Job interviews have changed over the last few decades. Employers have moved towards more structured forms of interviewing. Therefore, most leading organisations now use Behavioural or Competency Based Interviews (CBI) to make better hiring decisions. As a result, you need competency-based interview skills and know-how
What is a Competency Based Interview?
Competency Based Interviews are also known as Structured Interviews or Behavioural Interviews. And, during these interviews, questions require interviewees to describe specific tasks or situations. Competency Based Interviews work on the belief that the best indication of your future behaviour is your past behaviour. Therefore, interviewees will be assessed against a number of different competencies – normally 4-6. For example, “Presenting & Communicating.” A sample competency question would be “Tell me about a time when you had to present an idea to a group of people? What approach did you take?, How did you feel during the situation?, What was the outcome?”
Competency Interviewing | STAR Technique
A popular technique to support competency-based interview preparation is the STAR or SAR technique.
(S/T) – Situation or Task. Introduction or opening information. Interviewees will describe the event, situation, or task. And, it is important to make the introduction short, concise, and impactful.
(A) – Action. What you did or the meat of the story. Therefore, you will provide details about actions you took and how you behaved during the situation. And, it is important to avoid sweeping statements and provide detailed information. Equally, avoid the most common mistake during this stage by using “I” instead of “We” to describe your actions. By using the word “We” to describe your actions will dilute your contribution.
(R) – Results. Outline results or outcomes of the situation. And, try to quantify your achievements or results.
Do you need help preparing for a Competency Based Interview? Contact Us
Measurability offers a comprehensive job interview preparation service. We work with job seekers to help enhance competency-based interview skills. And, we teach key interview strategies to deliver more job offers.
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