In this FAQ series, we will discuss the most
commonly/frequently asked questions in an HR interview and ways to approach
them. Remember, the interview is an interaction between two equal people. Do
not think of it as the HR doing a favour for you. The HR is doing his job. The
job of HR is to find the right candidate for the vacant position. Your job is
to make him believe you are the one. It’s like a dance, isn’t it? It’s a smooth
waltz. You are sure to end on a sweet note if the two of you are in sync with
each other.Q5 - What is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? This
is the era of competition. If you are to succeed, you will have to compete
against the best. If you are appearing for placements in your college, probably
there are 200 other students trying to get the same job. If you are attending
an off-campus placement, the competition is even higher. There are probably 1000 people locking horns with you. Most of the time, organizations come with a
number in mind Eg: “I am going to hire a maximum of 50 candidates in my recruitment
drive today.” Idea behind the question The
game gets interesting. You can’t be just good. You have to be the best. You
have to be better than the rest. The HR wants to know what makes you the golden
egg amidst all the ordinary eggs. You will have to prove what makes you the red
apple amidst all the green apples. You
have an edge if you have got something unique about you that most of your peers
do not have. Be it your knowledge of the latest trends or your expertise in a
particular technology or the ability to motivate a sagging team, you will have
to possess something extra to tip the scales in your favour. That is the
concept of USP. Unique
Selling Proposition or Unique Selling Point is a characteristic of a
product/service that differentiates it from other similar products/ services.
If all ISPs (Internet Service Providers) provide a speed of 40 MBPS and you are
the only one that provides 100 MBPS, you have an edge. If all other service
centers promise to resolve customer issues in 2 days and you provide a resolution
within 4 hours, the scales are tilted in your favour. Hence, it is extremely
important to get your own USP.Recommended AnswerPrepare
an elevator pitch to sell yourself. Imagine this scenario. You have prepared a
1-hour long presentation to sell your product to the CEO of a company. You
reach the venue and get into the elevator (lift). Surprise! The CEO is present
right there inside it. He says,“Hey,
Champ! I am sorry I wouldn’t be able to make it to the meeting today since I
got something unexpected. However, why don’t you tell me now what your product
is all about?” Well,
this is tricky, isn’t it? You have prepared your content for 1 hour, but now,
you will have to condense it to 30 seconds without losing its essence. Is it
even possible? Well, considering the attention span of the general public these
days, it has to be done.Traditionally,
advertisements on TV and Radio convince you to buy their product in less than
30 seconds. Most of the time, they are so good we get impressed and actually
proceed to buy the product. That is your elevator pitch. Prepare a meticulous
pitch to sell yourself. Keep it short and simple. It should convey your biggest
strength and the greatest benefit the company would get if you are hired. One of my friends, Sharanya,
recently gave an interview for the position of Human Resource manager at a
factory. When asked about her USP, she stated,“I
have got very good negotiation skills. If any problem arises with the workers
union, I will be able to resolve it amicably!”In
a factory, it is not so uncommon for problems to arise between the managers and
workers' unions. Sharanya hit the nail right on its head. She got the job.Think
long and hard about your skills. Determine what makes you special. If you are
applying for a job in customer relationship management, your knowledge of data
analytics could be your USP. If you want to get into your cricket team, your
ability to spin the ball both ways could be your USP. If you are applying for a
sales representative position, your presentation skills and the ability to
understand your target audience could be your USP.If
you are unable to find something at the moment, don’t worry. Build that skill.
Any product becomes a brand because of its USP. You build a great USP and you
will be the most sought-after brand. This is an excerpt from my book, "Cracking the
Campus Code". To know more about the book, click here.Cheers!Wishing you all the very best in your interviews.
