As far as the form is concerned, it tends to be a case of going through a 'person specification' and addressing the points in that, e.g.
"I have used MS Word and Excel, and did so in my job at Acme Products to produce sales brochures and monthly stock reconciliation figures"
(Incidentally, if you're at all likely to be applying for other similar jobs, it's worth preparing this bit of the application in Word then copy-pasting it, and then you can recycle relevant chunks for future applications)
As for the interview, what it really means is that instead of the traditional "what would you do if X happened?" sort of question, you now get questions along the lines of "give an example of a time you have done Y"
Depending on the sort of job you're going for, Y might be something technical, or it might be something like "provided excellent customer service", "dealt with a potentially dangerous situation", "dealt with an irate customer", "worked as part of an effective team" and so on.
It's probably worth having a think about what you're likely to get asked (again, refer to the job description / person spec) and think in advance of some examples rather than have to try and remember one when you're in the hot seat. The more recent the better. And sometimes they will add "what did you learn from this? or "what would you do differently if the same thing happened again?"
For both, there is the 'STAR' concept - Situation, Task, Action, Result.
For the task / action bit, you need to concentrate on what YOU did, not too much on what your colleagues / the team did.
I often wonder if anyone actually takes the time to read through these completed forms. Or is it a case of testing someone's resolve and diligence in taking the time to fill them in properly. I must say, generally speaking the amount of paperwork and bureaucracy in today's world, really gets me down at times.
Before I retired we'd had competencies and competency based interviews for a number of years. I have interviewed candidates and been interviewed myself. CatfordCat provides an excellent summary of what it is about. I would stress that it is a chance for you to show the interviewer(s) your experience so make your answers about yourself - talk about what you did or what contribution you made to a team effort, what the outcome was and how you think you could have done it even better. Do try to anticipate questions, think of more than one instance of relevant work experience (you might be asked to provide another example so it's good to have a back up) and don't use the same examples for different questions unless you absolutely have to. Good luck!
Competency based interviews are great because very early on they give the candidate a chance to see that this is obviously a company run by idiots who don't trust their own staff to make a reasonable judgement on someone's ability levels.
As far as the form is concerned, it tends to be a case of going through a 'person specification' and addressing the points in that, e.g.
"I have used MS Word and Excel, and did so in my job at Acme Products to produce sales brochures and monthly stock reconciliation figures"
(Incidentally, if you're at all likely to be applying for other similar jobs, it's worth preparing this bit of the application in Word then copy-pasting it, and then you can recycle relevant chunks for future applications)
As for the interview, what it really means is that instead of the traditional "what would you do if X happened?" sort of question, you now get questions along the lines of "give an example of a time you have done Y"
Depending on the sort of job you're going for, Y might be something technical, or it might be something like "provided excellent customer service", "dealt with a potentially dangerous situation", "dealt with an irate customer", "worked as part of an effective team" and so on.
It's probably worth having a think about what you're likely to get asked (again, refer to the job description / person spec) and think in advance of some examples rather than have to try and remember one when you're in the hot seat. The more recent the better. And sometimes they will add "what did you learn from this? or "what would you do differently if the same thing happened again?"
For both, there is the 'STAR' concept - Situation, Task, Action, Result.
For the task / action bit, you need to concentrate on what YOU did, not too much on what your colleagues / the team did.
Has any one every filled out a application form that required Competencies or had a competency based interview
Wow probably the toughest application form I have ever filled out took over 3 days
If you are not competent Paulie then don't go for the job.
Dony worry mate a new snooker event is starting on Friday so I can update that thread. I know you have missed me wriiting on it the last couple of days
I don't know what it is, but as obviously involves getting a job so I'll wish you good luck. But whatever happened to a hand written reference that you took with you from interview to interview.
Ouch... I always hate these types of Interviews myself as I've always felt they're geared towards people who are able to talk well (I guess thats what a Company wants) and gives someone the chance to talk absolutely rubbish if they're good at getting away with it (two things that I'm rubbish at)
On the other hand in a Standard Interview where am asked questions about what I previously did / what I knew about the role and even some normal strength / weakness questions I always pass with flying colours... Simply because in this type of interview they also want to know about me as a person (which I think is very important when hiring someone as the hiring Manager can tell then if your a prat or whether you'll fit in with the rest of the team etc...) whereas in a competency based interview am never asked that sort of thing
Paulie, I have had a bit of success with this format over the last 12 months and managed to get to telephone interview then interview. I am sure that it has already been covered on here but as far as the application form goes, make sure you extract the key attributes/skills/qualities that they are looking for from the job spec and then give examples of where you have shown this. Again, I think STAR has been mentioned on here which is spot on, as is Challenge, Action, Result (CAR) which I have used successfully.
