Competency based interviewing is becoming an increasing popular tool of the selection process, more and more companies are beginning to realise the benefits of selecting new employees through this recruitment process.
Essentially your past performance is the best predictor of future performance. Competency based questions are directly linked to an essential function of the position.
Your interviewer will ask you to best describe a situation, which demonstrates your abilities. This enables the interviewer to predict how likely you are to handle the job. HR managers will ask for examples of things you have actually done that would demonstrate the key characteristics their firm needs.
We would always suggest that you prepare different examples for each competency and remember that the interviewer could question you from a different angle. Make sure you example is robust and flexible enough to fit the interviewer’s expectations.
Well-structured, detailed answers are a powerful mechanism within which you can demonstrate how your experience suits the role.
Be familiar with words such as ‘problem solving’ or ‘influencing’ and learn to understand what the interviewer wants from you. Think of your answers as a very structured story with a start, middle and end.
What was the Situation?
i.e. The problem
What were you Tasked with?
i.e. What needed to be done?
What did you Action?
i.e. What did you do, did you have obstacles?
What were the Results?
i.e. What did you achieve and how was this measured?