In this FAQ series, we will discuss the most
commonly/frequently asked questions in an HR interview and ways to approach
them. Remember, the interview is an interaction between two equal people. Do
not think of it as the HR doing a favour for you. The HR is doing his job. The
job of HR is to find the right candidate for the vacant position. Your job is
to make him believe you are the one. It’s like a dance, isn’t it? It’s a smooth
waltz. You are sure to end on a sweet note if the two of you are in sync with
each other.Q4 - What is your weakness? If you are asked about your
strengths, you can be sure of your next question. After all, theories state
everything in the universe exists with its equal and opposite. Newton said it
in his Third Law. In spirituality, there is yin and yang. In the practical
world, there is male and female; hot and cold. So, if you have strengths, you
are definitely bound to have a few weaknesses as well. It’s a very tricky
question. We have always grown up hiding our weaknesses. But here we are, in a
really crucial situation, having to reveal our weakness. Is it okay to have
weaknesses and is it okay to admit it?Even the greatest legends are
not exempt from having weaknesses. Achilles, arguably the greatest warrior
known to man, had his heel as his weakness. Superstar Rajinikanth is the most
popular actor in South India, but he wouldn’t exactly qualify as a great
dancer. Virat Kohli, arguably the greatest batsman of our generation is very
tentative when facing balls swinging away from him during the early part of his
innings.Idea behind the questionThe HR wants to know if you
have done a self-analysis. If you know your weakness, it becomes very easy to
work on it. If you admit your weakness, that is probably the very first step in
overcoming it or at least getting the necessary assistance for it.Recommended Answer“I don’t really have any
weakness”, exclaimed one of the
candidates. His body language was really weak when he said it. Such an answer
comes across as harsh and arrogant. Such answers generally hurt the ego of the
HR. After all, we are human
beings and we do not like to have our egos bruised. Your aim is to get the HR on
your side, not to take him on. I wouldn’t recommend such an answer if you aim
to get the job. Donald Trump might possibly get away with a brash comment and
still win the elections, but not everyone can!Never the
Naked Admission It is best, to
be honest, but at the same time don’t score a self-goal by just accepting your
weakness. I learned it the hard way during one of my mock interviews in my
pre-final year. When asked about my weakness, I replied,“I am
lazy!” Little did I
know it would turn out to be a big mistake. I had fallen into the trap set for
me. My interviewers had a ball after that. Whatever I said after that sentence,
fell on deaf ears. The interviewers repeatedly pointed out I was lazy by
self-admission and they would never entrust me with any responsibility. So,
never admit your weakness without attaching a positive note to it.Combine
your lessons and steps taken to overcome your weaknessAdmit your
weakness but tell them the steps you are taking to convert that weakness into
your strength. In hindsight, I must have probably said,“I used to be
a little lazy. But that has cost me a lot of great opportunities. So, I am
doing my best to come out of my laziness. These days, whenever I feel like
procrastinating, I make sure I push myself to immediately start something
related to the task at hand. That enables me to stay active and take the task
to completion.” Refrain from
giving emotional answers. Avoid talking about your personal life when revealing
your weakness. Keep it on the lighter side and get over and done with the
answer quickly so you get a move on in the interview.Alternate
MethodA few days
back, I attended an interview for a training assignment. I have done numerous
classroom trainings, but I am just starting to learn the tricks of online
training. The interviewer wanted to know how comfortable I was with online
training. He was particularly interested in my comfort with ‘Microsoft Teams’
software which I have never used before.“I should admit I am still adjusting to the
new usual of VILT (Virtual Instructor-Led Trainings). I have taken only 12
sessions so far, but I am already comfortable with the ‘Zoom’ platform. I am
sure, given half a day’s time, I should get comfortable with ‘Microsoft Teams’
as well.” I was honest, but at the same time ended my answer on a positive
note.Some other
examples of weaknesses you can mention are: ➢ Being a workaholic (Unable to spend
time with friends and family, but still has a positive intonation you put your
work first).➢ Being too critical of yourself (Has
a positive intonation you strive for perfection every single time). ➢ Being unfamiliar with a programming
language/software/new technology and having just started to learn it (has a
positive intonation you are aware of the areas in which you need to improve and
you have already started to work on it). Understand
your weakness. Enhance your skillset in that area. You do not have to reinvent
the wheel if you do not find the inclination to learn a particular skill set.
