Dear Career Advisor:

I applied for a job and have been called in for an interview.

The person who called said it will be a competency-based interview, which made my heart immediately start to race because I’ve been told that those are more difficult. Do you have any tips about how to prepare and ultimately ace those kinds of interviews?

Sincerely,

Suzanne H.

Dear Suzanne:

It is understandable that the concept of the competency-based interview, [which is relatively new] would create for you, as for most people, feelings of trepidation. However, once you have an understanding of what it is, the advantages and how these outweigh the drawbacks, and learn some tips on how to prepare for it, you will be happy that your interviewer has selected this method. It is worthy to note that even if you were not told, the modern, highly trained recruiter will very likely use this modality.

What really is a competency-based interview?

A competency-based interview is a structured or systematic interview modality in which each interview question aims at eliciting from the candidate, evidence of his/her ability to perform the specific competencies essential for the successful execution of the job. Depending on the candidate, the selected battery of questions may be phrased as either behavioural or situational.

Behavioural — (past action(s) You are asked to describe a time in past when you did a particular task.

Situational — (future/hypothetical) Tell how you would deal with the situation or solve the problem.

The setting for the competency-based interview is much the same as for a traditional interview, the main difference being in the format which keeps the exchanges (questions and responses) of both the interviewer(s) and the interviewee structured, eliminating the ‘fluidity’ of traditional interviews.

The benefits of competency-based interviews for both interviewer(s) and the candidate are readily apparent and includes among other things those listed below. It…

i. Reduces or eliminates the risk of making hiring decisions on gut-feeling or subjectivity.

ii. Allows for a fairer assessment and comparison of candidates even when interviews are conducted on different days and in different locations.

iii. Reduces the risk of discrimination and bias.

iv. Allows the interviewer(s) and interviewee to stay on task.

v. Facilitates the provision of evidence of the candidate’s ability by citing relevant and specific examples.

Among the drawbacks are:

i. It is often seen as too inflexible

ii. It often limits the opportunity for the candidates to ask questions and to freely express themselves.

Preparing for competency-based interviews

Unprepared candidates will find competency-based interviews difficult; however with proper understanding and preparation you can easily ace this type of interview. Here are a few tips you might want to consider in preparation:

* Secure and carefully examine the job description of the specific position for which you have applied. If one was not provided in the job advertisement, try to find a generic one online. Remember to indicate the industry as job titles do vary across industries.

* Pay keen attention to the specific competencies that are required as well as the desired ones.

* Self-assess. Do you honestly possess each required skill?

* Ask yourself, how have I demonstrated this skill? Write out specific examples of actual job performance or other demonstration of ability through school work or social interaction.

* The examples cited must be significant and relevant or must be demonstrative or transferrable skills.

* Keep your responses clear and concise.

A popular approach that is useful in responding to competency-based interview questions is the STARR technique. This acronym is illustrated below.

S — Situation. Briefly describe the situation in which you were involved. This could be on the job or other personal experience.

T — Task. Tell the task you were required to perform or those you perceive as being necessary to be done.

A — Action. Describe sequentially, the action(s) you took or, if hypothetical, what action(s) you perceive would be necessary. Be sure to focus on what your specific contribution was rather than on what the team did.

R — Results. Tell how your actions led to the successful completion of the task(s)

R — Relate. This ‘R’ is added to remind you to show relevance of specific abilities which can be applied to the job you are now seeking.

A few final tips…

Never lose sight of the job requirements and be sure to keep your responses relevant and focused on giving verbal evidence of your possession of each required competence.

I wish for you all the best in your upcoming interview.

Sincerely,

Career Advisor

Carolyn Marie Smith is interim assistant vice president, Student Services, Northern Caribbean University