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What is competency based interviewing?These are also known as skills-based, behavioural, situational or structured interviews! They work on the principle that:PAST PERFORMANCE IS THE BEST PREDICTOR OF FUTURE PERFORMANCE. The interviewer will therefore be seeking examples of past behaviour that provide him/her with concrete evidence that you have the necessary competencies to succeed in the job. What happens in a situational interview? The interviewer will ask you a series of questions along the lines of: Describe a situation when you ...... Give an example of a time when you ..... When you have answered these, the interviewer may prompt you for further information. When you have exhausted one topic, the interviewer will move on to the next leaving little opportunity for discussion. At the end of the interview, there may be an opportunity for you to ask your own questions. This format may seem rigid, unnatural and unfriendly to many interviewees but, as well as providing evidence of competencies relevant to the job, it is also seen as a fair and equitable method of selection since all candidates are asked exactly the same questions. What competencies is the interviewer looking for? This will vary according to the job but competencies of importance to many recruiters of new and recent graduates include: Communication skills Negotiation Persuasiveness Teamwork Decision making Problem solving Planning and organisation Coping with pressure Questions will then be asked in the format "Describe a situation where you showed persuasiveness" Who uses situational interviews? Estimates in the USA indicate that a third of employers are using situational interviews in their recruitment. The number in the UK may be slightly smaller, but is growing rapidly. Any large organisation - a manufacturing company, bank, retailer, computing company, public sector organisation, is likely to use situational interviews in graduate recruitment. How can I tell if I will have a situational interview or a traditional interview? The application form may give you a clue. Many employers use the situational approach from the beginning and will design the application form to include a number of questions in this format. At the interview, the examples you give may be probed in more detail and further examples sought of the behaviour/competences in question. Although you cant always predict in advance what type of interview an employer will use, time spent preparing answers to situational questions will never be wasted. Even if the interview follows a traditional format, you will have thought about the competencies the employer needs and be able to back up your answers with concrete examples, which always makes a more positive impression. What is the best way to prepare for a situational interview? Read the employer's brochure and/or job description, and note the skills and competencies they require. Note down any examples you can think of when you have put these competencies into practice. These examples could come from vacation or part-time work; university clubs and societies; voluntary work; study at school or university; holidays and travel or personal and family experiences. Compose a paragraph or so for each situation, outlining what happened, how you approached it and what the outcome was. The "CAR" format should help you to structure these outlines: Context: Action: Result: What was the situation in which you found yourself and the specific task which you had to achieve? What action did you take? What was the outcome of your action? The focus should be on you even if the situation involved a group, interviewers will want to know what was your specific role in achieving the desired result. Once you have done this, select the examples which you feel are the best illustrations of the required competence. These may be the ones that you choose to use on the application form, or else will be the first examples that you give in answer to the interview questions. Don't forget the other examples, though interviewers may sometimes probe for as many examples as possible. What if I can't think of any suitable examples? Try and be as open as possible the examples you give don't have to be high-level. Planning and organising a week's independent travel in Scotland is as valid an example as a trek through the Himalayas. If you really can't think of anything, consider how vital that competence is to the employer. If, for example, leadership is a key factor, and you have really never taken the lead in anything, are you applying for the right job? Would you be happy in it? If there is only one area that is giving you problems of this type all may not be lost, provided that you are strong in other areas. Click on the links below to find some examples of situational questions and answers for particular careers. Marketing Scientific Research Banking Chartered Accountant Retail Manager Computer Systems Analyst MARKETING As a MARKETING BRAND MANAGER you will need to be able to ORGANISE a range of activities to get things done. Can you give me an example of a time when you have had to co-ordinate the work of other people? A possible answer: Context: I was Social Secretary of the European Society on campus. We decided to mark Europe Day last May by organising a programme of social and cultural events representing all the EU member countries. I had to find people willing to take part: some were members of our own Society but I also approached other societies on campus, such as the French Society, and had to seek out individuals to make sure that all 15 countries were represented. Action: Once I had a full complement of people willing to contribute I could draw up a programme of events for the day and we held regular meetings to monitor progress and iron out any problems. Result: On the day there were 15 different events running from a French breakfast with coffee and croissants through films, lectures and musical recitals through to a late-night disco with music from all over Europe. Several hundred students took part in them and the European Society signed up over 30 new members. As a MARKETING BRAND MANAGER you will need to be able to PERSUADE your fellow-managers to accept a particular course of action. Can you give me an example of a time when you have had to convince a person or group to do something that they were initially reluctant to do? You will need to be able to ANALYSE INFORMATION such as sales figures and trends, market research reports and product specifications. Can you give me an example of a time when you have had to analyse detailed information to extract the essential points? You will need to be able to WORK UNDER PRESSURE. Can you give me an example of a time when you have had to cope with a number of competing tasks? How did you decide what priority to give them? You will need to be a good COMMUNICATOR. Can you give me an example of a time when you have had to make a presentation to a group of people? SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH As a RESEARCHER you will need to be able to PLAN your projects and the work of other members of your team. Can you give me an example of a time when you have had to organise your time to achieve a specific aim? A possible answer: Context: Last summer I spent four weeks traveling around Europe with three friends. We planned the trip during the summer term, fitting it in around our revision when we needed a break and something to look forward to, then took summer jobs for two months to raise the money for the trip. We had to plan where we wanted to go, where we would stay, how we would get around and how to fit everything into our budget. Action: Once we had agreed a general itinerary we divided up the different tasks between us. My responsibility was to make the travel arrangements: I researched the various options and decided that an Inter-Rail ticket would be the cheapest and the most flexible, so then I had to check the rail connections and timetables between the places we wanted to visit. Result: Even though the trains didn't always run on time, we had a great time and visited all the places we had planned to. As a RESEARCHER you will need to be able to WORK IN A TEAM. Can you give me an example of a time when you have had to CO-OPERATE with a group of people in order to accomplish a task? You will need to be a good COMMUNICATOR, e.g. when presenting papers at conferences. Can you give me an example of a time when you have had to make a presentation to a group of people? You will need good WRITING skills in order to present your findings and proposals for further research. Can you tell me about a major piece of written work that you have produced? |
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