HR Interview questions..why do u ask them

[Engi-Nir]

Alright, I had to talk about HR interview questions and how stupid they are, and wonder who agrees and who doesn't...I been to a lot of interviews in the past, and their questions always annoy me, such questions as:

1) What is your weakness?
My weakness is I fall a sleep at work! but the answer the HR person will get is, something stupid like, I used to be weak on doing presentations but I participated in class presentations,etc and getting better at it, and I am always eager to speak up in meetings,etc to better my confidence and public speaking...

2) Do you work well in a team?

Sure I do, I am always right and the team is wrong...but the rigth answer you will get is...of course I love team work, I enjoy sharing ideas, indulging in group discussions that result in better, clear ideas to assist in completing the tasks at hand, it is always important to keep an open mind..two brains are better than one,etc..

3) Are you able to handle stress and how..

Personally I don't give a damn so I don't get stressed but the right answer you will hear is, I try to have an active lifestyle outside of work to balance the stress at work, exercise, blah blah...

4) what do you hate doing?
I hate working....but they want to hear, something stupid.

blah, blah,blah.....

the jist of it is...All these HR soft questions are annoying, because all I am doing is lying to suit what the interviewer wants to hear...I am good at it.

Where I can not lie, or difficult to do is technical questions, stuff pertaining to the job position...And the personality of the person can be assessed at that same moment , how they respond, react...it is easy to get a feel for a person while you are doing the technical/job specific questioning...You kinda of get a feel for an applicant after being in a room with them during interviews..

[Flyer]

They want to get a glimpse at how self-aware you are and how you would work with others. Also to see how creative you are with answers and whether you're lying through your teeth ;)

[george benjamin]

"So tell me one of your weaknesses."

I have a lot of anger problems and I start to get physically violent very easily.


"Tell me a moment when there was a problem and how you solved it"

I once beat up a person so bad he got sent to the hospital. I was charged with assault. So the problem was solved because now I won't do that again.

[hehehaha]

4) what do you hate doing?
I hate working....but they want to hear, something stupid.





haha....exactly, or "why do you want to work for us?" ----i wish i don't, but i need the money, c'mon just offer me the job :lol:

[cntrl7]

"So tell me one of your weaknesses."

I have a lot of anger problems and I start to get physically violent very easily.


"Tell me a moment when there was a problem and how you solved it"

I once beat up a person so bad he got sent to the hospital. I was charged with assault. So the problem was solved because now I won't do that again.

:cheesygri hahaha....this is awesome!

[MediumMike]

These are so funny..

Anyone have anymore???

[lazarus]

Alright, I had to talk about HR interview questions and how stupid they are, and wonder who agrees and who doesn't...I been to a lot of interviews in the past, and their questions always annoy me, such questions as:

1) What is your weakness?
My weakness is I fall a sleep at work! but the answer the HR person will get is, something stupid like, I used to be weak on doing presentations but I participated in class presentations,etc and getting better at it, and I am always eager to speak up in meetings,etc to better my confidence and public speaking...

2) Do you work well in a team?

Sure I do, I am always right and the team is wrong...but the rigth answer you will get is...of course I love team work, I enjoy sharing ideas, indulging in group discussions that result in better, clear ideas to assist in completing the tasks at hand, it is always important to keep an open mind..two brains are better than one,etc..

3) Are you able to handle stress and how..

Personally I don't give a damn so I don't get stressed but the right answer you will hear is, I try to have an active lifestyle outside of work to balance the stress at work, exercise, blah blah...

4) what do you hate doing?
I hate working....but they want to hear, something stupid.

blah, blah,blah.....

the jist of it is...All these HR soft questions are annoying, because all I am doing is lying to suit what the interviewer wants to hear...I am good at it.

Where I can not lie, or difficult to do is technical questions, stuff pertaining to the job position...And the personality of the person can be assessed at that same moment , how they respond, react...it is easy to get a feel for a person while you are doing the technical/job specific questioning...You kinda of get a feel for an applicant after being in a room with them during interviews..

Well what do you expect from people with a College or Undergrad in HR. That's like 1 step above Sports Management. If they had any real interviewing skills, they would actually know details about the job your applying for and come up with better questions than something off a sheet. (half the time they know nothing about your the actual job).

In the 21st century, they can replace those low end lackies with a computer based personality test PC program..

[tomincanada]

Well what do you expect from people with a College or Undergrad in HR. That's like 1 step above Sports Management. If they had any real interviewing skills, they would actually know details about the job your applying for and come up with better questions than something off a sheet. (half the time they know nothing about your the actual job).

In the 21st century, they can replace those low end lackies with a computer based personality test PC program..

What an obnoxious and immature post.

[lazarus]

What an obnoxious and immature post.

I also forgot to mention they are basically glorified secretaries.

[george benjamin]

I also forgot to mention they are basically glorified secretaries.

What degree do you hold and what's your position now?

[lazarus]

What degree do you hold and what's your position now?

