Competency-based interview reapplication: same questions?

Ogriv

Hello there all, 
Last month I went for an interview for a local government job.
I didn't get the job, but afterwards the interviewer called to say:

• they were very impressed by me, 
• that I should investigate competency-based interview preparation; 
• and that I should reapply when the job would be readvertised in the new year

It has indeed been readvertised, and I have just sent my new application. 
I am also using the STAR method this time to prepare for any interview. 

I have one question: 
My friend says that if you are asked to reapply for the same job, then the employer is duty-bound to ask you *exactly* the same questions as they did previously. 
Is this true?

(If it is true it would be very good because I have somehow managed to recall all eight questions that I was previously asked!)

Cheers!

sammyjammy

Nonsense, they'll ask you whatever questions they feel they need to that cover any gaps they identify, each interview will approach things differently, doesn't mean its not good prep if you get answers ready based on the previous questions but don't be surprised if they are different.  

TELLIT01

Even if it was true that they would ask the same questions, providing exactly the same answers would be likely to result in the same outcome i.e. once again you wouldn't get the job offer.  There is a saying “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

You need to concentrate your efforts on the competency based elements which it would seem is the area the interviewer thought was your main weakness.

theoretica

Don't count on all the questions being exactly the same - and especially listen out for any questions which are similar, but have been tweaked slightly.  It would be a wasted opportunity not to think about great answers for the questions you were asked, but don't confine your preparation to just those! 

General_Grant

TELLIT01 said:

Even if it was true that they would ask the same questions, providing exactly the same answers would be likely to result in the same outcome i.e. once again you wouldn't get the job offer.  There is a saying “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

You need to concentrate your efforts on the competency based elements which it would seem is the area the interviewer thought was your main weakness.

The OP wasn't saying they'd provide the same answers. 
My understanding was that, because they could remember the questions asked before, they could then prepare answers for those questions which would be different and better than before.

Ogriv

Hello all, 
Yes, I was indeed planning to provide better answers compared to before. 

I did think it would be absurdly convenient and also unfair to other candidates if exactly the same questions were asked - but as my friend was so adamant... hell, a girl can't help but try!

I think what I'll do is prepare new answers for the previous questions AND new answers for the competencies which are clearly being tested for this job. 

Grumpy_chap

I don't think exactly the same questions will come up but the topic areas are likely to be similar.

Jude57

@Ogriv I'd try also to think of more than one example of meeting a competency. That's useful if you're asked to expand on your answer. I was always wary of interviewees who answered competency based questions non-specifically, the ones who said 'I would always do this/that' or but didn't give a specific example of them, personally, possessing awareness of what that competency looked like in action.

A friend of mine, a very senior civil service manager, used to coach people who were aiming for promotion or transfer and encouraged them, if they had limited work experience, to find competency examples outside work, especially for people returning to the workplace after maternity, long sick leave or sabbatical etc. So where you might never have had workplace experience as a leader, say, you might have led a Brownie/Guide/Scout group or a book group or an exercise class. Those examples can be used to show transferable skills and to demonstrate competency.

Good luck, I hope your interview goes well and you get the job.

Sandtree

How interviews are run is very much dependent on a combination of the volume nature of the role, the company and the interviewer. 

For jobs I currently interview for I will have some Qs prepped based on a combination of the nature of the role and things on the person's CV however the questions asked may ultimately be different to the ones I've noted because the candidate happens to answer them without me asking or when giving a synopsis of their most recent engagements they bring up something that is of more interest than how it was presented on the CV. 

If I am readvertising a role it means something has gone wrong and therefore this alone will alter the questions slightly... eg the last analyst had said they had great SQL skills but in practice didnt and so more technical questions are introduced to test their SQL knowledge.

At the other end of the spectrum are high volume roles with an organisation thats implemented something like "recruit for attitude" where the interviewer is required to ask questions "from the sheet" and there is a fixed scorecard for answers... this is designed to deskill the interview process and ensure that the corporate view of what good looks like fills its rank and file levels. The classic example was in call centres with 5,000+ staff and the "where do you want to be in 5 years time?"... people were traditionally looked on in a good light if they said "shift manager" but if you fill all your positions with people like that you are going to find 99% of your staff are quickly going to be disillusioned when they find most the team leaders have over 10 years service before becoming a manager.

In these types of roles it is more likely you may get repeat questions but thats just because they're being pulled from a finite source rather than any legal requirement or duty for them to repeat them

TELLIT01

Jude57 makes a very good point about competencies.  They don't need to be work related, simply relevant to the competency being referred to.  An example from my own experience - although I managed teams of people most of my working life, they were small teams.  I was asked about managing large projects and could reference a period where I used to organise large events for a social organisation I was a member of.

sammyjammy

Sandtree said:

How interviews are run is very much dependent on a combination of the volume nature of the role, the company and the interviewer. 

For jobs I currently interview for I will have some Qs prepped based on a combination of the nature of the role and things on the person's CV however the questions asked may ultimately be different to the ones I've noted because the candidate happens to answer them without me asking or when giving a synopsis of their most recent engagements they bring up something that is of more interest than how it was presented on the CV. 

If I am readvertising a role it means something has gone wrong and therefore this alone will alter the questions slightly... eg the last analyst had said they had great SQL skills but in practice didnt and so more technical questions are introduced to test their SQL knowledge.

At the other end of the spectrum are high volume roles with an organisation thats implemented something like "recruit for attitude" where the interviewer is required to ask questions "from the sheet" and there is a fixed scorecard for answers... this is designed to deskill the interview process and ensure that the corporate view of what good looks like fills its rank and file levels. The classic example was in call centres with 5,000+ staff and the "where do you want to be in 5 years time?"... people were traditionally looked on in a good light if they said "shift manager" but if you fill all your positions with people like that you are going to find 99% of your staff are quickly going to be disillusioned when they find most the team leaders have over 10 years service before becoming a manager.

In these types of roles it is more likely you may get repeat questions but thats just because they're being pulled from a finite source rather than any legal requirement or duty for them to repeat them

The OP is specifically asking about competency based recruitment, very different than the type of interviews you are talking about.