Top 50+ TCS HR Interview Questions And Answers 2023

Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS) values a strong employee-employer relationship. So, when new employees join the organization, it is ensured that their personality, value system, and goals match the objectives of TCS. It helps them anticipate their behavior with other employees. In this regard, the HR interview is an important stage in the TCS recruitment process.

Get all the information about the TCS recruitment process here: TCS Recruitment Process 2023 In Detail: Eligibility, Salary & More!

The TCS HR interview is conducted after the candidates have been assessed on their general and technical aptitudes. In the HR interview, the hiring managers and the members of the interview panel from the company understand the level of communication, interpersonal, and social skills of the candidate. It is done by asking open-ended questions about the candidate’s different experiences and learnings. You should dig deeper into your personality and express your motivations and goals as clearly as possible to prepare for the TCS HR interview questions.

We have made your TCS journey easier by providing the possible questions and answers to the TCS HR interview questions. It will allow you to grab the best job opportunities at one of the top companies in the country.

Traditional TCS HR Interview Questions with Answers

Why do you want to work for our company?

This question is easy to answer. Just do a little research about the company. You can use certain pointers to show your enthusiasm, such as:

The company’s reputation:

“I want to join this company because it is one of the leading organizations, offering millions of Indians technologically advanced services." I want to contribute my share to the country’s economic growth through this company."

The company’s value system:

"I want to join this company because it not only provides wonderful opportunities but will also allow me to become a part of a place where values are held supreme. TCS is known for a work culture where everyone is like a member of the family."

Personal growth as the reason:

"I want to join TCS because I believe the company can provide me with a challenging and enriching environment. It will help me have a positive career progression."

Why are you looking for a change?

Some of the major reasons for a job change are:

Career growth
Layoffs
Contract expiry
Working in a top organisation
Better salary package
Better work environment

Candidates can choose a couple of reasons from the above list and tell the employer why they want to change their current job. They should be positive and optimistic about both the past company and the current company.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

When the employers ask you this question, they want to understand how you understand your professional goals. The candidates should explain how they want to grow within a company and what new skills you want the company to help you develop.

A sample answer to this question can be like this: "In the next five years, I want to reach a mid-level managerial position. For this, I will be working on two areas. One, I will enhance my learning by taking certificate courses. Two, I will learn from my peers about the methods of becoming a better professional. In the second endeavor, I believe the company will provide me with resources and all the necessary support."

Tell me about the gap in your resume.

If you have a gap year on your resume, do not be afraid to answer this question. Just logically explain why you took time off. You can use the pointers given below:

Explain the financial, emotional, and psychological needs behind why you needed a gap year .
Tell about what you learned in the gap year. Example: learning new languages and marketable, skills, and exploring new cultures.
Talk about how those experiences helped you reach where you are today.
How you grew as a person during the gap year. Examples: enhanced confidence and a better understanding of different cultures.

You can use the STAR technique of describing a situation, action taken, and results achieved. You should also align the reason with the objectives of the company.

You may answer the questions like this: "I took a gap year after finishing school. Although I was thrilled at the prospect of joining [course name], I wanted to take a break from academics to explore my inner calling. I knew it was necessary to choose a meaningful career path later in life."

Learn more about how to tackle the questions on gap year in this article: Learn How To Explain A Gap In Your CV

Why should we hire you?

Provide the employers with a few reasons why you fit the role. You can show them how confident you are about your skills by highlighting them. Study the job description properly and narrow down a few skills the company is looking for. These can include knowledge of new technologies, software, or programming languages. Tell the employer how you have a stronghold on these and how you can use them in your professional life.

You can also talk about how you handled academics and extracurricular activities, which provided you with good exposure early in life. Here, you should also add a few interpersonal skills, such as communication skills, leadership abilities, and persistence. It will tell them that you possess desirable social skills.

Do you have any questions for me?

You can use this opportunity to show your eagerness for the job. Here, you can ask open-ended questions and avoid ‘yes-no’ type questions.

Some of the questions you can include are:

What will my role entail?
What are the core values/work culture of the company?
Is this a new position?
What are the personality types and working styles of the team members with whom I will be working.

Salary-Based TCS HR Interview Questions

What is your current salary?

Here, the employer wants to have an idea of how much you are earning in your current job role. It prepares a room for salary negotiations. So, answer his question with tact. You can give a rough estimate of the salary you are getting. Remember to include additional benefits and bonuses while discussing your salary details. You can start by talking about the CTC and then give a rough breakdown of the salary.

You can say: “I make X (CTC) per annum. It includes the performance bonuses, additional bonuses, and healthcare benefits.”

What is your salary expectation? or How much do you think you should be paid by looking at your qualifications?

The aim of this question is to understand how much salary the candidates expect to be paid for the said job role with their given education and experience. Candidates can answer this question in two ways.

