What is it, an interview on competencies?

Among a variety of styles and methodologies for conducting interviews, one of the most popular methods used by companies is an interview on competencies. If you have ever attended any interview, you are most likely well aware of this method. To make sure that your next interview on competencies is successful in full, I am going to share some advice.

What is it?

In the course of an interview on competencies, managers use specific questions with the help of which they would like to learn about you actual experience and behavior in the past, specific situations and their outcomes. Behavioral questions are asked to assess whether you possess competencies that meet corporate criteria. Thanks to this methodology, a recruiter may assess your experience and project how you will respond to this or that situation in the future. Thus, having analyzed your behavior, response, and actions in the past, the recruiter may assume how you are going to behave in a new working place.

All questions have some common features. Commonly, they tend to be very specific referring to specific situations in the past and compelling to think over whether you have really encountered something of the kind before. I have selected for you the top 5 questions you might hear during the interview:

1. Please tell about a situation when you have had a conflict with colleagues.
2. Please tell about a situation when you worked in a team on the complicated project.
3. Do you like more to work alone or in a team?
4. Please tell about the time when you were a leader. What did your role imply and what were the results?
5. What is the largest challenge you have faced in your previous experience?

These are only examples of the questions that will help you understand better what to expect during such an interview. It is also worth remembering that such types of questions do not have right answers. Each person behaves differently in different circumstances, applies different approaches to resolving issues and management taken as a whole. Even if you do believe that, in the past, you resolved a certain situation not in the best manner, it is better to tell about this, by adding your vision of what you would do differently.

How to respond?

The best way to prepare for an interview is to learn about the method called STAR:

S = Situation. Tell about a specific situation and what it referred to. Try to be as specific and precise as possible. Remember that details matter the most.

T = Target. Tell what your target was and what results you wanted to achieve.

A = Action. Describe your specific actions and steps to achieve the target. Also, you may tell about challenges you faced at different stages and what you did to cope with them.

R = Result. Tell about what you achieved, how the situation changed, and what the result was. Analyze what you have done correctly and what you would do differently to achieve a better outcome.

Given the comprehensive nature of questions and their unpredictability, preparing for an interview will require certain efforts from you. If you have a person whom you trust, you can practice your answers in a mock job interview with him/her. Sometimes, during an interview, the emotions are sky high, and you find it difficult to concentrate. Nonetheless, do not be afraid to ask for a short pause in order to recollect a specific situation in the past.

Exercise, practice, and reflect – this will help you feel more confident at each future meeting.

Stay cool and be ready to impress!