If you sell yourself well on the application you will hopefully be offered an interview and as 'FA' has indicated, it's then about how you sell yourself 'face to face', whilst at the same time still hitting that job spec.
I filled out a competency style application form recently for a Management role, got a telephone interview and subsequently got asked to attend a formal interview. I declined at the last minute for various reasons and then had the HR department of the organisation ring me back asking me to reconsider! In essence, it's just a sales pitch frankly and you should always strive to pitch it making sure that the person reading your application is left no choice other than to give you an interview.
Ahead of any interview, don't just prepare examples of where you did demonstrate the competency eg Good Judgment, but also have one or two examples up your sleeve of times when you did not do this - I've been asked it that way round before! they then want to know what you learnt from it/ what you'd do different next time. Had not prepared for that, so had to come up with examples on the spot...not sure I chose the best ones, but I did get the role!
This has been the way of local authority applications for many years in my experience. You address the person spec, which is really just a list of expected competencies, and if you don't meet all the essential criteria you don't get an interview. Where many applicants do meet the essential requirements then you need to meet some or all of the desirable criteria as well. I have just gone through many applications since my move back to London and feel exhausted by them. As a previous poster said keep your applications so you can use the best bits for future applications, don't be shy about your achievements and most of all be lucky. All the best.
Agree with catford. I've led many interview panels that are competency based interviews. Before your interview, make notes of key activities you have done and the skills you used. Many people freeze at interviews or give quite weak examples. For example, think of things you have done that demonstrate excellent customer care. Make notes of specific examples, focussing on what you did. Interviewers get frustrated if people keep saying 'we did this' etc.. They want to hear what You did, what your role was etc. Also, don't be afraid of taking notes into the interview with you. Shows keenness, preparation, structure. For politeness, ask them if it is ok to use your notes, I'm sure they will be happy for you to do so.
As mentioned.. Think STAR. The R, result can be further 'bolstered' by saying anything you learnt, what you would do differently next time etc.
Comments
As far as the form is concerned, it tends to be a case of going through a 'person specification' and addressing the points in that, e.g.
"I have used MS Word and Excel, and did so in my job at Acme Products to produce sales brochures and monthly stock reconciliation figures"
(Incidentally, if you're at all likely to be applying for other similar jobs, it's worth preparing this bit of the application in Word then copy-pasting it, and then you can recycle relevant chunks for future applications)
As for the interview, what it really means is that instead of the traditional "what would you do if X happened?" sort of question, you now get questions along the lines of "give an example of a time you have done Y"
Depending on the sort of job you're going for, Y might be something technical, or it might be something like "provided excellent customer service", "dealt with a potentially dangerous situation", "dealt with an irate customer", "worked as part of an effective team" and so on.
It's probably worth having a think about what you're likely to get asked (again, refer to the job description / person spec) and think in advance of some examples rather than have to try and remember one when you're in the hot seat. The more recent the better. And sometimes they will add "what did you learn from this? or "what would you do differently if the same thing happened again?"
For both, there is the 'STAR' concept - Situation, Task, Action, Result.
For the task / action bit, you need to concentrate on what YOU did, not too much on what your colleagues / the team did.
Best of luck.
Good luck Paulie.
Good riddance Riviera. (If only)
Don't worry won't be too long hopefully.
Reinventing the wheel.
Excellent explanation from CatfordCat
Thats the civil service for you tho lol
On the other hand in a Standard Interview where am asked questions about what I previously did / what I knew about the role and even some normal strength / weakness questions I always pass with flying colours... Simply because in this type of interview they also want to know about me as a person (which I think is very important when hiring someone as the hiring Manager can tell then if your a prat or whether you'll fit in with the rest of the team etc...) whereas in a competency based interview am never asked that sort of thing
If you sell yourself well on the application you will hopefully be offered an interview and as 'FA' has indicated, it's then about how you sell yourself 'face to face', whilst at the same time still hitting that job spec.
I filled out a competency style application form recently for a Management role, got a telephone interview and subsequently got asked to attend a formal interview. I declined at the last minute for various reasons and then had the HR department of the organisation ring me back asking me to reconsider! In essence, it's just a sales pitch frankly and you should always strive to pitch it making sure that the person reading your application is left no choice other than to give you an interview.
Good luck fella.
I have just gone through many applications since my move back to London and feel exhausted by them.
As a previous poster said keep your applications so you can use the best bits for future applications, don't be shy about your achievements and most of all be lucky.
All the best.
Proves what i always say us Charlton fans are like a big family
As mentioned.. Think STAR. The R, result can be further 'bolstered' by saying anything you learnt, what you would do differently next time etc.
Best of luck.