The candidates can justify a particular amount of salary based on their knowledge and experience. For instance, “While my current CTC is 10 LPA (a hypothetical figure), I am expecting an offer of 15 LPA. The new job role deserves a raise due to the complex responsibilities that I will be taking on."

Tip: Do your homework beforehand and find out from the internet what other companies pay for similar job roles and experience levels.

You can also refrain from answering this question by telling the employer, “It’s too early to answer this question. I would want you to tell me more about the job role before I can understand what the right compensation is.”

Tip: Ask the employer about the budget, which will give you a realistic idea of what the company can offer.

Personality-Based TCS HR Interview Questions

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

These types of questions highlight how much you know about yourself and how you perceive yourself. Thus, you should answer in such a way that you neither overdo your weaknesses nor undermine your strengths. List your weak areas and talk about how you can improve.

For instance, you can list public speaking as one of your weaknesses and add how you are making efforts to address it. Do not list weaknesses that negatively impact your selection chances, such as problems with time management and an inability to adapt. On the other hand, your strengths should not present you as a superhero. You can list creativity, honesty, and teamwork spirit as your strengths. These are universal qualities HR looks for in an employee.

How would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10?

The employer tests your level of self-awareness and ability for self-evaluation. So, you should not rate yourself too high or too low. Give yourself a modest score that neither shows you as boasting nor being self-deprecating. A score of 8 or 9, substantiated through examples of achievements, shows confidence. The missing 1-2 points can be justified by the weaknesses you are currently working on.

The answer can be like: "I will give myself an 8 because I have a good track record both in academics and sports activities since school. I have often been praised for my leadership abilities. However, I am still learning to enhance my skills so that I can become a better problem-solver in the current dynamic professional world."

What is your biggest achievement so far?

Here, the employer is not looking if you have huge achievements. They want to know about your capabilities and how well you communicate them. You can use the STAR technique, wherein, you describe a situation, talk about the action you took, and discuss the results you achieved. It will give a frame to your narrative. For instance, let’s say you did a side hustle during college to pay the fees.

You can say, "In my college days, I had to arrange funds for college fees, as I come from a humble background. So, I started giving coaching to students in the evening and took up a job in a cafe on weekends. It helped me earn enough money to finance my studies and also offered me some early professional experience.”

How do you deal with criticism?

In this question, you should show how open you are to constructive criticism. You should allow the employer to understand how you are open to criticism and use the feedback to enhance your performance.

A sample can be like this: “I respond to criticism in a positive manner, as I know it can offer me insights into my shortcomings and areas for improvement. In my last job, my supervisor pointed out that I was prone to skipping important points in the instructions. After this, I started keeping a small notepad and would refer to it whenever I wanted to recall something. With time, I realized how a small piece of advice helped me become better at my job.”

Situational TCS HR Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you were not satisfied with your performance?

This question can also be asked as:

Tell me about a time where you experienced difficulty at work while working on a project.

The employer wants to know how you respond to failure at the workplace. Moreover, they want to see whether you take accountability for your actions. You can use the STAR technique to frame your response.

You can reply as: "Once I was heading a practical group assignment in college. Due to different reasons, the group members could not align their schedules and finish their portions of the assignment. We had to do most of the work a week before the deadline, which left us with little room for improvement. The failure taught me that, as a leader, it was my job to define the roles and responsibilities of each member, so that there was better coordination. That failure gave me a lifelong lesson."

Tell me about a time when you were made to work under close supervision.

This question allows the employer to understand what kind of workplace environment you seek. In this way, they are able to align your work personality with that of other members of the team.

You can answer the question like this: "I once worked under a supervisor who would keep a close eye on new employees. It made me a little uncomfortable as it left little room for exploring new ideas. However, I tried explaining this to him, and he understood the problem. After this, we both tried, from our ends, to find a middle ground. With time, we were able to build greater trust in each other’s methods."

Tell me about a time when you displayed leadership skills.

In this question, highlight how you are able to balance responsibility and accountability even under high pressure situations. You can use the STAR technique of describing the situation, action taken, and results achieved.

A sample answer can be like this: "In my final year, I was in charge of organising a seminar. We had two months before we could arrange everything. We had to invite the professors and the guests; brief the social media team, prepare the banners; and decide the budget. Hence, students from different departments had come and worked together. As a leader, I ensured everyone was clear about their roles and responsibilities. My entire team was praised for pulling off this task despite the challenges."

Was there any point in your career where you made any mistakes? Tell me about it.

Do not get overwhelmed with this question and start pointing out flaws in your character. This question is meant to show how well you are at self-evaluation. You can use an example from an early internship or job so that it can be substantiated as an early career mistake.

