1. Why did you decide to apply to this role?

With this question, recruiters can assess whether candidates have truly understood the role’s requirements and whether they think they can do the job.

The best candidates will readily explain how their previous experience relates to the job ad.

• I know that your company manufactures machinery and factory equipment.
• Actually, I used your brand when I was working at Acme SA a couple of years ago.
• I was really impressed with how high-quality and durable that equipment was.
• I als...

During my time as a marketing specialist in Acme Inc., I got to write a lot of marketing copy. I was solely responsible for writing emails we sent to prospects and customers, including newsletters.

I also wrote short copy for social media and, occasionally, articles for our blog.

Could you tell me what the next steps in the hiring process are?

Also, I read an online interview where your CEO said that your company wants to work with voice recognition technology. I’m fascinated by that. Will this role involve work on these types of projects?

After I finished my master’s degree, I started working non-stop for six years. That’s why I decided to take a break from work and travel to other countries to volunteer.

This helped me clear my mind and help other people while acquiring new skills (like communication and or...

I really liked my previous job and team. I started as a junior and worked my way up to a team lead in marketing. However, I think that my time in this company has come full circle – I’m actually the one who coaches others while I don’t learn anything myself anymore.

The best candidates will cite good reasons for moving on from their previous roles. Being negative or badmouthing their employer is a red flag. Of course, there’s a balance – honest candidates will often give an honest answer, and sometimes, their previous employer really is at f...

This can take other forms, too, such as “What can we do to keep you happy if you were hired?” or “What do you like about your current job that you’d like to find here as well?”

These are examples of culture fit interview questions that aim to assess the candidate’s suitability as a...

Similar HR questions to this have to do with various “technical” aspects of the job, such as willingness to travel or relocate, or ability to follow a shift schedule.

HR professionals use this question to ensure they’re not speaking to a candidate who has excessively high s...

What questions should your HR department ask during interviews?

• Should include what interested the candidate in the role and clarify their experience and past responsibilities to determine if they are a good fit for the role.

Why are HR interview qu...

I’ve done some research on the average salaries for this type of role in my area and I think I would expect this role to pay between X and Y.

But I think we can discuss this further at a later time if you think I’d be a good fit for the role. Could you tell me the salary range you have in m...

While similar to the previous question, this question proactively asks about the most important aspects of the role.

For example, if a company is hiring a copywriter, they’ll certainly ask about the candidate’s experience in different types of writing or editing.

This is one of the best HR interview questions to ask to start a conversation on requirements and responsibilities.

It’s useful to assess how much the candidate has understood the role.

Regardless of the stage in the hiring process, candidates should always have the opportunity to ask questions themselves so they can decide if the job is a good fit for them.

The other reason that HR uses this question is to find out if candidates are truly interested in knowing more.

First, the job description itself was very well-written and gave me a good idea of what the role was about.

Second, I really liked the fact that this accounting role involves collaboration with others. I love accounting, but I don’t want to sit at my desk t...

I have been following your company’s successes for some time now and I know you have a great software development team. I checked your careers page regularly and when I saw this job, I was thinking this would be the best environment for me to apply the skills I acquired during my internsh...

This is one of several very common HR interview questions that may refer to anything “out of the ordinary” or interesting in a candidate’s resume, such as a job that lasted for only a few months or that was seemingly unrelated to the candidate’s background, or an outright gap in the candidate’s e...

I like workplaces that emphasize both autonomy and teamwork.

I like collaborating with others and exchanging ideas, but I also want to have flexibility to work uninterrupted for some time. Also, I value the absence of restrictions, such as a casual dress co...

1. Why did you decide to apply to this role?
2. What experience do you have that would be relevant to this role?
3. Tell me about your experience in …
4. What did you like most about the job description?
5. ...

The purpose of these types of HR questions is clear: the HR professional wants to ensure that the candidate has researched the company and understands what they’re applying to.

Candidates don’t need to show deep knowledge of the company and its products, but they sh...