Competency Interview Question

InsideInsurance

Generic answers arent likely to work too well as it depends too much on the role and your experience.

Someone with a number of years experience I wouldnt expect them to any more rely on non-work examples. Similarly what the "correct" answer is for a call centre agent is going to be different to a regional ops director even if both are asked the same "given an example when you've had conflicting priorities" type question.

bristol_pilot

The answer shows problem solving (at a fairly basic level) but not creativity. It's also a deady dull answer, I had almost fallen asleep by the time I'd finished reading it. They would be looking for an example where you had thought 'outside the box' and preferably one relevant to the role on offer.

I would also steer clear of examples that are not work-related unless you have little or no work experience to call upon.

HR love competency-type questions because they think it shows what you actually did in a real situation rather then what you say you would do in a hypothetical situation. The problem is that most people naturally tend to go blank when asked such questions in an interview, so the people who do well are those who have prepared most thoroughly e.g. by writing out and then memorising their answers. This is not necessarily the best person for the job, of course. The good news is that answering competency-type questions, for those with a good memory, is a skill that can be acquired.

badskindollheart

As you were asked about how you developed solutions, it may be that they are looking for you to demonstrate that you came up with a number of options and then weighed up the pros/cons and came to a final option which you successfully applied?

What risks were there to what you chose to do? How did you mitigate them?

If you had a set procedure to follow and chose to deviate from that, what steps did you take to ensure this was ok? (I don't mean that you should never deviate from procedure, far from it, but I'd want to know that you had put some thought into it. Remember, public sector is very much about following agreed procedures)

You could potentially score better with solution based examples if it had prompted a change in processes/was shared with others and used in future. If this is a junior grade they may have wanted you to demonstrate that you had your solution checked and agreed by a manager.

In the example you gave you mentioned finding a transaction that looked like it matched. I would want to know that it did match and you knew it matched because of x,y,z.

Did they ask follow up questions/probing questions after you gave your example? If so, what were they?

Another consideration is that (in most civil service campaigns) you are marked against the standard of the candidates. If the other 5/10 people are giving super fantastic examples and yours is just average, you will be scored lower. If the other candidates are rubbish, you'll score higher IYSWIM.

logi79

Thank you for the information

SandC

It was possibly also how you handled answering the question not just the answer itself. I guess this sort of question also looks at how the interviewee copes with being put on the spot so to speak.

Anyways, there will be many reasons why they have chosen the person they have and there may have been very little in it.

Don't be disheartened, interviews are a learning process in themselves so look on it as good practice.

InsideInsurance

bristol_pilot wrote: »

HR love competency-type questions because they think it shows what you actually did in a real situation rather then what you say you would do in a hypothetical situation. The problem is that most people naturally tend to go blank when asked such questions in an interview, so the people who do well are those who have prepared most thoroughly e.g. by writing out and then memorising their answers. This is not necessarily the best person for the job, of course. The good news is that answering competency-type questions, for those with a good memory, is a skill that can be acquired.

To be honest it really doesnt achieve this as there is no way to validate the scenario the candidate gives ever happened and could well be very theoretical.

It is really a way of testing the theoretical (or at most the application of theory) and is just another way of asking the question. So "give an example of when you've given good customer service" is basically the same as "what is good customer service". Some will find it easier to think in the real world than in pure theory.

pinpin

bristol_pilot wrote: »

HR love competency-type questions because they think it shows what you actually did in a real situation rather then what you say you would do in a hypothetical situation. The problem is that most people naturally tend to go blank when asked such questions in an interview, so the people who do well are those who have prepared most thoroughly e.g. by writing out and then memorising their answers. This is not necessarily the best person for the job, of course. The good news is that answering competency-type questions, for those with a good memory, is a skill that can be acquired.

Exactly. Having a good memory is very important when impressing HR people in job interviews, it seems.

InsideInsurance wrote: »

To be honest it really doesnt achieve this as there is no way to validate the scenario the candidate gives ever happened and could well be very theoretical.

that's what I was getting at with my example and suggestion a few posts up (post no.8).
The answer doesn't have to be true. It just needs to be good, and somewhat believable.
We need to compile a list of 'good answers' using example that could theoretically be used by practically anyone.

InsideInsurance

pinpin wrote: »

We need to compile a list of 'good answers' using example that could theoretically be used by practically anyone.

But then look at my response to that point.

A good answer for a Customer Service Manager is not the same as one for a Customer Service Advisor

pinpin

InsideInsurance wrote: »

But then look at my response to that point.

A good answer for a Customer Service Manager is not the same as one for a Customer Service Advisor

well then maybe a few categories of 'perfect' answers, based on the type of job being applied for?

So question 12 for sales role? answer = xxxx
question 12 for a management role? answer = yyyy

polgara

Just to throw a spanner in the works we are now using both competency and values based recruitment questions.

Re HR training - part of my CIPD training was about funnelling down to the detail. So you ask the generic type competency question and the interviewee answers, but then you drill down to that the individual did, what outcomes/issues they had, what they learnt from it and what they would do differently etc.

Its not just a case of learning an answer if you have no content behind it as hopefully the 'exaggerators' will soon be sussed.