Competency based Interviews (Just hate them)

bouicca21

Gosh to me
"Strengths weaknesses, where do I see myself in 5 years, what can I contribute to the company"
are the b******t questions. What really matters to me as an interviewer is whether you can do the job I'm interviewing for. If you have 25 years experience you must have come across the sort of situations being asked about. If you haven't, then I'd be thinking complacent, just wants to get by, no oomph. Now there are jobs where those qualities are perfect, but if you are being asked about things like priorities and conflict in the work place then they want you to prove rather more than technical competence.

Stylehutz

tomtontom wrote: »

I disagree that you're either born with it or you're not - I'm the least confident person when it comes to selling myself. I manage my nerves by making sure I know my stuff, there's little an interviewer can throw at me that I've not already thought of.

Also don't think the bolshy types are more likely to get the job. There's a lot to be said for humility. I aim to leave an interviewer thinking I'm honest and self aware, not faultless but up my own backside

I would never select a candidate purely on the basis of a CBI, it's only one piece of the jigsaw. I'll also use report writing exercises because that would be a key part of the role.

I do think you've got the wrong idea of how/ why CBIs are used. I don't go in with preconceived ideas of the answers I'm looking for - I go in wanting to be surprised.

Have to agree to differ that you either born with it or not. Some people are good at bluffing their way through an interview and some are not.

bouicca21 wrote: »

Gosh to me
"Strengths weaknesses, where do I see myself in 5 years, what can I contribute to the company"
are the b******t questions. What really matters to me as an interviewer is whether you can do the job I'm interviewing for. If you have 25 years experience you must have come across the sort of situations being asked about. If you haven't, then I'd be thinking complacent, just wants to get by, no oomph. Now there are jobs where those qualities are perfect, but if you are being asked about things like priorities and conflict in the work place then they want you to prove rather more than technical competence.

What happened to the good old fashioned way of interviewing by the recruiter looking at my experience and saying "this guys got 25 years experience in what we are looking for and must be doing something right. Tell you what, why don't we get a reference from his current employer and ask them if they think they can do the job."


They won't because that is just too easy for them.

KiKi

Stylehutz wrote: »

Have to agree to differ that you either born with it or not. Some people are good at bluffing their way through an interview and some are not.

But done properly any CBI will show you the people who are bluffing. If you probe the examples properly, you can very quickly see who's making things up and who's being honest.

It sounds like you lack confidence, which I can appreciate, but it's really not all about the CBI!

What happened to the good old fashioned way of interviewing by the recruiter looking at my experience and saying "this guys got 25 years experience in what we are looking for and must be doing something right. Tell you what, why don't we get a reference from his current employer and ask them if they think they can do the job."
They won't because that is just too easy for them.

:rotfl: Easy?! For someone with 25 years' experience you sound a bit naive in some of what you've said. 25 years means that you've held down a job. It doesn't mean that you'll go the extra mile, that you'll stick your neck out for a customer, that you'll be the one who's the most flexible in the way you work, or that you'll learn from your mistakes. And that's what I want to know. The fact that you can hold down a job doesn't help me see the difference between you and the next guy. Or the next, or the next. You've all been employed, you've all got good references - so what??

If it helps to think about it this way, when I ask "tell me about a time when you've helped a colleague", then in your head rethink the question as "what are my strengths in helping others - what have I done to show that". Because that's what I'm asking!

The problem with the 'old fashioned way' is that it has been proven time and time again in all the research ever done on recruitment that it is NOT a good predictor of how people will perform at work. It's actually very poor. It might be a useful chat, but it bears little relation to how people actually perform.

CBI is one of the best, comparatively. So if I want the best person (rather than the person I like the most) then I choose a way to assess them which will give me that outcome. CBI is not a tick box exercise, I think you've really misunderstood it. I rate each answer, against what I'm looking for, usually on a 1-5 scale. I don't necessarily take the person with the top score, because I'm also interested in their reasons for applying, their previous experience, and how they perform in other assessments which are relevant to the job (such as role plays or report writing etc).

You can learn how to answer well, but the ONLY thing I'm interested in is honesty, whether the person comes across well, and if they can show me that in the past they've demonstrated not just the experience I want them to have, but also the way they behave and act at work, which CBI tests.

KiKi

devilivus

I don't really think this style of interview is superior to the original kind in terms of predicting how people will perform at work.

''If you probe the examples properly, you can very quickly see who's making things up''
Unless the interviewer is Columbo and who treats every answer as a possible lie, and who can afford to spend a hell of a lot of time interrogtaing the interviewee, I honestly don't think it is the case that the interviewer will be able to spot the lies.

The best way to get an idea of how they will perform would probably be a long conversation with the persons previous boss.
Anyone (with the gift-fo-the-gab) can tell you what you want to hear to make you think that they'll be good in the job.

It's also daft that All of these questions always assume you have done certain things that you may not have. I find it all a bit odd.
Do lots of candidates just say things like ''I'm sorry. I cant give you an example of a time that I succeeded in meeting an important deadline despite having to help a collegue with their work load as that's never happened''


If I had one of these interviews, for a giggle, I'd answer the question with ''I'll get back to you on that one, but first, can you give me an example of a time you fixed your broken computer using only one arm?'' No???
lol. Maybe show them the problem with this system

PenguinOfDeath

Stylehutz wrote: »

What happened to the good old fashioned way of interviewing by the recruiter looking at my experience and saying "this guys got 25 years experience in what we are looking for and must be doing something right. Tell you what, why don't we get a reference from his current employer and ask them if they think they can do the job."


They won't because that is just too easy for them.

What would that tell a potential employer? That he is happy coasting along, nothing outstanding and nothing too bad he can get sacked for, but the if asked for a reference it might be a good opportunity for the existing employer to get rid of said coaster and replace with someone in who's cheaper and more enthusiastic... Of course they're going to say their wonderful... Opinions like that can be subjective....

Lieja

Employers shouldn't recruit based on number of years experience, it can be construed as age discrimination.

I think all interview formats have their flaws because at the end of the day, being confident and able to answer articulately under pressure doesn't necessarily mean you're the best person for the job.

I'm sure you could come up with examples for the questions listed above, you just need to use your imagination a little. I have definitely 'embellished' examples in job interviews, and it wasn't spotted!

singhini

I've been in medicine for 17 years and I have to do CBI


I'm surprised that the words "brag file" or "appraisal" have not been mentioned


I use both - if your asked to describe a situation or an event and while discussing it you can relate it to something in your brag file or a previous appraisal document then that's got to carry some wait.


Also letters of recommendation are useful.


Pre scripting answers can/does work, but its also important to tailor your response specifically to the job your applying for (you should also tailor the CV specifically to the job aswel and not just send out 20 copies of the same CV).
if I was going for lets say a sales job I would NOT end by saying "im nervous and don't interview well"
I would finish on a positive - I've done this job for x years and in that time I have achieved XYZ which fits in with the role your recruiting for. Again if your applying for a sales role surely you need to "close" the interview just like you would a real sale "from what ive said and shown you today, is there anything more you need me to demonstrate or can I take it your happy that I have the skills you require........." (ultimately just ask them have you demonstrated enough to get the job).


I got my first job solely based on an observation in the interview room (it was held in a hotel room and the chap had purposely positioned a picture of him with his dog onto the wall behind him. I noticed it straight away and commented on it and I got the job). well that's how I remember it. My current job was less to do with my experience but more to do with what my interests and hobbies are outside of work (they knew I could do the job so wanted to know about me as a person. Would I fit into the team etc.........)