SURAHMIN BUSINESS

Competency Based Interviews

The job market is difficult at present and will continue like this for some time. In some industries the job market is continuing to get worse with no sign of improvement.

If you are applying for jobs sooner or later you will come across competency based interviews.

Competency based or situational interview techniques used a structured approach that has proven to be more effective and accurate than unstructured interviews.

You will notice that you will send off a lot of job applications and receive very few job interviews. It is vital that you perform well with the few opportunities you will get.

You need to understand competency based applications and interviews as this is a method being used by all sorts of organizations big and small.

The idea is relatively straightforward, you will be asked to give examples from your career of when and how you exhibited a particular competency. The competency can be anything from communications to leadership to initiative to ethics. The competency will vary with the job and there are few clues provided by the interviewer as to what they are looking for.

You will be assessed on how relevant your example is did it demonstrate the competency adequately, is it sufficiently current and does it show a transferable skill. The interviewer will be using a pre-determined scoring system and will ask every candidate exactly the same questions. This allows a direct comparison between every candidate and introduces an impartial assessment.

So, how are you going to make use of the few interview opportunities you will have?

What you must do is research and prepare. It is highly unlikely that you will be provided with the competency based questions in advance of the interview. You need to look at the job description in detail, information about the organization you are applying to and consider the seniority of the position. From this research you should be able to determine what competencies the interviewer is likely to be seeking. Having determined that write down the examples you can provide demonstrating that you have those competencies.

Employee Training: It’s not a given that hiring managers understand legal requirements that apply to the hiring process. That’s why HR professionals need to “train, train, train” managers to interview correctly.

HR professionals need to insist that managers review the job description of the position that is being filled and give managers a checklist of the things they must not ask during an interview, such as anything having to do with race or ethnicity, health or disability, marital status, pregnancy, and in some states, sexual orientation. Make sure managers ask questions that are job-related and ask all candidates the same questions, which provides a real basis for comparison.

Asking, “Do you have children?” might be twisted into evidence of a bias toward working mothers and asking “Where are you from?” could be used as evidence of national origin bias. It may be an incredible leap in logic, but it happens all the time. So keep the conversation work-related and avoid the chance of someone twisting your words around.

Also, have more than one person involved whenever possible in the interview process. This provides a check to ensure that one manager isn’t “going rogue,” and an additional witness is there in the event there is any he said/she said.

Managers usually overlook the fact that an interview is an employment test, not just a casual conversation or a contest to see who they like and get along with the most. For many jobs, the person who gives the most fun or interesting interview may not be the best qualified for the job but is often selected because she is the one who the manager most enjoyed interviewing. The problem is that, unfortunately, this can often be the person who was most like the decision-maker and can lead to results with adverse impact.

So here is today’s Daily HR tip: Train managers involved in the hiring process. Nobody should be doing any interviewing without some basic training as to what they can and cannot ask.

Are you happy about getting an interview call from your dream company yet worried about what will happen? Are you not very sure whether you should read job interview tips or just be yourself in the interview? Is it confusing to decide whether interview tips will really make a difference or just waste your time and effort? If an answer to any of the above questions is yes, I can assure you that you have reached the right place to get a solution to all your queries and doubts. This article will explain whether or not interview tips can make a difference.

When you search for interview tips online, you get thousands of results from all across the world. Even your elders, friends, relatives, colleagues, etc. who have landed up in a good job are eager to share some interview tips with you. But the question is should you act according to what others have to say or just do what you feel is correct? Here is the answer. There is no harm in learning from the mistakes others have made in the interview and avoid missing a good opportunity. Indeed tips on interviews are useful, if you absorb what is required and strain away the irrelevant portion. Every job interview is not similar. You must use your own presence of mind and say and behave in the way you believe in, rather than showing under confidence in speaking what someone else feels to be the best answer. Preparing for an interview is important and one of the best ways to do that is by researching about the company you have an interview with. Tips for interview are useful if the source is reliable. Not everyone is competent enough to advice on how to behave, what to wear, how to talk, how to sit, etc. during an interview. Only someone who is experienced enough and has seen both success and failures during an interview can be the best guide. It’s a tough job to find a reliable source.

As a recruiter, I am consistently interviewing sales and marketing applicants of all different levels and from all different U.S. and Canadian locations. Speaking in generalities, there is an inverse relationship between the level professional experience of a particular candidate and the frequency of “no-brainer” interview mistakes.

Conversely, this, by no means, is a hard and fast rule. Many make these basic mishaps and end up paying dearly. Below, you will find some of very unprofessional, yet seemingly obvious interview mistakes that are commonly made throughout the interview and employment procurement process.

Showing Up To the Interview Too Early Or Too Late
From my past and current interview observations, too many candidates, most of them younger, feel that the earlier they show up to an interview, the better it reflects upon them. This could not be further from the truth. If, as an applicant, you show up too early to an interview, the person with whom you are meeting has to shuffle around their schedule unexpectedly.

This can be a big annoyance to the person with whom you are meeting as they may have to abruptly end a client call or unexpectedly stop an important activity.

On the other hand, you should never arrive even one minute late to an interview as this could cost you a job. The best advice is to show up 10 minutes early even if that means you have to go grab a coffee and wait. The “10 minute rule” should become part of your interview ritual. Otherwise, you risk consistently falling victim to the aforementioned costly mistake.

No Thank You Note or Belated Thank You Note
The prompt thank you note is the foundation of interviewing success. Yet, not many do it. Instead, they wait a day or two. Even though technology and international business competition has led this country into being a fast paced society, a thank you email takes two minutes and shows both appreciation and interest in the job. In business, response time is crucial. The thank you note is your first chance to prove that you have a firm understanding of this concept and also the importance of it.

In general, there are four main types of interview:

1. Chronological – where the interviewer will discuss your CV with you in date order and may ask you to explain how you got to your current position in your career. You may also be asked where you see yourself in the years ahead and what your goals are. Try to structure your answers to demonstrate what you can do for the organization, rather than what you personally want to achieve or gain.

2. Role specific interview – This is often used for temporary or contract roles where you are expected to already possess the necessary skills. You will be asked to give broad examples of occasions when you have performed the tasks listed in the job specification and what the outcomes were. Again, if you have prepared, this should be easy.

3. Competency Based – The interviewer may ask you to demonstrate certain competencies that are needed for the job, such as leadership, attention to detail, resilience or team skills. The job specification will give you clues as to what these competencies are. To make your answers more convincing, you should try to think of examples of occasions in your professional career when you have successfully demonstrated these competencies.

4. ‘Informal chat’ – Again, another method used for temporary roles, though some interviewers also use this for permanent recruitment. It is often used by small companies that do not have a Human Resources department or by a hiring manager or Director over the course of a second or third stage interview. It is particularly appropriate when commercial acumen or team-fit is important, or when they are trying to assess how valuable you will be to the company in the years ahead. Remember to smile, try to strike up rapport with the interviewer and get across some of the long-term benefits of hiring you.