33 HR Intern Interview Questions (With Sample Answers) walkin
If you want a career as a human resources professional, getting an HR internship is a great place to start. When interviewing for this role, you want to show employers that you are eager to learn and help their company. By preparing for interview questions in advance, you can come up with more compelling responses that may help you secure an internship. In this article, we share 33 common HR interview questions and sample answers to many of them. 33 HR Intern Interview Questions (With Sample Answers) walkin
Common Questions for an HR Intern Role
These common HR intern interview questions will help an employer learn more about your personality and interest in the position:
- What few words would you use to sum up who you are?
- What do you know about our company?
- What are your biggest weaknesses?
- Why do you want this role?
- What are your greatest strengths?
- Tell me about your major.
- How do you stay updated on industry trends?
- What do you want to do after graduation?
- What do you aim to accomplish in the next five years?
- Tell us a little about yourself.
Questions about HR experience and background
Employers can evaluate if you meet the requirements for the position by asking you the following questions during the HR interview:
- Are you familiar with any HR software?
- What past experiences prepared you for this role?
- Share the time you took initiative.
- Why is having an HR department important?
- Share time to work with a challenging person.
- Share an instance when you came up with a solution.
- Tell me about your conflict-resolution skills.
- Give an example of a time when you collaborated with others.
- What skills make you a competent HR professional?
- Tell me about one of your greatest achievements.
In-depth questions for an HR intern role
An employer can get a better idea of how you might perform as an intern by using these in-depth HR interview questions:
- How do you stay organized?
- What is your main goal for this internship?
- What do you do if you don’t understand an HR task?
- What projects would you like to do?
- What do you do if you notice an employee going against company rules?
- What can we do to help you succeed in this role?
- How long are you willing to play this role?
- How do you plan to balance school work and internships?
- How do you stay motivated?
- What impact do you hope to make here?
HR Intern Interview Questions with Sample Answers
You can use the following examples of responses to help you come up with your own answers to typical HR intern interview questions:
What lessons do you want to learn from this job?
The purpose of the internship is to better understand what an HR career might be like. Employers ask this question to make sure you see it as a learning opportunity. They want to learn about the specific skills you hope to develop. Before your interview, think about what makes you a great HR professional. Some of the key skills you should aim to learn during your internship include communication, problem solving, conflict resolution, and management.
Example: “I hope to learn how to overcome different situations that HR professionals often experience. Despite the fact that I am an excellent mediator, I want to contribute to assisting my team members resolve their issues and foster a more positive work atmosphere. I want to understand how HR experts respond to employee requests.
I would also like to become more familiar with the HR software your company uses. As a student, I do not have access to this software, so using it will be a valuable learning experience for me. I’m a tech geek, which makes me perfect for a role like this.
Why are you interested in an HR career?
This interview question helps employers understand your intentions for the HR internship. They are curious as to what motivated you to choose this line of work. In your answer, give them an overview of your decision process when you choose a career. Employers want you to be passionate about the field and help companies create a better work environment for their employees.
Example: “When she was a college freshman and debating her career options, my roommate told me about her interest in human resources. When she started talking about the field and how rewarding it could be, I decided to look into it further. I read some HR forums and asked what types of roles you could have with a major in human resources. I took a couple beginning classes in the major after learning it was possible online and quickly felt it would be a fascinating job to pursue.
HR is the perfect career for me as I am very organized and enjoy helping others. Through this career path, I can help employees feel more confident and comfortable in their roles, while helping businesses create more positive work environments.
What are some relevant college courses you have taken?
It is common for HR internship candidates to be college students seeking their first professional experience. That’s why employers look for your coursework to help them learn more about the courses that will prepare you for their role. When talking about relevant classes, explain how they relate to the role. Share some key projects you worked on and explain the HR skills they helped you develop.
For instance: “This semester, I’m enrolled in the business ethics and business communication classes for the human resources degree. The ethics class helps me understand the importance of keeping employee information confidential and making sure only the appropriate people see it. It helps me navigate challenging situations like employee complaints or hiring deficiencies.” , communication class helps me learn workplace communication strategies. HR professional.”