Competency Based Interviews are also known as “Structured Interviews” or “Behavioural Interviews”. An interviewer will be looking to assess how capable you are in the competencies that have been identified as part of the job. It is common for Competency Based Interviews to be combined with CV led interviews

What exactly is a competency?
It’s a skill, knowledge or behaviour eg Teamwork, Detail Orientation, Analytical

Why use a competency based interview?
It is a fair, consistent and objective way of assessing candidates. Everyone is asked the same questions, and rated in the same way. It removes room for human error

What type of organisations use competency based interviews?
Generally large blue-chip multinationals, graduate recruitment days, semi states & public sector. Small to Medium sizedenterprises are using competency based interviews more and more. Iin the UK this type of interview is standard. Irrespective of whether or not an interview is competency based or not, the preparation required will really help you think on your feet at a CV led interview

What approach should be used for these interviews?
Always use the 1st person and the STAR interview Technique. We will discuss this in more detail under “STAR Interview Techniques”

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1. Is the role Permanent / Full time / Contract
2. Reason for the vacancy
3. Background to the organisation – Location, Size, Culture, Key Clients, Recent Announcements
4. Who are their main competitors?
5. What distinguishes them from their competitors?
6. Structure of the department
7. Who the role reports into?
8. Is there any people management
9. What are the 5 main key responsibilities
10. What is the breakdown of the role e.g 20% Recruitment, 80% Employee Relations

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From the outset whether you are dealing with an agency or directly with an organisation, salary, benefits and where you pitch yourself can be the difference between getting to interview stage or not. Here are some tips

Where should I pitch myself?

Salary is a critical element of the whole job searching process. Firstly, there is little value in today’s market having high demands on salary as cost saving is key for any organisation. Many companies are managing to employ high qualified staff without battling over salary. Be sensible from the outset. Very few employers will give more than 10% of an increase on a current basic. If you are prepared to move for the same or a lower salary, then make sure your recruitment consultant is clear of this. Otherwise they will eliminate and not call you about certain roles as they search through their databases. Benefits also need to be taken into account and your consultant should always be submitting your salary & benefits to employers. EG Some organisations do not have a bonus system while your current employer may pay a bonus of 20%. This is a 5K difference at a 35k level. If you are looking for a 10% increase, will a new employer offer you a base of €43,500?? That level of an increase maybe difficult to get in todays market, so if salary is a key motivator in your transition, don’t waste your time, or any potential employer’s time.

I feel I am underpaid and as I have had to take a paycut recently, I would like to get back up to market rate.

Quite often employees feel undervalued by their current / previous employers and see a job change or career move as the opportunity to get them back to the level they feel they deserve. Most employers take your current salary and benchamarking into consideration and are unlikely to make decisions based on your current employer’s salary structures

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STAR INTERVIEW TECHNIQUE

Structuring your interview answers using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) interview technique will give you confidence and clarity when answering your interview questions. Following its form will result in your answers being high quality, comprehensive and detailed with fact. This technique will also help you avoid deviating from the question and keep your answers structured. Always use the first person when answering your questions!! STAR is particularly important to use during competency based interviews.

What is STAR?

SITUATION :A background to the situation you were involved in
TASK : Describe the tasks that were involved in the situation
ACTION : What did you personally actually end up doing and how did you
go about it
RESULT : What was the result of your actions

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You’ve decided what career direction you want to follow, you’ve prepared an impactful CV, youve refined your interviewing skills, and you’ve job searched all over Ireland!

The final stage of your job search will be the reference stage

Reference checking is the 2nd last stage in the job hunting process, with the final stage being package and contract delivery. One of the most important things to remember when selecting your referees is that they are aware of your work experience, and are not someone who was at peer level who was a friend. This will be detected immediately. It’s vital that you give your referees a call to give them advance notice if an organisation is going to be in contact. It will work far more favourably if your referee is prepared and expecting their call. If you have had a good relationship with your referee, it is also very important that you provide them with as much information about the role you are pursuing. As a result, they can tailor their responses if they are really on your side. When selecting your references, ensure you select someone who is forthcoming and communicative. There is nothing worse than a referee who only supplies yes / no answers, purely because it’s not their style. It gives the impression that the person wasnt impactful and they arent all that fussed spending the time vouching for them! This is not the case in 90% of cases so make sure you select someone who is going to give some detail and put some effort into helping you close the job searching process once and for all.

Nowadays, particularly with the banks, they will not provide formal references. If at all possible, try see if you can get an “off the record” reference if this is the case

Below are samples of the typical questions an organisation will ask your referees:

Standard reference check questions include:

What was (candidate’s) period of employment?

Please outline (candidate’s) position and responsibilities?

Reviewing (candidate’s) resume, does this job title and job description match the position that the candidate held?

What was (candidate’s) reporting structure?

If (candidate) did not report to you, what was your working relationship?

How long have your worked with /known (candidate)?

What was (candidate’s) reason for leaving your company?

Can you tell me (candidate’s) salary at the time of leaving?

How would you describe (candidate’s) punctuality?

Could you rate (candidate’s) reliability?

How would you describe (candidate’s) honesty and integrity?

How did (candidate) get along with co-workers and management?

If (candidate) supervised/managed any employees, how would you describe her/his supervisory/management skills?

Describe (candidate’s) ability to handle pressure? Can you give me an example?

Ability to organize, prioritize and manage time?

Ability to handle conflict?

Ability to work as a team member?

How would you rate (candidate’s) communication skills?

Please describe (candidate’s) work ethic?

Please describe the quality of (candidate’s) work?

What do you consider (candidate’s) key strengths?

What would you consider to be (candidate’s) areas for improvement?

What would you say was (candidate’s) biggest accomplishment while working at your company?

How would you rate (candidate’s) overall job performance?

Was (candidate) ever promoted while working at your company?

(Candidate) is being considered for the following position, do you think he/she is a good fit?.

Theoretically, would you re-employ him/her?

Is there anything else you would like to add about (candidate)?