HR Interview Round in a Small IT Company: What Key Questions Should I Ask?

Hi Madhura,

Working with a small-sized IT company, I am the sole person responsible for all HR activities. I seek guidance on effectively conducting the HR round of interviews. Could you please advise on the questions that should be posed to the candidates?

Thank you,
Madhura

Hi Madhura,

Though I am not very experienced like the seniors in the forum, I have gone through similar situations, so I would like to share my little knowledge with you.

As per my knowledge, the HR round of an interview is basically held for judging the person's personality. Personality includes character, temperament, presence of mind, past experiences, and general compatibility with the organization.

You may ask about his/her background to know about upbringing, family background, his previous jobs, why he shifted (it gives us a little idea about his nature - whether jobs shifted for better opportunities or just like that, and also about loyalty to an organization), his future plans. Some questions may be asked to judge his behavior (such questions are available in the posts in this forum itself!), and based on the feedback of the TECHNICAL experts, your role may also be to negotiate salary, perks, etc.

Don't be afraid, you will do it.

For more info, search on CiteHR only. You will get excellent tips for conducting the HR round from our seniors too.

Wish you all the best!

Regards,

Mrinal

Hi Madhura,

So, you are the only one handling HR in your firm. Well, I was also in the same boat where you are right now. I feel that you may need to start from the basics. Can you tell me about the employee strengths in your firm and the kind of organizational culture you have there so that I can help you out? As an HR professional, you have to understand your organization as well as employees well enough.

Waiting for your reply.

Regards,
Ankit

Hi Madhura,

Background study required:

Identify your company's work culture and write down the characteristics you see amongst your best employees. Create a matrix of all these characteristics. Now, when you interview a candidate for HR:

Ask about his:
1. past experiences (personal, career, educational),
2. present (what he is doing, how he is doing it, his relation with friends and colleagues and boss), and finally
3. his future plans (what's his ambition in life, how he is going to solve any of his issues, what values he is planning to add to your company, etc.)

Whenever you see the character you want in the past, present, and future of the candidate, make a note of it and see if it's all aligned.

"I remember taking an interview where the candidate started off saying how poor his family's financial situation is and how he did extra work during his college days to sustain his education. I was quite impressed. Then he said, with the salary we give, he is going to pay back the loan of his bike (bike is Pulsar 180, for which dad gave the down payment). I was like, oh boy!!! ... and then he wants to do an MBA in the UK after a 1-year stint in a company. I was like, "Give me a break!"

If the candidate's character matches your company's expected characteristics, then talk about pay, perks, etc.

Hi Madhura,

You can ask the following questions as an HR professional that can add value to the hiring decision.

As it is a small company, I am sure some technical person would have the final say in hiring.

1. Get a thorough check on his educational background. Check if there were any slip-ups in terms of year down. Verify the consistency in terms of achieving first class or distinction in his entire board, pre-board, and final degree papers. Also, check for any certifications he has obtained.

2. Conduct a thorough check on his previous employment history:
- Inquire about his last drawn salary and any increments he received during his service in his previous company.
- Determine the percentage of increments he received, noting all possible increments if there were more than two.
- Find out his salary at the time of joining his previous organization.
- If there is an ongoing appraisal process, ascertain the likely percentage hike he is expecting.
- Inquire about any additional perks and bonuses apart from the salary, and what he expects in terms of compensation.
Before finalizing an offer, request him to provide his last month's salary slip.

3. Scrutinize his resume thoroughly. If there are more than 2-3 job changes within a year, it may indicate he is not a suitable candidate for your company.

4. Ask him, "Why are you looking for a change?" The responses you receive will provide insight into whether it is a casual decision or a planned career move. Probe for a satisfactory answer.

5. Question him about the reasons for leaving his current company.

During the conversation, observe his attitude, and feel free to add your comments.

I am confident that these well-structured questions will provide your seniors with sufficient information to make an informed decision in the hiring process.

I advise you to create a standard word template for interviews. This will help you fill in the details during or after the interview is completed.

Cheers,
Nikita

Hi Madhura,

Go to the "Quick search" for Interview Questions. There are really good ones there which include warm-up questions to make the candidate feel at ease, and you too will feel comfortable to start with. In case you don't find them, I'll email you the same.

All The Best,
Garima

Hi Madhura,

Taking HR interviews is a matter of skill, judgment, and analysis about the person in front of you. Following are the things to be taken into consideration:

1. The kind of role he is going to play and whether that person is fit for that role.
2. Normally, by asking him situational-based questions, you can understand his thinking patterns and determine if they align with the job profile and work culture.
3. His education pattern - check if he is confused or clear about what he wants to do.
4. Would he stay for long, and what factors would make him stay for an extended period.

Actually, this is a long list, but essentially, understand the work culture, environment, and the nature of the job to see if the candidate fits into it.

Best of luck!

Regards,
Uma

Thank you all for your valuable suggestions! I'm a new member to the forum, and this is my first post. I was very hesitant about going ahead with this post, but the response I received from all of you has helped me become more confident.

Again, thanks a ton.

Regards,
Madhura

Hi All, I am also a new member of this forum and I had the same difficulty as Madhura. I have recently taken charge as HR, functioning alone in an IT company, and I had an interview to handle independently and make decisions. Here, unlike what was mentioned in the forum, where the technical people have the final say in hiring, it is the other way around – HR decisions are final. So, I was totally tense and was searching all sites for tips to conduct HR interviews. I found really useful information.

Request for Assistance

I have one request: if anyone could help me in-depth regarding how to assess the attitude of a person, any parameters that you use to determine attitude, character, etc., and how to decide whether the candidate will be loyal, kindly help me with some other good interview questions and tips.

Regards,
Radhika