1. Competency Based Interview Skills

2. Workshop Objectives
§ Enhance your current interview skills
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§ How to complete a competency application form
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§ How to respond to interview questions
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§ Develop excellent body language skills
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§ Practice in a safe learning environment

3. Group Exercise
§ What is a competency based interview?
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§ What is the difference between
competency based and other
approaches to interviewing?
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§ How can you structure your response?

4. What are Competencies?
“Defined as the behaviours (and where
appropriate, technical attributes) that
individuals must have or must acquire
to perform a job effectively”
CIPD 2012

5. What are Competency Frameworks?
§ Collection of competencies linked together
ideally without much overlap, and describe
what is important in a job
§
§ Mainly of behavioural elements but also
include professional and technical
competencies
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6. Competency Framework
How we provide leadership
and direction
§ Setting Direction
§ Leadership
§ Managing
performance
§
How we manage ourselves
§ Managing our own
work
§ Developing our own
capabilities
§ Communicating with
impact
How we work with others
§ Collaborating in a
political
environment
§ Influencing Outcomes
§ Meeting Customer
Needs
§ Respect for Diversity
and Equality
How we move forward
§ Problem solving and
Decision Making
§ Managing Change
§ Achieving Results

7. Benefits of Competency Framework
Job Design
& Grading
Recruitmen
t&
Selection
Career
Pathing
Potential
Assessment
Performance
Management
Succession
Planning
Reward
Management
Training &
Development

8. Competency Based Interviewing
§ Best predictor of a candidate's future
performance is his/her past
performance
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§ Asks candidate to describe things they
have actually done rather than
what they would do in a given situation
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§ Avoids sterotypes

9. Competency Based Approach
Assess candidates against essential criteria and
competency
§ Past behaviours and performance
§ Learning from past behaviours
§ Future adaptability to new post
§ Knowledge and understanding of issues in
relation to post

10. Approaches to Interviewing
Traditional
§ Fact finding
§ About candidate’s background
§ Theoretical
§ How you would implement or do something
§ Hypothetical/Situational
§ How would you deal with a hypothetical situation
Competency Based
§
Allows candidates to prove their suitability for the job by quoting
examples of actual behaviour
§ Give us an example when……
§ Describe an occasion when……
§ Tell us about a time when……..

11. Your Examples
§ Place emphasis on evidence of outcomes
§ Things you have done that you are proud of
§ Situations you have handled particularly well
§ Ways you have contributed to the success of
your organisation
§ Be conscious of your current work
§ Start writing them down

13. Assess
§ Which are the most relevant to this
application?
§
§ Have you covered the essentials?
§ Which ones have made the most
difference?

14. Application Forms
Effective:
Ineffective:
§ “I led a review to re§ “The introduction of
design the planning
waiting list
and performance
management
management
techniques……. The
arrangements in my
introduction of new OT
area. I gained
clinics means
agreement of other
that…….”
organisations to set up §
………….”
§ “The most significant
§
efficiency achieved to
§ “I was responsible for
date has been in the
managing the
reduction of costs
development of a new
associated with
service”
sickness absence in

15. CBI Questions
Allows candidates to prove their suitability
for the job by quoting examples of actual
behaviour
§ Give us an example when …
§ Describe an occasion when …
§ Tell us about a time when …
§

16. Preparation Tips
§ Research
§ Prepare written responses
§ Assemble hard evidence – past achievements
§ Review your personal goals
§ Check references
§ Positive mind-set

17. The Interviewee
The Panel

18. § Eye contact
§ Use of hands
§ Movement
§ Posture

19. Body Language Interviewee
To do
§ Smiling
§ Unbuttoning your coat
when sitting
§ Open hands
§ Leaning forward in your
chair
§ Chin up
§ Firm handshake
§ Good eye contact
To avoid
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Fidgeting
Pulling on your ear
Clenched hands
Touching or covering
part of your face
Chin down
Playing with your hair
Looking down or never
making eye contact
Crossing your arms

20. Body Language Panel
Observation of the audience is useful as
it gauges:
§ Attention
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§ Agreement
§ Disagreement
§ Boredom
Don’t over analyse body language – some people
just fold their arms because they fold their arms!

21. Voice
Language

22. On the Day
§ Time your arrival
§ Recover from a poor
first impression
§ Create a positive first
impression
§ Sell yourself
§ Opening conversation
§ Manage your nerves
§ Get comfortable but not
§ Body language
too comfortable
§ Interview dress code
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24. Top Tips
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Do your homework – there is no shortcut
Structure your answers (SBO or STAR)
Practice (and get feedback)
Listen
Caution! – “I was involved” “I participated in”
Stay positive
Motivation – why do you want the job?
Think yourself into the post
Don’t make assumptions

25. Common Interview Mistakes
n
Lack of preparation
n
Inappropriate dress
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Talk too much/too little
n
Fuzzy facts
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Bad mouthing previous
employer
n
Not answering the
question

26. Contact Us
Una McSorley
una@marcommcfs.co.uk
028 90 817067
www.marcommcfs.co.uk