can someone explain 'competency based interviews' to me please?

[alabasterangel]

Hi
I've applied for an internal role with the company I have been with for 20 years. My current role is being made redundant, and there are other opportunities within the company becoming available, but it has been made clear to me that these roles will be full time (not my preference as I'm p/t now, but i'd rather be f/t than have no job) but also that the roles would be a 'step-up' from my current position. This is something that the company very much thinks I am capable of (and been encouraged to embrace!) but I'm a bit worried about the change of pace from p/t non-stressy role to f/t with 'pressure'....

In any case, the first of these new roles has become available and I have applied and been chosen for interview (so far, so good). However, this is the first interview I have had since I was 20 (now 41!) and I'm pretty nervous, despite it being with people I know in an office i know..... when I got the email asking for the interview, I started shaking like a jelly, which is ridiculous as the role will involve confidence and being unflappable, which I am known for in 'real life'....!

I've been told that it's going to be a 'competency based interview' and I don't have a great understanding of what that means. I think they are using this method because all the canditates are internal and they probably know them quite well, but they are looking for specific thought processes and and approaches to the work involved.

Can someone explain competency interviewing to me better, or recommend websites which I can use to research? What can i expect?

You need to give concrete examples to every question they ask. Questions should be designed to determine how competent you are at the 'essential' (and desirable) criteria on the person spec.

Each example you give should include Situation, Task, Achievement, Result (STAR).

thank you. So basically I should try and remember that STAR approach, and not digress in conversation or drift into something else... is that an important element to it?

The interviewers will be looking for evidence that you can do the job, and have the skills and attributes required.

Look at the person specification. It should say what experience, skills, attributes, qualities etc the person needs.

Prepare in your mind actual real life examples of when you've demonstrated that you have those things. Use the STAR titchy mentions to make sure your examples are properly constructed and give all the information you need.

Also prepare some for the main responsibilities listed in the job description, ie examples of when you've done that or similar before.

The interviewers should ask for examples based on the person spec as the idea is to check whether candidates have what is required. Even if they don't ask for examples, use them anyway. Some interviews mistakenly give hypothetical scenarios and ask how would you deal with xyz. Don't talk hypothetically, give an example of when you've already done it.

Remember, past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour and they want evidence that you will behave in they way they need.

Also remember that they want you to succeed, they are not trying to catch you out.

Thank you. ridiculously nervous. So out of practice!

Do you have a 'Competence Framework' in your job? If so look at the Key Competencies listed- then think of a couple of good examples of something you are proud of/have done.

You can usually make something you have done well fit various competencies (e.g. working in partnership, thinking with vision, etc!).

IME the most important thing is to have a couple of good examples of work -which you can shoehorn in to demonstrate whatever they want!

What I sometimes do to prepare for an interview is to write the questions I would ask (as an interviewer) based on the job description. The way I normally ask a competency-based question is a bit of preamble and then basically 'can you give an example of', so I might say "one of the things we often end up doing is having to explain to executives why the IT change they want isn't as simple or quick as they think it will be. Can you give me an example of how you've managed a senior stakeholder's expectations in difficult circumstances?"

The intention is to avoid hypothetical 'how would you deal with [x]?' questions, since they're easier to answer 'well of course I would be totally awesome at it'. If you genuinely don't have experience of having done the thing they're asking for, you can then twist it a bit and say "I haven't had to deliver bad news to a senior stakeholder but I did have to manage expectations of a small customer .. ' and off you go. The thing you're trying to demonstrate here are that you can adjust your message to the person you're talking to in a way that keeps them engaged, but still gets the bad news across to them.

Hi alabaster. Good news! Competency-based interviews are a really good way of assessing candidates compared with many other styles of interview, because they stop the conversation going off on a whim.

Some tips for you:

• find out what competencies they're looking for, as stairsinthenight suggests. Then find your good examples of each of them
• make sure you can tell a clear, vivid story that will stick in their memory. Anecdotes that make the point are great in this way are great, eg if the competency is about "resilience under pressure" and you have a story of how you resolved a crisis situation while a customer was shouting at you, and that three days later you got a thank you / apology note from them and now you're best buddies, then that works really well
• make sure you can tell the story in 30seconds, and then can go into depth as well
• talk about what you personally did. This is not time to be English or coy, crediting "the team" or "we" with all the success. You need to talk about your own contribution so they know that you are good at this
• get your story clear and simple by writing the headlines and main bullet points down, editing, and then writing down again
• practise with friends. Start with your cuddly friends and then try again with a friend who can be a bit tougher. Practise practise practise. It makes all the difference.

"This is not time to be English or coy, crediting "the team" or "we" with all the success. You need to talk about your own contribution so they know that you are good at this"

^^
this.

Women especially are often terrible at selling themselves and their own contribution, and you can bet your boots than men being interviewed will be doing the opposite..

I'm stereotyping I know, but only based on several gazillion interviews..

agreed, flowery

alabaster, if you find it difficult to talk about yourself in this way, it may help to remind yourself that:

• you've been asked to talk about your competencies. If you talk about the team, you're not doing what you've been asked. So, better to be immodest than to be actively rude by ignoring your instructions
• by talking about your own competencies, you are being helpful to the interviewer. You are making it easier for them to assess you fairly. Being coy is just being unhelpful

Thank you so much for this....

Ok, I'll polish up my trumpet to blow, and at least given I have so much experience and history in the company some of the things I can demonstrate they will already be aware of and have a good understanding about.

The irony is I don't even know I 100% want this particular role, but I want to discuss it and find out a lot more about what is involved (it's a new role which makes me pleased as I think that has a degree of maliability to it) and I'd much rather go, be confident, shine, get it, then make a choice than not get it at all.

The role is about key relationships with clients, forming and building on those relationships, and managing processes and so on, so quite a varied scope.

Much appreciated.....

Based on what you said, one thing I'd be ready to do is talk about a memorable time when you established a relationship. Maybe memorable because it was a huge client, maybe because the conditions were adverse (eg a win-back or the client was a pillock), maybe because it involved taking a risk that paid off (eg investing in doing some work for free or presenting in an unusual way) or maybe because you used a technique that you're famous for (eg helping the client crystallise what's important to them through using the right questions).

Good luck!