F1 racer in training..

[Dealz-4-U]

:lol: you know, the answers you gave on what they want to hear are actually way better than what I usually do. Im gonna use those!! :!:

[teufel-man]

I also forgot to mention they are basically glorified secretaries.

I would have to agree with this point.

[B0000rt]

I also forgot to mention they are basically glorified secretaries.
I agree, technical recruiters are similar in this way, but these guys are usually commission based...

[Battscrew]

Those questions are pretty entry level. Behavioral based questions are more targeted and can provide a more useful set of responses to assess a persons skillset (beyond the technical expertise).

Tell me about one of the toughest individuals/teams/groups you've had to work with. What made it difficult? ( What did you do? What made it difficult?)

Describe a time you were able to adapt a job or activity to fit the individual skills, abilities, and motivations of the person performing it

[TruHP]

DH was asked once "the city you live in wants to put up a statue of you... what would it look like and say?" He's also been asked what kind of tree would you be if you a tree and why. What kind of questions are those for an IT guy? I can see where they are coming from trying to ask these types of questions, but still.. very odd.

[ACC-Major]

LOL

Ya funny, well this one time I was getting an interview for a position in the finance department (Financial Analyst), this HR person asked me a bunch of ******** questions and I answered all of them with confident. After that, she asked me if I had any questions. Then I asked her a bunch of stuff regarding the finance department, and she can't answer any. I don't know who was the interviewer or the interviewee. lol

So yeah, I ended up not getting the job because I put her in a bad a position, made her nervous.

me and my big mouth!

[tomincanada]

So yeah, I ended up not getting the job because I put her in a bad a position, made her nervous.


Isn't it possible they just found someone they liked better than you?

[adehbone]

I have interviewed with HR before for a finance position, your wasting yours and theirs time, if you think they have any idea what the finance department does. So maybe your questions seemed trivial and she was like do we really want someone like this to represent the company?

HR knows of finance basically, "they work long hours", "you will always be busy" lots of work and pain, and the projects go from big to small to big.

Alot of these questions are easy and its just basically talking and presenting why your a good canditate. if you can not sell yourself, how will you ever be able to sell the company to external people?

[ACC-Major]

Isn't it possible they just found someone they liked better than you?

Possible

[ImJJ]

2)Do you work well in a team?

Oh yea I work in a group of 45 people EVERYDAY for 5 hours straight without bathroom breaks. Although there were times that my group did not meet the expectations we were always able to cheer each other up and face the challenge again. But that doesn't happen too often b/c I do my job very well. And you know, nothing beats the feeling of getting an epic reward after we kill the toughest boss...in World of Warcraft.

3) Are you able to handle stress and how..

Oh stress, yea sometimes it is very stressful getting yelled at by 40ish people crying "Heal me", "XXX cries out for heal"..etc etc. Esp. if we got wiped it is always the healer's fault. I just tell those losers to shut their holes and concentrate on killing the boss before my mana goes out.

[ACC-Major]

oh, I don't want to work with you in a team lol

[polak4life]

Well what do you expect from people with a College or Undergrad in HR. That's like 1 step above Sports Management. If they had any real interviewing skills, they would actually know details about the job your applying for and come up with better questions than something off a sheet. (half the time they know nothing about your the actual job).

In the 21st century, they can replace those low end lackies with a computer based personality test PC program..

Very ignorant post without getting any actual information. Going by what the OP said the HR dept must have had Mcdonalds training. I am almost finished my undergrad with a HR Major and i would never even think of asking dumb questions like that.

A real HR Professional should ask either a:
Behavioural Question like: If this were to happen...how would you react
Situational Questions: If you were on the job and were faced with....what would you do

Also, depending on your answers you would be rated in different scales, for example a BARS (behaviouraly anchored rating scale) and so on. So please dont fill me in with a dumb comment like that. Those are the types of questions that you get from managers at a fast food store where they have no HR training, and well its a job that requires no education so real life HR questions are not really needed.

Lastly, HR should do some background research on the job they are interviewing for so they can ask more in "depth" questions. If the HR professional cant answer your question why not ask someone else on the job? Is it that difficult. The reason why HR Prof are hired is to make sure you are not asked those "dumb" and elementary questions.

[Bazooka Joe]

Sounds like rookie HR stuff at best - definitely not a professional with any interviewing training at all.

Battscrew and polak4life have it nailed - a series of behavioural questions will quickly tell you all you need to know about an interviewee. Unless they've had a lot of experience with them, then it's possible the answers are canned.

[lazarus]

ok, I was being pretty facetious. HR is like any department. When they ask those dumb questions, it's usually for an entry level position and they are just trying to weed out the people who don't clue in they need to give an answer the interviewer wants to hear.

My last interview for the company I work for now didn't ask any questions like that at all.. Some HR lady came in, talked to me about the company, what they offer fringe benefits, etc.. like 20mins later a department manager came in and the real interview began (position specific stuff)..

