How to answer competency-based questions - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

How to answer competency-based questions - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach If there is one thing most of my clients have in common is that they struggle with answering competency or behavioral interview questions  during job interviews. Even if an employer has not told you that you will be involved in a behavioral style of an interview, you are still likely to face “behavioral/competency interview” style questions. Traditional interview questions ask you basic questions such as, “Tell me a little bit about  yourself.” The process of competency based interviewing is much more challenging. A prospective employer will try to make a prediction of your future success by understanding how you have handled situations in the past. In a traditional interview, you can usually get away with somewhat vague, general answers. In a competency interview, on the other hand, they’re going to be asking you for very specific examples. Be prepared to be asked for details, including names of people, dates, and outcomes. They’ll ask you about lengthy projects you’ve been involved in: How your role evolved, how you handled deadlines, pressures and difficult personalities, how you went about thinking through problems, how you determined what steps to take, and in what order. When you give examples from your work experience, the interviewer is going to probe you to try to understand how you think. The questions will start with “Tell about a time…” or “Describe a situation…” and then you might be encouraged to elaborate further with questions like “So what were you thinking at that point?” or “What was your decision making process?” The interviewer  will try to establish what benefits you will bring to the company, and where your benefits might be greater than those of other candidates. Therefore, when giving examples, I’d recommend that you use the S.T.A.R. Statement format: S  â€" Situation T  â€" Task A  â€" Action R  â€" Result S.T.A.R. represents how your key skills are applied in work. Your STAR examples should illustrate your depth of knowledge, level of ability and value for each key skill. Situation/Task Describe a work-related situation that you were in or the task that you needed to  accomplish. Be very specific and give details, but keep it short and concise. Action Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did â€" not the efforts of the team. Don’t tell what you MIGHT do, or WOULD do â€" tell what you DID do. Results Describe what you achieved. What happened? How did the event end? What did you  accomplish? What did you learn? How much time/money did you save? Take the time to develop and practice your S.T.A.R. statements! You’ll want to have AT  LEAST six to eight S.T.A.R. statements at the tip of your tongue when you go into an  interview. Create S.T.A.R. statements from the jobs on your resume  that you want to  bring attention to. As you use the statements as examples, your interviewer will become  familiar with the various positions you have held, and will get a good idea of your track  record of success in those various positions. Your Next Step Do you need help with interview  preparation? Get my FREE three-day e-course  that will help you answer competency-based questions at How to prepare for a competency-based interview You’ll also receive my bi-monthly e-zine with videos and articles for improving for your career. If you are looking for 1-to-1 interview coaching where I will help you prepare your answers, please contact me on margaret@interview-coach.co.uk