A little bit more on Interviews......
A little bit more on Interviews......
One of the most
common type of interviews is competency based
interviews which are focused on specific competencies that employers seek.
Research suggests that structured competency based interviews can be one of the
most reliable and accurate forms of assessing a candidate.
Most interviews are
competency based to some extent, but some more formally than others. Employers
will outline their key competency requirements in your interview letter or
direct you to a web link. You can expect a list of six to eight key
competencies. On the basis that past behaviour is a good indicator of future
behaviour, employers will ask you to demonstrate these competencies by relating
your experience to the situations they describe.
This type of
interview is popular with graduate recruiters, the Civil Service, the Defence
Forces and the Garda Síochána.
What will happen?
The interview will be
very structured and questions will focus on the competencies outlined in the
company information. As you will already know the competencies and have thought
in advance about examples of how you can match them, there should be few
surprises. You can use examples from your working life, extracurricular
activities, interests and hobbies, as well as from your degree course.
You are likely to be
asked about your:
- past behaviours and performance
- learning from past behaviours
- ability to adapt to a new post
- knowledge and understanding of issues relating to the new post
Questions will often
start as: ‘Give me an example when…’ or ‘Describe an occasion when…’
Interviewers will be interested in the outcome of the situation and what you
learned from the experience.
The STAR system can
help you convey your skills and your learning in a simple but effective way:
- Situation (What situation were you in just before you demonstrated the skill?)
- Task (What task did you set yourself? What was the problem or challenge?)
- Action (What action did you take? Be explicit about the role you played: don't attribute others' actions to yourself or, worse, play down the fact that you were key to the action.)
- Result (What was the outcome? What made it successful or unsuccessful? What would you do differently another time?)