You just have to find the right people/ tools to assist you eclipse your
weakness.Eg: If you are
slow at typing, don’t worry. There is software available that can convert
speech into text. If you are not good at grammar, don’t worry. There are
certain apps available that correct your grammar and suggest perfectly good
English sentences as you write. Don’t be scared to admit your weaknesses.
Saying, “I do not know”, takes guts. It is nothing to be ashamed of. If you do
not know something, look up the Internet or ask someone to teach you. You might
look silly at first, but eventually, you will end up as the winner.This is an excerpt from my book, "Cracking the
Campus Code". To know more about the book, click here.Wishing you all the very best in your interviews.
Cheers!
In this FAQ series, we will discuss the most
commonly/frequently asked questions in an HR interview and ways to approach
them. Remember, the interview is an interaction between two equal people. Do
not think of it as the HR doing a favour for you. The HR is doing his job. The
job of HR is to find the right candidate for the vacant position. Your job is
to make him believe you are the one. It’s like a dance, isn’t it? It’s a smooth
waltz. You are sure to end on a sweet note if the two of you are in sync with
each other.Q3 - What are your strengths?Strength is an area in which you are not just good at, but
exceptional. This is one of the most popular questions in an HR interview. We
as an Indian culture are not so good at bragging about ourselves. When we grew
up, our elders always asked us to stay humble. We have traditionally
underplayed our achievements or given all credit to others. When I appreciate
someone, I have listened to answers like these.“Oh! It’s nothing!”“It was all because of the team!”Well, humility is a great virtue to possess. We are so embarrassed
about bragging about our achievements. But here, we are in a conundrum. We will
have to express our strengths, without coming across as bragging. In my
experience of interviewing hundreds of students, I have come across answers
like this.“I am sincere.”“I am hardworking.”These are probably the answers which were popular in 1940. But
then, times have changed. If you were the HR and a candidate says he is sincere
or hardworking, your first reaction would be, “Ah! Boring!”. Make no mistake,
being sincere and hardworking are great virtues, but they are expected of any
candidate. You can’t really score points if you project them as your greatest
strengths. After all, nobody is going to accept they are not sincere or not
hard working.Recently, as an answer to this question in an interview, one of
the candidates told me he had good leadership qualities. ‘That’s nice', I
thought. But I was not ready to believe him yet. I probed him further. “How can you be sure?”, I interrogated.“I was the school captain in my 12th standard. I’ve had the
experience of managing many events successfully. I was also the representative of
my class for two semesters. During that time, I encouraged my class to
participate in many symposiums in nearby colleges and created a culture of
togetherness and positivity. I am currently the captain of my college
volleyball team. I led my team to the University Title last year.” That was pretty impressive from him. I have reason to believe he
has got exceptional leadership qualities. His achievements speak for his
answer. Case sold.Another candidate exclaimed she performs well under pressure. She
went on to add how she usually doesn’t study during the course of the semester,
but one day before the exams, she summons all her energy to do all-nighters and
pass in the exams. She didn’t have any history of arrears. “How’s this going to help my company?”, I
wasn’t willing to let it go easily.“In a corporate organization, we will have to work with stringent
deadlines. Since I can do things well at the last minute, I wouldn’t panic and
will come up with innovative ideas to complete the project on time. This makes
me an invaluable asset to your company”, she concluded. Excellent. Impressive. Case Sold. This is exactly what the HR expects - something simple and honest.
He doesn’t really want anything out of the ordinary. He wants experiences from
your life that support your answer. Some qualities you could mention as your strengths are: ➢ Critical Thinking➢ Problem Solving ➢ Collaborative Skills ➢ Innovation ➢ Enthusiasm ➢ Determination ➢ Versatility ➢ Leadership Qualities ➢ Performing under pressure There are a hundred other strengths you could mention. But make
sure, they add value to the company. Your strengths define you. If you identify
something as your strength, keep working on it so that you become an absolute
ninja at it. Roger Federer, the great tennis champion famously declared he
never ceases to work on his strengths. He went on to add, that if he worked only on
his weaknesses, he would only become a well-rounded player. But when he works
on his strengths, he becomes a dangerous player. Work on your strengths. Be honest while answering this question.