You can say: "In my first job, I was a shy person and refrained from asking for help from my colleagues. I thought I would find answers on my own. Soon I discovered that it was detrimental for career growth and smooth workflow. It took a few readjustments in my behaviour before I could reach out to others and ask them for help. Today, I make sure I ask for help whenever needed and am available for others as well."

How did you handle disagreements with your manager? or What would you do if you were working for a bad boss?

The aim of the question is to assess certain traits, such as ability for conflict resolution, maturity level, and emotional intelligence. Remember, you choose a professional issue and objectively define it. Also, ensure you present a positive resolution.

A sample answer could be like this: "Once, I was working under a manager who would make changes to the project file at the final stage. He would not inform any team member as to what changes were made in the project everyone has contributed to. Sometimes the changes would go against the intentions of the team members. One day, I approached him and asked him if we could talk. I informed him how his actions were impacting the team. He confessed he was not aware of the consequences of his actions. He thanked me, and during my tenure in the company, I did not see any more disagreements taking place."

Tell me how you will handle it if suddenly the priorities of a project were changed?

With this question, the employer seeks to understand whether you are adaptable. You will be working in new environments, thus, you should be able to adapt to dynamic changes and find solutions in a short time.

You can answer this question like this: "I would maintain my composure and seek to understand the reason for the change in priorities. One, it will allow me to fathom the cause. Two, I will be able to prepare if such things happen in the future. At the same time, I will also put the task on priority so that we do not lose more time. It will be my duty to align my goals with the wider goals of the organization."

Opinion-based TCS HR Interview Questions

What is your dream company like? or What do you think is an ideal work environment?

In this question, you inform the employer of your expectations from the job and the company. Here, make a list of things you want in your new company and choose a few points among them.

You can phrase your answer like this: "My dream company is one where I can combine my skills and knowledge. Over the past several years, I have worked hard on acquiring new skills and enhancing my learning. Thus, I hope my dream company allows me to utilise them. Moreover, I would want my dream company to provide me with a positive work culture where I can share my ideas with others and explore new possibilities. It will help me grow both personally and professionally by offering me job satisfaction."

What do you do to ensure that a certain number of tasks are completed effectively?

Employers ask this question to see how good you are at prioritising work, setting deadlines, and aligning your goals with the company’s goals.

A sample answer to this question is like this: "In order to ensure all tasks are completed, I list them in order of priority. After assessing how much work can be covered in a day, I set a deadline for each task. Although my priority would be to stick to the schedule, if work gets unmanageable, I’ll ask my team members to share some tasks. It will allow me time to maintain work-life balance. I will keep the company’s goals in mind while prioritising tasks."

What does motivation mean to you? or What motivates you?

It seems like a tricky question. However, candidates can answer this question in creative ways. Just make sure your motivations align with the company’s goals and the expectations of the job role.

You can answer this question like this: "I am really motivated by learning new things, achieving targets on time, and finding creative ways to solve problems. These things give me a sense of purpose and allow me to expand my knowledge and learning."

Tips: Be honest and ensure you keep the company’s larger objectives in perspective while answering this question.

FAQs

What happens in TCS HR interview?

TCS conducts three types of interviews: the technical interview process, the managerial interview process, and the HR interview. process The candidates are assessed on their personality, ability to work in stressful situations, technical skills, and teamworking skills.

Is the TCS HR interview easy? or How can I prepare for the TCS HR round? or How can I clear my TCS HR interview?

The TCS HR interview assesses the overall personality, knowledge, and skill sets of a candidate. It is easy for the candidates if they understand the TCS recruitment process thoroughly and prepare for the interviews well in advance. To clear this round, they should go through the possible TCS HR interview questions and prepare mock answers to them before appearing for the actual interview.

What is the TCS HR round? What are the questions asked in an HR interview?

A TCS HR round is where the candidates are invited to participate in an interview with HR from the company. In the TCS HR interview, the candidates are asked behavioral questions. These type of questions are meant to examine the personality of the candidate.

Is the HR interview final round?

Yes, it is the final round of the TCS recruitment process.

How long does it take HR to respond after the interview with TCS?

It takes about 2-3 weeks to get a response from TCS after the interview.

What is the duration of the TCS interview?

All three interviews: the technical interview, the managerial interview, and the HR interview - are conducted over a period of 1-2 weeks.

TCS is a part of the prestigious Tata Group, a conglomerate that has served the nation and contributed to its growth for more than 150 years. Employees at TCS help businesses and customers to interact seamlessly. Give your professional career wings by joining the company!

To know more about TCS and the wonderful opportunities at the company, visit Unstop.

Gurpreet Saini

Sr. Associate Content Writer

An avid reader and an ambitious traveller, I like to curate stories. The instinctive desire to explore the unchartered territories of the unknown and unseen inspires me to find wonder in the cosmos. I find solace in the embrace of nature, and hope to create an environment of peace wherever I go.