COMPETENCY BASED INTERVIEWS - New Chapter Consulting

COMPETENCY BASED INTERVIEWS A GUIDE FOR CANDIDATES

COMPETENCY BASED INTERVIEWS A GUIDE FOR CANDIDATES

Competency based interviews (also known as behavioural interviews) are based on the idea that past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPETENCIES Different types of competency can be assessed during interview, for example: Individual competencies; your personal attributes:

The interviewer will want specific examples of when and how you demonstrated particular behaviours.

Flexibility, decisiveness, tenacity, independence, risk taking, personal integrity. Managerial competencies; taking charge of other

Prior to interview each position is assessed for the skills/competencies and characteristics that relate to job success. Interview questions are then developed to probe into these areas.

people: Leadership, empowerment, strategic planning, corporate sensitivity, project management, management control. Analytical competencies; the elements of decision

All candidates are asked the same questions and notes are taken in order to evaluate candidates. The word competency is widely used in business and personnel psychology and refers to the behaviours that are necessary to achieve the objectives of an organisation. A competency is also something you can measure and lists of competencies form a common language for describing how people perform in different situations.

making: Innovation, analytical skills, numerical problem solving, problem solving, practical learning, detail consciousness. Interpersonal competencies; dealing with other people: Communication, impact, persuasiveness, personal awareness, teamwork, openness. Motivational competencies; the things that drive you: Resilience, energy, motivation, achievement orientation, initiative, quality focus

Every job can be described in terms of key competencies. This means that they can be used for all forms of assessment, including appraisals, training needs analysis and of course, selection.

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COMPETENCY BASED INTERVIEWS A GUIDE FOR CANDIDATES

PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW To prepare for this type of interview, first review the job description carefully and identify the skills and traits likely

•

How did you feel?

•

What was the result?

to be assessed. Next, identify the situations and

As you can see, responding to these questions requires

experiences that you will refer to in the interview to

a thorough recollection and a solid understanding of the

demonstrate these skills and traits. Competency

examples you use in response to the question. Practice

focussed, well-structured answers are extremely

makes perfect; preparing for an interview will help you

powerful and will win you the interview.

succeed in showcasing your skills to a potential

Use the STAR model to provide a structure to your

employer.

answers… Situation; describe a situation or problem that you have encountered

TOP TIPS Follow our top tips below to ensure you’re expertly prepared…

Task; describe the task that the situation required or your ideas for resolving the problem

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Identify six to eight examples from your past experience where you demonstrated top behaviors

Action; describe the action you took and the obstacles

and skills that employers typically seek. Think in

that you had to overcome

terms of examples that will exploit your top selling points.

Results; highlight outcomes achieved • Describe the Situation and the Task briefly. Most of your

Half of your examples should be entirely positive, such as accomplishments or meeting goals.

answers should focus on Action and Results; applying the who (you), what, when, where, why and how model

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The other half should be situations that started out

will keep you focussed and make your description more

negatively but either ended positively or you made

interesting.

the best of the outcome.

Sometimes, an interviewer may follow-up with additional

•

questions to really gain a solid understanding of how you

Vary your examples; don't take them all from just one area of your life.

approached a situation. These secondary questions help the interviewer determine whether you demonstrated the

•

Use fairly recent examples. Focus on the last 2-3

desired behavior and whether your responses are

years, examples from school may be too long ago.

consistent. Possible secondary questions might include:

Some companies, in fact, specify that candidates give examples of behaviors demonstrated within the

•

What did you do?

•

What was your specific role?

•

What were you thinking?

last year. •

Try to describe examples in story form and remember the STAR model.

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COMPETENCY BASED INTERVIEWS A GUIDE FOR CANDIDATES

EXAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS CUSTOMER FOCUS •

Can you give us an example of when you have dealt

DRIVE, RESILIENCE AND ENTHUSIASM •

with an upset or angry customer in the past? •

Tell me about a time when you’ve been set, or set yourself a really challenging target.

Tell me about a time when you have gone the extra mile in order to meet a customer’s needs.

BUILDING EFFECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS •

COMMUNICATING AND INFLUENCING

Can you give me an example of how, in order to deliver something, you have needed to work across departmental and even organisational boundaries?

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Tell me about a time when you were able to change someone's viewpoint significantly.

•

Describe a time when you met internal opposition to

WE WISH YOU THE VERY BEST OF LUCK FOR YOU

an idea, promotion or strategy which you

INTERVIEW AND FOR YOUR FUTURE CAREER. IF

passionately believed in:

YOU WOULD LIKE ANY FURTHER ADVICE PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT YOUR NEW CHAPTER CONSULTANT.

PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING •

Tell me about a difficult decision that you have made.

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Tell me about a situation where you achieved a satisfactory outcome to a problem that others thought couldn't be solved. What did you do and what was the outcome?

•

Tell me about a time when you had conflicting priorities and what you did to resolve them.

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