Whatever you answer, ensure you have some experiences from your life to back up
the claim. This would help you fill up the ‘Strengths’ section in your resume
as well. This is an excerpt from my book, "Cracking the
Campus Code". To know more about the book, click here.Wishing you all the very best in your interviews.Cheers!Photo Courtesy: Karolina GrabowskaSource: Pexels.com
In this FAQ series, we will discuss the most
commonly/frequently asked questions in an HR interview and ways to approach
them. Remember, the interview is an interaction between two equal people. Do
not think of it as the HR doing a favour for you. The HR is doing his job. The
job of HR is to find the right candidate for the vacant position. Your job is
to make him believe you are the one. It’s like a dance, isn’t it? It’s a smooth
waltz. You are sure to end on a sweet note if the two of you are in sync with each
other. Q2
- Why should we hire you?“...
in this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” - Benjamin FranklinThe great Benjamin Franklin reckoned there are only
two certainties in life - death, and taxes. Well, I would like to add a third
certainty to the list. If you are attending a Personal Interview, you can’t
really escape the question,“Why should we hire you?”This turns out to be a tricky question, though it
looks so simple at face value.In fact, it has become so common that there are so
many popular memes doing the rounds on social media. Recently, I saw one of
them which really cracked me up.Interviewer: Why
should I hire you?Interviewee: Because
you are hiring! On
a more serious note, let’s analyze the psychology behind this question.Idea
behind the questionIf you are hired, the company is going to provide
you with the resources for your professional growth and at the same time, pay
you as well. In case you didn’t know, life is a game of scorecards. Be it the
interaction between two friends or family members or an employee and employer,
there is a giant invisible scoreboard looming in the sky. For the relationship
to stay smooth and blossom, the scoreboard should always be balanced. If you
need something, you should be willing to provide something of value. The HR
wants to know what value would you add to the organization if hired.Recommended
Answer To
come out with flying colours for this question, you must have done a research
about the company. You know the company for which you are applying for. Check
out the company’s website and spend at least an hour in it. You will get to
know the products and services the company provides. You will know their
vision, mission and values. Align your answer with what the company is looking
for. An example would be as follows.“I
looked up your company’s website and was thrilled to know you are planning to
convert all your classroom training sessions to virtual training sessions. I am
an expert at creating platforms that facilitate virtual training sessions. I
believe I possess the skills and attitude required to make your company’s
vision come true. I am also a self-motivated and extremely creative person
which makes me the right candidate to get hired.”The
website of any company is humorously called the ‘Bragging Page’ in corporate
circles. This is where the company displays all its achievements and the HR
actually feels happy when someone has looked into it.Come up
with your own unique answer. Ensure you convey your technical and people skills
through this answer. After all, sales is all about convincing your potential
customer of the value your product/ service is going to add. In this case, you
are the product. Convince the HR of your worth.This is an excerpt from my book, "Cracking the
Campus Code". To know more about the book, click here.Wishing you all the very best in your interviews.Cheers!Photo Courtesy: Edmond Dantes
Source: Pexels.com
In this FAQ series,
we will discuss the most commonly/frequently asked questions in an HR interview
and ways to approach them. Remember, the interview is an interaction between
two equal people. Do not think of it as the HR doing a favour for you. The HR
is doing his job. The job of HR is to find the right candidate for the vacant
position. Your job is to make him believe you are the one. It’s like a dance,
isn’t it? It’s a smooth waltz. You are sure to end on a sweet note if the two
of you are in sync with each other.Tell me about
yourselfThe idea behind the
questiona) The HR wants to
simply test your communication skills. He would like to see if you can string a
few sentences together and talk for a decent length of time. This skill is
required to explain any idea or concept to people in the workspace.b) It gives him time
to scan through your resume when you are answering the question. So, if he
doesn’t give you eye contact and continues to look into your resume, do not
feel offended. Feel free to continue talking.c) He knows you must
be a little nervous walking into a job interview. He wants to break the ice. He
wants to make you comfortable to start with. Hence, he asks you a question for
which you definitely know the answer.d) He genuinely wants
to know more about you. Two pages of writing is too short to cover an
interesting life of 20 years.Recommended answerThis is your
30-second audition. This is your chance to ease into the interview. There are
different ways of answering this.Traditional MethodThe traditional
method of answering this question is to have a quick recap of your life so far
in 30 seconds. An example is given below. “I am Karthick. I am
in my final year of engineering at PSG Tech, Coimbatore. I love researching
microprocessors and digital circuits. In fact, I am currently working on a
burglar alarm circuit that gets triggered only when the home door is opened
between 11:00 PM and 5:00 AM. My passion is to play chess and I love cooking. I
am an excellent team player and always do my best to motivate my team members.
