in my field where i can use my skills to the fullest.This helps me to learn and to grow professionally.
In long term goals, I want to improve my knowledge and professional skills in the upcoming technologies and to achieve such a position which is worth to me and the organization I work for.
3) Why do you wish to join us?
Know about the kind of products they develop and the services they provide before hand. Mention them and tell them how interested you are to work in their space. Also knowing some statistics from their website and recent press releases will help.
Example:
Infosys offerings span business and technology consulting, application services, systems integration, product engineering, custom software development to name a few. So I will get to work on a variety of products while leaning different technologies and growing continuously.
Never compare with any other company and avoid any negative talk.
4) What are your strengths?
Along with my programming abilities i am a quick learner. I have good communication and inter personal skills.
5) What are your weaknesses?
When you talk about your weaknesses you should also tell them how you overcame them or trying to overcome them.
Example:
I used to spend a lot of time on things that interest me neglecting other areas of my life. But i have gradually leant how to balance my work/studies and personal time.
Don’t list any personal weakness like I used to drink too much and now I gave up. It’s great that you have given up but why should they care?
6) If you are on this panel, what would you be looking for in the candidate for this position?
Going through the job position description will help you come up with an answer.
Example:
I would select a candidate with good knowledge of the core subjects mentioned in the resume along with good communication and inter personal skills.
7) Are you creative/ team-player/ resourceful?
Yes. Given any problem I try to find the different ways to solve it and I pick the most efficient solution. While working on our projects we were divided in to four member teams. We used to switch our roles from designer, developer, tester and documentation sharing the responsibility equally.
8) What are your reading habits?
I am a continuous learner .Along with my core subjects and certifications I always try to learn something new related to my field and personal development by reading books and from the internet.(Remember some book and website names)
9) Why should we select you?
My technical abilities, interpersonal skills and my interest in the make me a good candidate for this position.
10) Have you any questions you would like to ask us?
There is nothing wrong in asking them questions, especially when they ask you if you have questions. It will also make the interview process interactive and interesting.
I have learnt a little about <company name> from your website. Can you tell me more about <company name> and how the teams are organized?
Trust me; they love to answer this question and to boast about their company :)
If you do not know the further process after the interview then you can ask - Can you tell me what would be the further process from here. How and when would I hear back from you?
11) What is your expected salary?
Research on what is the typical industry pay-scale for the position.Also check with your seniors and others working for that company. If you are not sure about it you can ask the HR for the typical pay range for this position.
It is a good practice to provide them with a range of your expected salary - say 3 to 3.5 Lakhs per year. In most cases they have fixed packages for fresher’s. So clearly tell them that it is negotiable.
Check for over confidence throughout the interview and pull yourself back. Be ready with the examples if they ask you for the specific details .For Example when you answer the seventh question "Are you creative" with the answer above, they can ask you - What do you mean by an efficient solution ? They will be impressed and understand better when you give examples. Maintain a study posture and look in to their eyes confidently but not aggressively when you talk. I will talking about techniques to gather and use the information from the companies website in the next article.
