How to Prepare for Your First HR Interview

You’ve polished your CV, applied for dozens of jobs and finally managed to land an interview for your first role in HR. 

Interviews are rarely a relaxing experience, especially if you’re making the jump into a new line of work. However, if you’re transitioning into a HR role from another profession or entering the workforce for the very first time, there are some key areas you may want to prepare for.

What to Expect from a First-round HR Interview

The first HR interview is likely to take the form of a short, initial chat with a HR or hiring manager to establish your suitability for the role.

This may be conducted over the phone or online, or possibly in-person, depending on the specific company’s hiring processes. First-round interviews can typically last around 30 minutes on average.

During the interview, you will likely be asked key questions about:

• Your past work experience
• Any relevant qualifications
• Your skills and how well they’re suited to the role
• Your knowledge of the company and the role being offered
• Your motivations for wanting to work in HR
• Basic skills and competency areas

You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions about the company to determine if the role might be a good fit for you.

As this is a first stage interview, the questions you’re asked may be less intensive and rigorous than a second stage interview. However, you should still prepare for questions regarding all of the above areas prior to the interview.

How to Prepare for Your HR Interview

When interviewing for a new role in HR, preparation is key. 

Before the interview takes place, you should ideally take the following steps to ensure that you’re fully prepped for whatever the interview might throw at you:

1. Brush up on your CV, experience and qualifications: Your CV is the first introduction a potential employer will have to you and how well-suited you might be for the role. Be prepared to field questions about your work experience, skills and any potential gaps in your work history.
2. Research the company and the role: You will want to go into the interview armed with knowledge about the company and the role being offered. Not only will this give you essential information about the role you’re being interviewed for, but it will demonstrate key attributes such as initiative and preparation. You should also have a good sense of what the role entails and why you’re a good candidate for it.
3. Practice common interview questions and techniques: Regardless of how qualified or suitable you are for a role, you likely won’t be a viable candidate if you don’t interview well. Brush up on specific questions that you may be asked in your first HR interview as well as general interview techniques, both of which we will cover in the next couple of sections.

Crucially, you should go into the interview confident that you know yourself, the company and the role inside out, as these will likely be the main topics covered.

Lastly, don’t forget to look after yourself before the interview as well. Try and get a good night’s sleep before the day of, stay hydrated and practice deep-breathing and mindfulness techniques if you’re feeling particularly nervous or anxious.

Common HR Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

HR positions can have unique demands and challenges that can differ from other roles you may have had in the past. Below are some of the most common questions you can expect to be asked in a first-round HR interview, plus some tips and sample answers.

1. Why do you want to work in HR?

Although appearing obvious at first glance, this question is a good opportunity for you to communicate your passion and interest for HR as a discipline.

It can also be a good entry point for you to convey your understanding of what working in HR entails and how well-suited your own personal values and experiences are to the role.

For example, you may wish to mention some of the following examples as core reasons for wanting to work in HR: 

• Working closely with people and teams
• Supporting employees undergoing key milestones or challenging periods
• Fostering positive personal and professional relationships
• Contributing to overall business growth, strategy and development 

If you’re switching careers, you may also wish to mention why you’re looking to transition away from your old discipline into HR, giving some examples to help strengthen your profile.

Example answer: “I have always been appreciative of the crucial role that HR plays in organisations, particularly in how it can help foster professional development and co-operation between colleagues. Helping to foster a positive company culture is also something I hold in high regard and something I wish to do more of in my day-to-day role, as I had limited opportunities to do so in my previous role.”

2. How do you handle difficult situations such as disagreements or conflicts?

When working in HR, you will often be the first point of call to help resolve tricky interpersonal situations in the workplace.

When asking this type of question in your interview, the interviewer will want to ascertain whether your general temperament and reactions to challenging situations align with that expected of a typical HR professional. When answering, try leading with a solutions-based response, citing common mediation techniques and the positive outcomes that have arisen from utilising them, such as:

• Active listening and practicing empathy
• Maintaining an objective and facilitatory role in discussions
• Encouraging fair and open communication lines between the affected parties with an emphasis on collaboration and compromise

You could also use the STAR structure (situation, task, action, response) to describe a past instance where you helped to mediate conflict in the workplace (or describe a hypothetical situation and how you would react).