Once they knew they wanted to hire me, they had me write a test (personality test), then during my 2nd interview some lady that was the HR manager came in and basically asked the exact same questions that were asked in the 1st interview.. (I guess to check consistency).

If I could sum it up, I would say those dumb HR questions are your first taste of bureaucracy and to see how you as a job candidate handles it..

[zexxon]

I just wanted to give my thoughts on this thread as a working HR professional.

The general idea for the HR Interview is to (as ppl have stated previously) determine person-organization fit with the company. Though it seems trivial and stupid to most people, it is actually quite important. What's the point of hiring someone who isn't a good fit and can negatively impact the organizational "balance" of a company? Though you may be taking 1 step forward by hiring such an awesome candidate, if he/she is not a good fit for the organization, then it could cost you down the road in terms of termination costs and a loss in organizational effectiveness.

To comment on a previous post about how they grilled the HR person with questions about the company and the position:

I think that as the first round of interviewers, we should be as knowledgeable as we can about the company and the position that we are interviewing you for. But to be realistic, we won't know every single thing about the job detail or the formulas that you use. Those are questions to be reserved for the manager (or typically the 2nd interview). You'll probably impress them more than the HR with those type of questions. Ask HR questions like

"What type of working environment does _________ have?"

"I like to have a balance of autonomy and guidance in my job, how would _______ accommodate me and my style of work?"

(or)

"I work well independently, but I like to have a set of resources to fall back on just in case I need it. Would this position offer this type of working environment for me?"

Just try to make it clear that you are a good fit for the organization.




Anyway, I feel like I'm trying to defend the profession as opposed to commenting on the thread. Just remember that no matter how stupid you may think the HR interview is, there is a purpose to it. If anyone would like my opinions on HR interview, feel free to PM me. I'd be willing to help

[Engi-Nir]

I just wanted to give my thoughts on this thread as a working HR professional.

The general idea for the HR Interview is to (as ppl have stated previously) determine person-organization fit with the company. Though it seems trivial and stupid to most people, it is actually quite important. What's the point of hiring someone who isn't a good fit and can negatively impact the organizational "balance" of a company? Though you may be taking 1 step forward by hiring such an awesome candidate, if he/she is not a good fit for the organization, then it could cost you down the road in terms of termination costs and a loss in organizational effectiveness.



I am the original poster, I am not insulting HR profession at all. But my beef is with all those soft questions , personality questions, etc where one who is a good BS-er can easily win over HR. I have friends who can give well crafted, beautifully lied answers for HR questions, and be very convincing and do it with shear confidence to fool HR personnel. Personally, I do that also, lie, I don't want to be honest because it is pointless, I will tell you what you want to hear.
As for personality tests, more people are getting smart, and circling answers that are opposite(or what should be expected) of what they will do, cause we know you are testing under what conditions we get mad, how we react to stress,etc. Also, carefully filling out personality tests and noting repeat questions worded differently ;)

I am all for the technical job specific questions, and assessing the candidate right there, and most people get a good feel for the candidate right in the interview. Well, I go for interviews, where I don't find the manager likable, and totally lose interest in the job just as they can feel the same way about the candidate. If that makes sense :confused:

[zexxon]

You bring up good points, and I do agree that I myself have..."stretched" the truth a bit when it comes to interviews to make myself look better in front of the interviewer.

It is easier to lie for situational questions. Questions like "What would you do if..." or "How would you respond when..." These questions draw upon a hypothetical answer and are very easy to lie and prepare for.

However, behavioural based interview questions are a bit harder to stage and improvise. Behavioural questions draw upon past experiences and you will need to do a little more preparation in this case. An example of a behaviourally based interivew question would be stated as "Tell me about a time when..." and so on. Not saying it's completely fool-proof, but as HR professionals, we try to ask questions that yield validity and reliability. Simply put, behavioural interview questions do a better job in doing so.


I have friends who can give well crafted, beautifully lied answers for HR questions, and be very convincing and do it with shear confidence to fool HR personnel. Personally, I do that also, lie, I don't want to be honest because it is pointless, I will tell you what you want to hear.


In regards to people that lie for personality tests and whatnot, all I have to say is that there is a higher chance that you will not "fit" with the organization if you have to lie about your personality. A part of the selection process is based on your personality profile and if what you have answered does not correlate to your own personality, you might find that there are aspects of the job and the company itself that do not suit you and could lead to job dissatisfaction (and we all know what this brings). But I totally understand that you need to get your foot in the door and worry about those kind of things later.

And in regards to people that have to lie about HR questions that measure your work ethic, ability to deal with others, managerial/supervisory skills, etc...
If you have to lie about those skills, then I think it's about time to start developing or improving them as opposed to lying about it. At least if you have it, you'd have an easier time answering the question and not have to worry about which "rabbit" to pull out of your hat.


I hope I didn't sound too defensive in that last post, I just wanted to give an opinion/response.

Thanks