By the HR International Academy training team · Updated October 29, 2026
"What will they ask me in an HR interview?" is one of the most common questions our students ask before placement drives. HR executive interviews in India usually test four things: why you want HR, your basic HR knowledge, your understanding of payroll and labour law, and how you handle people situations. Below are the questions our training team sees most often, with short sample answers you can adapt in your own words.
About you and why HR
1. Tell me about yourself.
Sample answer: "I'm a commerce graduate who has completed a practical HR certification covering recruitment, payroll and statutory compliance. During the course I processed sample payrolls and worked in an HRMS. I enjoy working with people and data, and I'm looking for an HR executive role where I can support hiring and HR operations."
Tip: keep it to under a minute: education, HR training, practical skills, and what you want next.
2. Why do you want to work in HR?
Sample answer: "I like solving people problems and making processes fair and organised. HR lets me combine both: hiring the right people, making sure they are paid correctly and on time, and helping them grow."
3. What are the main functions of HR?
Sample answer: "Workforce planning, recruitment and selection, onboarding, payroll and compensation, performance management, training and development, employee relations, and compliance with labour laws."
Payroll and statutory compliance
4. What is CTC, and how is it different from take-home salary?
Sample answer: "CTC, or cost to company, is the total amount the employer spends on an employee in a year, including basic salary, allowances, the employer's PF contribution and other benefits. Take-home or net salary is what the employee receives after deductions such as employee PF, ESI, professional tax and TDS."
5. What are PF and ESI?
Sample answer: "PF, the Employees' Provident Fund, is a retirement savings scheme where the employee and employer each contribute a percentage of basic wages, generally 12%. ESI, Employees' State Insurance, provides medical and cash benefits to employees earning up to the wage ceiling, funded by employee and employer contributions."
6. What is gratuity?
Sample answer: "Gratuity is a lump-sum payment to an employee who leaves after completing at least five years of continuous service (fixed-term employees qualify after one year under the Code on Social Security). It is commonly calculated as 15 days' last drawn wages for each completed year of service."
7. What are India's new labour codes?
Sample answer: "India has consolidated 29 central labour laws into four labour codes: the Code on Wages, the Industrial Relations Code, the Code on Social Security, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code."
Recruitment and onboarding
8. Explain the recruitment process.
Sample answer: "It starts with a manpower requisition and job description, then sourcing through job portals, referrals and social media, CV screening, interviews and assessments, reference checks, the offer letter, and finally onboarding."
9. What is the difference between induction and orientation?
Sample answer: "Orientation introduces a new employee to the organisation as a whole: its history, people, policies and facilities. Induction focuses on the specific job, team and tools. Both are part of onboarding."
10. What is an ATS?
Sample answer: "An applicant tracking system manages recruitment: job postings, applications, candidate pipelines, interview scheduling and offers. It saves time and keeps hiring organised." Read more in our guide to HRMS and ATS training.
Scenario questions
11. An employee complains that their salary was paid wrongly. What will you do?
Sample answer: "I would thank them for raising it, check their attendance, leave and payroll records to find the error, explain the correction clearly and make sure it is fixed in the next payroll or as an off-cycle payment, and then check whether the same problem affected anyone else."
12. Two team members are in conflict. How would you handle it?
Sample answer: "I would speak to each person privately to understand the issue, then bring them together with their manager to agree on a solution based on facts and company policy, and follow up afterwards to make sure the problem is resolved."
13. How would you handle confidential employee information?
Sample answer: "I would share it only with people who need it for their work, store it securely in the HR system rather than in personal files, and follow the company's data policy at all times."
How to prepare for an HR interview
- Revise payroll basics: CTC, gross and net pay, PF, ESI, professional tax, TDS, bonus and gratuity.
- Know the recruitment and onboarding process step by step.
- Be ready to name the HR software and Excel features you have used.
- Prepare two or three examples of handling people situations, from college, work or your course.
- Research the company and dress professionally.
- Practise with mock interviews.
At HR International Academy, interview preparation and mock interviews are part of our placement support. New to HR? Start with our guide to how to become an HR professional in India, or call +91 85476 65599 for free counselling.