And... I am looking forward to this interview.”The above example is
a simple way of introducing yourself. The following are the things to include
when you prepare the answer to this question.1) Name - Yes, some people
might argue the name is already in your resume. But always think from the HR’s
perspective. He is taking close to 35 interviews per day. Registering your name
in his mind one more time makes no harm. If you have just got introduced a few seconds
ago during the greeting, you can skip mentioning it again.2) Qualification - Have a quick
mention of your college and the degree that you are pursuing (or completed).
This is especially necessary if you are in an off-campus placement drive.3) Areas of interest - Without wasting
much time, directly jump into your areas of interest. This also gives the cue
to the HR to ask questions relating to those subjects.4) Projects - If the HR finds it
interesting and relevant, he will probe on them further.5) Passions and
Hobbies - Life is all about being passionate. Talk about the things you are
passionate about. Make sure you actually talk with absolute passion. If you are
nervous during this phase of the interview, talking about your passion will
ease your tension. It is sure to add a twinkle in your eye, thus spreading
positive energy.6)Strengths - Make use of this
opportunity to mention your strengths and how it will benefit the company if
you are hired.Alternate MethodThere is a school of
thought that declares the HR doesn’t really want to hear anything that is
already in your resume. So, this is your chance to impress him with some really
cool facts about you that are not written in the two pages of your resume. I
was once taking interviews in one of the top 10 colleges in Bangalore. I asked
one of the candidates to introduce himself. I was expecting the usual, “Hi Sir, I am so and
so....”Rather interestingly,
he didn’t take the beaten path. He started directly with a,“I am a National
Basketball player...”Amidst hundreds of
traditional answers, I heard something refreshing. I immediately stopped looking
at his resume and started interacting with him about his exploits at
Basketball. There is a massive advantage in answering the question this way.How long do you think
an HR interview usually lasts for? It is likely the HR is scheduled to take
around 35 interviews that day. The HR team usually runs on busy schedules and
probably have to take the 8:00 PM flight back to their home towns. So, they
must wrap up the entire process at least by 5:00 PM. My experience says, the
interview will not be for more than 15 minutes.In those 15 minutes,
smart candidates draw the HR’s attention to their comfort zone. It is much
better than being asked random questions and getting into the unknown. Alright,
let’s play a quick little game here.Do not think of a big
black elephant in Africa!What are you thinking
now? Well, chances are you are actually thinking of a big black elephant in the
African forests. So, answer this question in a smart way to attract the HR to
the things you know and want to talk about.It all depends on
your personalityWe discussed the
traditional method and an alternate method as well. However, I recommend you
choose the one that best matches your personality. If you are someone who likes
to take it slow and ease into the process, go for the traditional method. If
you are a flamboyant personality and likes to be of high energy from the word go,
choose the alternate method. Whatever you choose, be confident and be
convincing.Even today, when I
attend interviews to get corporate training opportunities, the very first
question I get asked is this. Even today, before the interviews, I prepare a
short and sweet answer to this question that is relevant to the requirement of
the company. So, be well prepared. If someone wakes you up at 2 AM and asks you
the question, you must be able to answer this with flair. Ensure you finish your
answer within 40 seconds.
This is an excerpt from my book, "Cracking the Campus Code". To know more about the book, click here.Wishing you all the very best in your interviews.Cheers!
