Candidates often complain that during a job interview they are asked questions that are out of touch with reality. Bosses - that candidates are not properly tested. Competency interview is an example of a technique that addresses these ills. What is it about?
What is a competency interview?
Competence interview consists of an examination of the employee's competences that are useful for the job. It is also known as behavioural interview. The recruiter gives an assessment based on the candidate's answers, which refer to past situations. Asking questions about specific behaviors and examples of situations It allows you to learn about soft skills in addition to hard skills, which are often the ones that determine how well an employee functions on a day-to-day basis. A recruiter can immediately verify what he or she has read in a candidate's CV by asking for specific examples of selected attitudes. Questions specific to competence interview can also be useful during the application process. This is when the recruiter learns something about the candidate beyond what they can read in the official CV. This gives him or her a jumping-off point that is useful during the interview and allows for an initial verification of the most important qualities.
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How to properly and effectively conduct a competence interview?
A guide from The London School of Economics and Political Science advises that. competence interview consisted of 70 per cent questions related to character traits and 30 per cent questions related to skills. In other words, the majority of questions should be about competencies and a minority about technical abilities. To choose the questions well, they should be embedded in the values that are really important from the point of view of the company. This is the biggest secret of a good competence intelligence.
It is very easy to collect sample questions from the internet and ask the candidate. It is more difficult to compose a set that will actually say something more about key competences from the point of view of a given workplace. When asking questions, it is worth taking into account not only the specificity of the position, but also the employee team, as well as the atmosphere in the company and its goals. Refer to the company's mission, goals, and communication strategy when in doubt. Then based on them select the features you are looking for. By default, it is about 3-8 key competences that are worth checking during the interview. Additionally, it is worth creating a scoring system that allows you to categorize candidates' responses according to a template.
For example, if you are looking for a candidate who communicates well with others, you can create a score where:
- 1-3 points - the candidate can communicate effectively in writing and in speech
- 4-6 points - the candidate expresses himself clearly and concisely, and others understand him well
- 7-9 - the candidate can communicate even complex problems or issues in a simple and interesting way.
If you have this classification for each trait, it will be much easier for you to recruit and lead competence interview. When a candidate answers a question, you do not have to 'eyeball' the answer. You can give a score that will be a benchmark for subsequent decision-makers in the recruitment process. What's more, you can approach the recruitment process with a set of clear expectations. For example, you could specify that you expect a minimum of level 3 skills for a junior candidate, a level 5 for a senior candidate and that those on the board must have even higher competences. In this way, you can gather information during the recruitment process that will later be useful for planning promotions or training. By having an overview of the level of individual competences for all employees, you can better plan internal communication whether to create integration trips that will develop the most important features.
Avoid this during the interview
Identifying the key features and symptoms of these competences becomes easier with experience. Initially, it is more difficult to create standards around competence interview and rather rely on universal patterns. When creating examples of questions, give the recruiter a certain level of freedom. e.g. assign two choice questions to each competence. In this way, the interview will have a more flexible format and the candidate will not feel that every interview looks identical.
The way you carry out competence interview, also consists of employer branding. Candidates will repeat what happened to them during the interview and compare the practices and communication strategy with those known from other companies. This That is why job interviews are seeking standardisation and the process should be overseen by an experienced HR department. Below you will find examples from competence interview, which will allow a realistic assessment of key skills.
Competency interview - examples of questions
In theory, it may seem that preparing questions for the competence interview is an arduous task. In practice, however, ready-made templates can be used. Most positions are not unique and other companies have recruited in the past. Besides, similar character traits are useful in many places, so the questions may also be duplicated. Below are examples from competence interviewsthat are worth knowing:
- Describe a past situation where you had to show…. (Creativity, leadership, initiative, cold blood, etc.)
- Describe when was the last time you led a group at work?
- Give an example of a workplace conflict that you have resolved
- How have you had good relations with your colleagues so far?
- What is your greatest achievement in life?
- Describe the letter you wrote to the client and what was his reaction?
- Describe a difficult telephone conversation with a customer. What was the hardest part about it? What would you do differently next time?
- Give an example of an important decision that you had to make on your own at work.
The importance of interviews in recruitment
Interviews have been a cornerstone of recruitment processes for years. Modern techniques such as competence interviewhave introduced a new quality in the assessment of candidates. Their aim is not only to analyse work experience, but above all to understand how a candidate will cope with the challenges of a new position. It is worth understanding, what is an interview competence in order to realise its full potential in talent selection.
Why use an in-depth interview?
In-depth interview is an extended form of recruitment interview, which provides an in-depth insight into not only the competences, but also the values and motivations of the candidate. It allows recruiters to better match the potential employee with the company culture. In this context, it is worth remembering that employer branding agency can help build a positive employer image, which translates into greater candidate engagement.
The STAR method - the key to sound decisions
One of the most effective tools used in competence interviews Is the STAR method. Structuring answers according to the Situation-Task-Action-Result model enables the recruiter to be detailed and specific in the candidates' answers. Questions based on this method, such as STAR method questions, could read: "Tell us about a situation where you had to make a difficult decision under time pressure" or "What steps did you take to improve team collaboration?". These types of questions not only point to specific actions by the candidate, but also show the candidate's mindset and approach to problem solving.
Professional interview - the key to understanding experience
Any recruitment process requires a thorough understanding of a potential employee's career path. Professional intelligence This is the stage that allows you to uncover details of past positions, responsibilities and achievements. With well-prepared questions, recruiters can identify candidates' strengths and better assess whether their experience matches the requirements of the position.
How to conduct an interview?
Professional preparation behavioural interview requires not only the establishment of a set of questions, but also an appropriate interview atmosphere. It is important that the candidate feels at ease, which encourages openness and honest answers. It is worth taking into account how to conduct an interview sample questions - The more tailored to the specific job, the better the results. Questions should range from the general to the more specific about challenges at work.
Summary
Competence interview and advanced techniques such as interview methodhave a huge impact on the quality of recruitment. The use of such tools increases the chance of hiring the right employee, which is crucial to the success of any company. Investing in the development of recruitment processes, such as in-depth interviews or the STAR method, brings long-term benefits. Effective recruitment supported by strategy employer branding not only attracts the best candidates, but also strengthens the company's image in the market.
If you also need other examples of questions that you can ask during a competency interview, or you care on the audit and creating company standards from scratch, contact us!