Competency Questions Archives - Interview Techniques

What do employers look for in competency interviews?

Laura-McGrath
February 6, 2023
Competency Interview, Problem Solving, conflict, influencing, communication, Dealing with failure, Leadership skills, working under pressure

Competency questions are still hugely popular and form part of most interviews. Whilst recent research has questioned their value in predicting success in fast moving environments (Harvard Business Review Feb 10th 2016), you’d be well advised to anticipate competency questions and have examples to hand.

Here’s a few things to consider in the lead up to your interview:
Be strategic with your examples:

Review the last 5 years in your job, identify your biggest wins and build your examples around them. Choose examples that most closely align with your target role. For promotion interviews, try to choose examples where you’ve already “acted up” in your role – eg where you’ve deputised for your manager or taken a lead role in a project.

Influencing / Communication Skills

Laura-McGrath
December 12, 2022
Communication Skills, Competency Question, influencing skills, popular interview questions

Fashion touches every aspect of our lives – our latest phone model, hair style, colours we wear, music we buy…. The recruitment sector is no different and is subject to “what’s hot and what’s not”. So what are the latest interview trends and how do you best adapt your style to beat the competition?

Problem Solving – Interview questions and answers

Laura-McGrath
November 21, 2022
Problem Solving, competency questions

Competency Interview Questions – Problem Solving

As today’s market place is dominated by uncertainty, employers are placing an increasingly high value on a candidate’s ability to problem solve, show sound judgement and make quick decisions.

How to answer the Teamwork competency question

Laura-McGrath
November 21, 2022
Competency Question, teamwork question

Why do employers value team work?

In a recent survey, teamwork and communication skills ranked amongst the top five qualities sought by employers. Many companies are now focusing on team building as a way to differentiate themselves from their competitors in the belief that it will positively impact their bottom line. They recognise that team work brings about synergy – “the sum of the parts being greater than the whole” and if implemented correctly, teambuilding can make a company more productive, increase staff morale and foster innovation.

Interview Questions on Communications Skills

Graduates, Women in Leadership, Interviewing for Executives, Popular Interview Questions, Competency Questions

Interview Questions and answers on Communication Skills

Laura-McGrath
November 13, 2022
conflict, influencing, competency questions, stakeholder management

Once an employer is satisfied that you can do the job, they will focus their attention on your communication skills. Specifically they’ll want to know how you’ll interact with colleagues/ senior management /customers, how skilled you are at resolving conflict and how adept you are in the art of negotiation. By anticipating questions that will be asked, you can prepare examples that show your competency in these areas and prove that you are a great fit for the role.

Competency Questions

What are Behavioural/Competency Questions?

Laura-McGrath
November 9, 2022
STAR Technique, competency questions

Behavioural interviews (also known as competency based interviews) are becoming increasingly popular in the contemporary recruitment process. They are regularly used by Multinationals and the public sector and are seen to be a good predictor of future employee success. As many “traditional” interviews have also started incorporating behavioural questions into their structure, it is important to be fully prepared for this style of questioning – to both understand what is being asked and how best to present your answers.

Interview Question “How well do you work under pressure?

Laura-McGrath
November 9, 2022
working under pressure, competency questions

How well do you work under pressure?
Why do employers ask this question?

In a period of economic instability, efficiency becomes a focal point for management and employees are often expected to take on more responsibility and a greater work load. Greater economic uncertainty means that traditional ways of operating are challenged, new ideas and practices are implemented; all of which creates unpredictability in what was previously a stable work environment.

How to answer the interview question – How do you manage conflict?

Laura-McGrath
November 8, 2022
Competency Question, conflict, influencing, Public Sector Interviews

Most people I coach find this question particularly challenging. They assume that the interviewer is looking for an example of a highly charged situation where there’s a complete breakdown of a relationship.
Relax, your examples don’t need to have Hollywood style plots and drama. The key to answering this question well is simply replacing the world conflict with disagreement.

Category : Competency Questions

What do employers look for in competency interviews?

Influencing / Communication Skills

Problem Solving – Interview questions and answers

How to answer the Teamwork competency question

Interview Questions and answers on Communication Skills

What are Behavioural/Competency Questions?

Interview Question “How well do you work under pressure?

How to answer the interview question – How do you manage conflict?

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