Competancy based interview questions?

[MaplePecanPlait]

I have got an interview for a temp admin job that I am quite keen to get. I haven't been given any details about the competancies they are looking for as it is through and agency, however I have looked at the recruiter's website and can swot up on the work they do before I go.

I am hoping you can tell me what sort of questions I will be asked so I can prepare. I understand that I need to give answers with examples of my past work experiences.

thanks

Tends to be:

taking minutes
prioritising messages
audio typing
accuracy of copy typing
drafting a letter.

I'd add: using your own inititiave, interaction with colleagues/organisational stakeholders, both senior and junior to your position, time management (and time keeping) plus emphasise an ability to learn new skills/routines quickly. They may ask you to explain how you coped when a situation you were in got out of control and how you personally saved the day (or not and how you coped with that) to judge your strengths/weaknesses. Be prepared to talk in general terms about any projects you've helped to organise or manage plus any IT programmes, generic or bespoke used thus.

thanks both.

I need to quietly think/remember how I have coped in these situations. Worried I am not going to be very articulate when it comes to hard info. I am brilliant at small talk but don't think this will cut it this time.

Remember when they ask a long question, don't struggle on if you need them to repeat it because they like this sort of thing:

Tell me about a situation where you think you coped with something unexpected, what was the outcome, what were you proud of and how would you do it differently next time?

It can be a lot to process at once.

You'll be fine. Listen to what they ask and demonstrate what they want to see.

You'll get an idea when you see the list of competencies, but they should be questions like the one ShowOfHands mentioned, eg

Tell me about a time you had to establish a working relationship with others [maybe outside your team]

... time when you had to adapt your communication style for different people

... time when you had to manage conflicting priorities

A decent interviewer should ask for the situation first, and then follow up with, what was your role? what was the outcome? what did you learn from the experience? etc etc rather than ask for the whole lot in one go.

It would be useful to prepare some examples of things you've done before the interview. They don't need to be earth-shattering, think of anything you've done that you're proud of even if it seems like a fairly minor situation. Remember to stick to what you did - don't fall into using 'we'.

Just talk naturally, don't think you have to use management jargon. I do competency-based interviewing regularly and it's annoying when people feel they have to get certain management phrases into the conversation when I just want to hear about what they did.

Best of luck, I'm sure you'll be fine

Oh, and it's fine to pause for thought and ask to have the question repeated. If you feel awkward about that just say 'I just want to make sure I give you the most relevant example' or something.

Spangle - thanks for your brilliant tips.

I was all keyed up this morning for the interview, clothes ready and plan to get there through snow thinking I would get extra points for battling with weather here, but interview has been put off until Monday.

So I now have more time to prepare - I think as long as I can recall enough instances to cover their competancies I will be OK. I have started to write them all down so I can revise.

Thanks again, invaluable tips.

Bit of a nightmare having it hanging over you over the weekend but, yes, more time to prepare.

Good luck!

Competency based interviews are all about asking you about how you've behaved in the past, this being a predictor of future performance.

So think about the competencies for the job, eg: organisational skills; acccuracy, whatever and do the STAR technique:

Situation: what was it?
Task: what was the task?
Action: what did YOU do?
Result: What was the outcome?

So, for example to demonstrate use of initiative say,

Situation: no instructions, urgent situation
Task: most important to keep customer happy
Action: I used my initiative and made X decision based on Y experience and knowledge
Result: customer was happy

Also, read your cv, know it well and prepare for the worst question you think they could ask you. Then the others will seem easier in comparison. Good luck.

cheers wicked water witch!

I thought this might be a breeze but seems as though there is quite a bit of prep to do.

It is only a temp job for 3 months - I am suprised that it has to be this tricky. Still it is for local govt so....

I would make sure you go over all your past jobs that are on your CV/application as chances are you'll be asked about them. If it's local govt. then it will probably be very much a tickig the boxes type interview - you will need to demonstrate that you meet the keys skills that they've asked for so I think knowing those and demonstrating how you fit them is going to be the important thing.

Without seeing the job description prioritising is usually a big one - think of examples of when you've sucessfully prioritised a heavy workload. Communication and working relationships - interpersonal skills. Ability to operate independently and work as part of a team. Attention to detail and accuracy. Ability to express yourself confidently and concisely orally and in writing. Able to demonstrate an interest in or knowledge of area you'll be working in. Possibly demonstrate discretion and confidentialiy, depending on the role - I am going on a bit... Good luck!

Gina - thanks. Really useful. I really wanted all the areas they would be interested in as I have only ever had friendly chat type interviews before!