Example answer: “When handling conflicts in the workplace, I would first want to hear from all parties to get a balanced view of the situation. Referring to official policies and procedures, I would encourage each side to voice their concerns in a non-judgemental way, encouraging active listening from all sides and remaining as objective as possible while trying to identify root causes and moving towards a resolution.”

3. How do you stay organised at work?

This question may also be phrased as “How do you prioritise tasks?” or “How do you manage your time when…?” or similar.

HR can be a demanding profession, with a large emphasis on paperwork, administrative tasks and juggling several different systems and processes at once. As a result, organisational and time management skills are key, and employers will want to be assured that you will be capable of handling the role’s many responsibilities.

When answering this question, try to cite concrete examples of effective time management techniques you’ve used in the past, such as calendars, scheduling strategies or productivity software. 

As with the previous question, it can be helpful to pull in real-life examples to demonstrate that you can apply these techniques in a practical manner.

Example answer: “I like using Priority Matrix to help organise and complete my tasks. Every morning, I collate my day’s tasks in order of priority and ensure I have allocated enough time in my schedule to complete them. I also use the Pomodoro Technique to ensure I can maintain focus throughout the day. I successfully used these two approaches to help complete a large-scale client project in my previous role, breaking each stage of the project down into separate priority lists to gain a better overview of what needed to be done and when.”

Interview Technique Tips

How you come across in an interview can often be as important as what you say in an interview.

Your interviewer will be reviewing your responses for organisation, coherence and clarity of expression; qualities that’ll not only help you to answer interview questions effectively, but also help demonstrate your in-person communication skills.

These “soft” skills are particularly key in HR; roles that by definition entail working closely, and communicating with, people.

Try practicing your responses out loud in front of a mirror to get a sense of how best to articulate your thoughts. Or if you’re able to, carry out mock interviews with a trusted friend or colleague, preferably someone who can give you helpful constructive feedback on how to improve and any specific focus points.

Regardless, below are some key general tips you may find useful for your interview:

• Don’t rush. Take a moment to consider the question being asked if you need some time to think and formulate a response first.
• Try to speak clearly and concisely. Don’t waffle or offer more information than the interviewer needs. Remember to utilise the STAR technique to help structure your answers where applicable.
• Be mindful of your body language. “Closed-off” body language during your interview such as crossed arms, poor eye contact or slouching in your seat can give the impression that you’re disengaged or unprofessional. Remember to smile, try not to fidget, and adopt an upright, neutral posture in your seat with your hands folded on your lap if you’re unsure of how to sit.
• Don’t be dishonest. If, however, you need to acknowledge a past mistake or difficult period in your CV, try and reframe it as a learning experience and outline the positive steps you’ve taken since to learn from what’s happened.
• Have some questions to ask the interviewer ready to go. Asking questions at the end of the interview when prompted will show willingness and initiative on your part and is also a good opportunity to deepen your understanding about the role itself. Good questions to ask can include things such as the nature of the role itself, how the company works, or what the interviewer’s view of success looks like for the role.

Also remember that interviews are a two-way street and use the advice above to try and build a good rapport with your interviewer. Don’t hesitate to ask questions and engage the interviewer in conversation throughout at appropriate moments to prevent the interview from becoming a rigid question and answer procedure.

After Your Interview

It’s good practice to send a quick follow-up note after the interview takes place. Here, you can thank the interviewer for their time and indicate that you’re available for any further questions or queries if they wish to reach out to you.

If all goes well, you may be invited to attend the next step in the recruitment process. However, if you’re not successful on this occasion, do take the time to respond to the rejection regardless and accept the decision with good grace. 

In the event of a rejection, you might wish to ask for feedback from your interview to help aid future efforts. Although the interviewer isn’t obligated to do so, they might offer feedback such as specific shortfalls in your CV, additional skills that could be worked on, or constructive criticism regarding your interview itself that may be useful to take into consideration for future.

Remember that a rejection is not the end; your experience and confidence will improve with every interview you attend, and each one will present opportunities to learn, grow, and improve as you progress through the recruitment process.

Ace Your Interview Without the Stress

Breaking into HR can be a challenging yet rewarding process, with more and more people choosing to break into the profession either in the start or middle of their careers.

Before your interview, make sure you’ve given yourself a solid grounding by thoroughly researching both the role and company. Then focus on practising common HR interview questions and techniques to prepare yourself for whatever the interview might throw at you. 

Much like working in HR itself, preparation is the key to success when it comes to interviews!

Enhance your skills and CV today by enrolling in an online CIPD qualification.