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Competency Based Interviews
What is competency based interviewing?
It's a style of interviewing used so that a candidate can best show how they
would demonstrate certain behaviours/skills in the work place; by answering
questions about how you have reacted to and dealt with previous work place
situations.
By using past experience a potential employer can predict future behaviour by:
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Eliminating misunderstandings.
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Preventing personal impressions.
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Reducing the candidate's ability to "fake".
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You will be asked to give an example of a situation or task which led you to
take a certain course of action. Probing questions will then be used to
determine the course of action you took and what changes were created by those
actions and the effects of those actions on others.
Traditional job descriptions are now quite out-dated. Most organisations will
analyse a role by breaking it down into key competencies. For example the
competencies of a lawyer may be planning and organising, innovation, personal
drive, problem analysis and decision making. If an organisation uses this type
of interviewing, it is very likely that your job will be defined on this basis
and your performance in it will be managed through competencies. For example
your appraisal may well be linked to evidence and real-life examples of having
demonstrated these competencies.
How can I prepare for this type of interview?
The simple answer is you can't. You can prepare for the interview in the normal
way by researching the company, making sure you are able to talk through the
work and skills that you have described on your CV. You will be given the
opportunity to market yourself for the role in the normal way. However, most
candidates will find this type of interviewing much more interactive and
enjoyable and it is likely that the interviewer will be able to encourage you
to be much more open than in a traditional interview.
How will I be measured?
Usually the interviewer will have a number of pre-planned questions to ask you.
For each of these questions they will ask for real-life evidence where you have
demonstrated the behaviour or skills. They will know what the desired
behaviours are and will look for positive and negative indicators.
Examples of competencies and related questions are as follows:
Example one - Planning and Organising
Competency & Definition
Planning & Organising: prioritises; sets stretching but realistic targets
and deadlines; plans ahead and has a structured approach to the work
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Suggested Questions
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Desired Behaviours
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Describe a project you have managed/been responsible for
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How did you plan your time? (& others time?)
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How did you deal with obstacles?
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Working in a structured and methodical way
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Have you ever managed a project which you knew would run over the timescale?
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Maintaining candidate details
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Planning ahead to ensure timely delivery of results
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What could you do differently next time?
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Managing time effectively
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In your current job, how do you schedule your time and set priorities?
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Maintaining accurate management information, administrative records etc
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Negative Indicators
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Works late but unproductively most of the time
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Seldom completes a task unless they do all of the work themselves
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Reactive approach
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Inflexible in modifying plan/priorities
Is easily fazed by obstacles/interruptions
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Example two - Team Skills
Competency & Definition
Team Skills: the ability to work with other people constructively to
improve the effectiveness of the team
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Suggested Questions
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Desired Behaviours
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Tell me about a time when you have started a new job
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How did you go about building an effective working relationship with your
colleagues/team?
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Selecting staff who will complement others in the team
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What effect did that action have on your success in that position?
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Co-operating with others; helping people out when necessary
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What effect did that action have on the success of the team
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How do you galvanise your team into action?
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Consulting others for advice when necessary
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When has your own self-motivation rubbed off on others from whom you work?
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Ensuring that important information is communicated accurately and quickly
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Describe an occasion when you chose not to work as part of a team
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Resolving conflict or disagreements quickly and without holding grudges
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Have you ever had to work in a team where you felt other members of the team
were lacking in commitment/ability?
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When has a colleague let you down and how did you react?
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Negative Indicators
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Afraid to confront issues
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Insensitive to people, their feelings and needs
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Indiscreet and gets involved in gossip
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Plays people off against each other
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Holds Grudges
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Withholds Information
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Example three - Professional knowledge and judgment
Competency & Definition
Professional Knowledge &Judgment: has an extensive knowledge of
his/her own field or department; understands the business and uses this to
provide credible advice
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Suggested Questions
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Desired Behaviours
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What examples are there during the past 3-6 months where you have made an
important decision which turned out to be correct?
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Have you made any poor decisions in the past 6 months? Tell me about it/them?
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Sound understanding of clients
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How do you gather information on clients?
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Managing the flow of information to clients effectively
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How have you used that information to influence a client or candidate?
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Providing commercial and practical advice to clients
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When did a client last ask you for advice (other than re a live assignment)?
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Providing the client with credible advice
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Providing the client with credible advice
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Negative Indicators
- Inaccurate understanding of client's situation
- Assumes professional responsibility beyond level of competence/experience
- Abdicated decision-making to others ignores side issues as irrelevant
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Example four - Leadership
Competency & Definition
Leadership: Takes control of situations and events; recognizes and
rewards others performance; motivates; coaches and develops others.
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Suggested Questions
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Desired Behaviours
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When was the last time you disciplined a member of staff?
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How did you handle the situation?
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Conducting performance appraisals
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Developing people on the job
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Coaching and training staff
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Tell me about a sensitive or difficult staffing issues you have dealt with
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Setting development objectives
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What did you find most difficult about it?
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Confronting difficult management/staff issues promptly
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Motivating teams to give their best
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How have you introduced change to your team?
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Handling disciplinary procedures
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How do you ensure your team gets feedback on its performance?
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Recognizing good performance
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Describe a situation in which you coached a team member
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Reviewing performance of staff on a regular basis
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Conducting effective meetings with team
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Negative Indicators
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Believes in an autocratic style of leadership
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Is insensitive
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Demonstrates an inconsistent style of leadership
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Tries to change how things are done without any consideration to
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proven methods and working practices
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