HR Inter­view Questions: Preparing for a Screening Call

An HR interview, sometimes called a screening interview, is a conversation with a recruiter or HR representative, which may take place early in the process. This guide is about the general questions that can come up for any job. It is not about interviewing for a role within human resources.

Formats and questions vary, so follow the invitation and the advert first. All examples below are fictional, and none of them is a claim for you to copy.

What a screening conversation can cover

A screening conversation may cover your background, your interest in the role and the employer, and practical details such as availability, notice period, location and pay. It may include a few questions about examples from your work. Some employers ask about qualifications, licences or work eligibility. Others ask very little before passing you to the hiring manager.

If you are not told what to expect, you can ask the recruiter what the conversation will cover and how long it is likely to last.

Prepare the practical facts first

Before you rehearse answers, write down the facts you may be asked for and check that they are accurate:

• Your availability, and any dates you cannot work.
• Your notice period. Reading your contract is only a starting point. It is not definitive legal advice, and this guide cannot tell you what your legal obligations are. If you are unsure, get appropriate qualified local guidance before you commit to a date. Do not guess, because the date you give may be relied on.
• Your location, and any travel or relocation you would need to arrange.
• Qualifications, licences or work-eligibility requirements named in the advert. Answer accurately and ask the recruiter what evidence is needed. If you do not meet a requirement, say so plainly. If you are unsure whether you meet a legal requirement, get appropriate qualified local guidance. This guide does not give visa or legal advice.
• Your pay expectations, covered below.

Questions about pay

If the advert gives a pay range, you can say whether it suits you. If it does not, you can ask what the range is for the role. If you decide to give a figure, base it on sources you can name, such as the advert or comparable adverts, and think about the whole package, including hours, benefits and location. If you are not ready to give a figure, you can say you would like to understand the role and the package first. This guide cannot tell you what pay to expect or ask for.

Questions you may be asked, and how to prepare

Tell me about yourself

Choose the parts of your background that relate to the role. Our guide to answering "tell me about yourself" shows how.

Strengths and weaknesses

Use true examples. If a limitation affects an essential duty or a requirement in the advert, explain it accurately and say what you can do now. Our guide to strengths and weaknesses answers covers this.

Why do you want this role?

Note two or three things in the advert that interest you, and one thing you have actually checked about the employer, such as its published description of the role or its services. Do not claim inside knowledge you do not have. If something is unclear, prepare a question instead of a claim.

Fictional example, not a real candidate: "The advert mentions coordinating appointments, which is the part of my current work I enjoy most. I haven't used your booking system, so I would need training on it. I'd like to ask how new starters learn it."

Why are you leaving, or why did you leave?

Describe what is true, and keep it factual. Our guides to explaining why you are leaving a job, explaining an employment gap and explaining a career change cover the different situations.

Availability and start date

Say what you can actually commit to. If your availability may change, say so instead of promising flexibility you may not have.

Fictional example, not a real candidate: "I can work Monday to Friday. I cannot work Thursday evenings until my course ends. I have a notice period. I would confirm what applies to me before agreeing a start date."

Where do you see yourself in a few years?

You do not need to name a job title. You can describe the kind of work or skills you would like to develop and how this role relates to that. If you are unsure, say what you would like to learn. Do not promise a commitment you cannot make.

Examples from your work

Some questions ask for a real example. Choose one you can explain: what the situation was, what you were responsible for, what you did and what happened. This is the STAR structure, and our STAR examples guide shows how to use it. If the example did not go well, see our guide to explaining an unsuccessful project. If there was no measurable result, say so instead of adding a figure. For a question about disagreeing with someone, see our guide to disagreeing respectfully.

Questions you can ask

• What does a typical week look like in this role?
• How do new starters learn the role, and what training is provided?
• Who would I work with day to day?
• What are the next steps, and when can I expect to hear from you?
• If it is not in the advert: what is the pay range, and what hours are expected?

You can ask about pay, hours or leave if you need the information to decide. Raise them in the way that suits the conversation.

Phone, video or in person

Check the invitation for the format. For a phone screening, see our guide to phone interview practice. For a video call, test your connection, camera and microphone beforehand, and ask what to do if the call drops. For an in-person conversation, check the address, how to reach the building and who to ask for.

If an answer goes wrong

If your answer is vague, you can add a specific detail: "Let me give a specific example." If you said something you did not mean, you can correct it briefly: "I'd like to rephrase that." If you do not know an answer, see our guide on what to do when you don't know an answer. If you did not hear or understand a question, our clarification guide has wording you can adapt.

Practice before the conversation

Say your answers aloud. You can record yourself and listen back. If you practice with another person, agree with them before recording. Use true examples, and leave out confidential information about employers, customers or colleagues.

In a real interview, do not use any tool to generate answers unless the organiser has explicitly allowed it, and do not record the conversation unless the interviewer has agreed. Our interview preparation checklist covers the wider preparation.

This guide is published by Muqabala. You can visit our interview practice page for your next practice session. Use any method that suits you, and check how any tool handles your data first. Do not paste confidential employer information into a practice tool.