Navigating a Competency-Based Interview
Recruiting strategies are witnessing tremendous changes in terms of techniques and processes. People are looking for new age technologies for hiring and interviewing to find the best candidates. One such technique of interviewing candidates that is gaining traction is competency-Based Interview.
Many large-scale organizations are trying to adopt this interview technique that focuses on candidates’ behavior and competencies. If you, as a hiring professional, are trying to incorporate the technique, this is the perfect guide for you. Here are all the answers to your questions on the competency-based interview.
What is a Competency-Based Interview?
Competency-based interview (also referred to as situational or behavioral) is a style of interviewing used to assess a candidate’s key competencies. It is designed to help HR professionals or recruiters to evaluate if the applicant has the skills to match the job requirements.
It is a structured process, with each competency or skill being tested systematically through a series of interview questions. This structured list of competency questions allows you to know whether the person sitting on the other side of the table has the right skills to take the position on.
What are the key competencies?
A competency or a skill is a particular quality of an individual that employer decides is desirable for a particular job post. During the interview process, competencies are used as benchmarks to assess the suitability of the applicants. Here is a list of some competencies a recruiter might desire in a candidate:
- Motivation
- Decision making
- Teamwork
- Commitment
- Leadership
- Problem-solving
- Goal orientation
Common Competency-Based Questions
That’s the part you were eagerly waiting for. Competency-based interview questions are interview questions that instigate applicants to provide real-life instances on the basis of their answers. The questions target their skills and behavior in various situations. Interviewers use these questions to let individuals show how they actually performed in past situations to meet the goals.
Although the questions change based on a job opening and company requirements, the main aspect of the question remains. Here are some common competency-based questions that HR professionals generally ask
- What is the biggest risk that you have taken?
- Give an example where you showed your skills to solve a problem.
- How do you and your team deliver the standards required by customers?
- Tell me a time when took decisions to achieve your goals.
- Describe a way in which you demonstrated excellent leadership.
All these questions essentially focus on a competency related to a job requirement. They are not about to past experience or qualification but the actual behavior of the candidate.
Why should you go for a competency-based interview?
In many cases when you need to hire graduates for entry-level positions, candidates have no experience in the industry. It becomes tough for you to evaluate their suitability for the job. To tackle such scenarios, you need to have a structured interview process that guides you through the process. That is where competency-based interviews step into the place to help you select the right applicant.
Conventional interview questions generally focus on past experience and educational qualification. Competency-based interview questions allow you to analyze the actual skills of the candidate. It can give you valuable insights into the individual’s behavior, attitude, and working style.
Following new techniques in hiring can your organization towards success. Adopting a systematic approach in interviewing will help you to find the best candidates and avoid mis-hires.
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