Can anyone help with this job application competancy

[backaftera2yearbreak]

I’m applying for a job. I have to demonstrate how I manage conflicting priorities. Feedback from last application said I missed the mark on this question. Now I work in welfare rights. Constantly have to drop what I’m doing if a client comes in and needs immediate help. Would that be the kind of thing I should write?

THanks!

It's prob not just about 'dropping something' because you need to take on new thing but being more explicit about how you determine whether the new request is more important than what you are doing and how you then manage expectations on what you were already dealing with

You shouldn’t talk about dropping things.

But in the case of something like dealing with a customer, you could have a conflict where you have to try and support the customer but you have to stick to certain procedures which are upsetting them?

How about looking up theories on Risk management? So you're making decisions on what is a priory based on immediate actions you need to take? Just an idea. I work in social services but I'm sure the above could be transferred to what you do

Thanks so much for replying. I will go and look up those theories. Seems I am off the mark about with what I’m saying. The job I’m applying for is a dream job that won’t come up again for a long time so I need to work hard at this application!

*off the mark with what I’m saying

No, it's not about dropping something.

In a nutshell, they want you to talk about how manage your work and how you decide what to work on so that everything gets done by the time it's needed. For some jobs that means constantly re-prioritising as other things pop up.

From a PA perspective, I used to cycle through the diaries in date order and keep chipping away. So, an incredibly simplified version of my priorities would be....

Set up room/check refreshments have arrived for meeting at 10am
Double check FD is available for meeting with boss at 11am
Tweak presentation and print for meeting at 3pm
Chase marketing report for tomorrow's Strat Meeting
Re-organise Friday's conf call
Research train times for Monday's trip to Manchester
Chase agenda for Monday's meeting in Manchester
Pull together draft of Board Report for Board on Wednesday
Etc.

If something urgent cropped up (like the share price plummeting) then the above list would be re-jigged and I would be reorganising the diary/scheduling conf calls/arranging meetings.

I hope that makes sense!

This might explain it a bit better!

officedynamics.com/coping-conflicting-priorities/

It does make sense stress. Thanks. I often have to cancel what I’m doing to help cover staff sickness so appointments are not cancelled. Do you think that’s a good example? Obviously I will put more work into the explanation on the application form.

I should preface this by saying that I find competency based questions difficult to answer, but I wonder if in your line of work you might refer to the cases you prioritise to deal with first, for example a family with children whose benefits have been stopped vs a single person whose need is less immediate. IME I have found it difficult to find genuine examples that exactly fit the competences required, and have adapted them, or simplified them to avoid spending too long explaining the context. If you're not familiar with it also look up the STAR technique for dealing with competency questions.

I work in a local authority currently so familiar with STAR but thanks for the reminder! I can go into work and have my day planned, 2 people phone in sick and their appointments have to be covered. I look at my work and see what has to be done there and then, cover appointments then go back to the rest of my list.

They're pretty much asking you if you had a list of tasks, how would you decide what to do first (and explain why).

So if you were a Housing Officer at the Council, how would you prioritise these tasks:-

Telephone call to tenant to confirm meeting for this afternoon
Woman crying and sporting a black eye with two children standing in Reception
Finish off report to send to boss (deadline on Mon)
Speak to social services re an older tenant who is struggling to live independently/not eating properly

This might help....

sidsavara.com/coveys-time-management-matrix-illustrated/

Depending on your role (and how much you talk about risk assessments in your area) you may also want to say that you do a quick mental "risk assessment" to help you prioritise if something conflicts - so for my role (payroll & finance) if I do not do x by y-date then the whole company will not get paid. So even if an urgent finance thing - or even board level thing -comes in I have to weigh up my deadlines and the risk of not meeting it.

In addition to this I always make sure I build in emergency time - so I have to authorise payroll by the 15th of each month. This is a real 3-line-whip deadline -so I make sure I have it diarised to be completed and ready to authorise 3 working days before that so that I have some wiggle room - for either me, or others involved in preparing payroll have a hiccup/emergency.

I work with people who are sometimes terminally ill. If I don’t do benefit applications on the day the referral they comes in my client will miss out on money. I think I’m getting it now!

Categorise the tasks
Urgent and Important
Urgent and Non Important
Important but not urgent
Not important and not urgent.

Oops realised my answer was the same as the earlier link I didn't click on