Competency Based Interview Preparation
Competency-based interviews are becoming more and more prevalent as companies want to be more certain of a candidate's qualifications before committing to their hire. These types of interviews involve questions that put a greater emphasis on evaluating the behavioral skills as well as applicant' technical skills based on how they respond to certain work-related situations. There are several things an applicant can do to make sure they're prepared for this style of interviewing.
-
Revisit
-
Think carefully about the details of your previous jobs. Go down the list of each job entry on your resume and make notes about any significant accomplishments or tasks that could celebrate your level of competency for the position you're applying for.
Rehearse
-
Prepare responses to questions that will involve your ability to problem solve, manage conflict and be a team player in challenging situations. If you've had actual experience with this, then draw from what really happened. The more real-life experiences you can use to construct your answers, the more genuine you will come across to the interviewer.
-
Review Requirements
-
Read the job description very carefully. Plan to discuss the how and why of handling a situation involved with each major responsibility of the position. For example, for management positions you could discuss how you would solve scheduling conflicts between associates. If "strong team player" is a requirement, prepare a response that describes what you would do when you've caught up on all of your work for the day. Always be ready to identify the action that would lead to the most positive outcome in a work-related situation.
-
