If you have a job interview coming up, the chances are you may be asked competency based questions. Competency based interviews are now commonly used by employers and recruiters in all industries and the automotive industry is no exception. But if you have never had a competency based interview or have limited experience of them you will probably be keen to improve your chances of success.
I have written this article to help job hunters – specifically in the automotive sector. It will help you understand what competency based interviews are, how to best prepare for them and perform on the day.
What is a competency based interview?
Competency-based interviews use questions that target a specific skill or competency. The interviewer will ask you questions which seek a specific example of behaviour in specific circumstances. Next you need to back this up with situational examples.
Examples of Competency Based questions:
- Tell me about a time when you have had to deal with a difficult or unhappy customer?
- Give an example of when you have made a decision that you didn’t want to make?
These questions will be directly linked to the position that you are being interviewed for. They will be aimed at testing how your skills match the requirements of the role. For sales roles these may include: customer service, relationship building, negotiation, new business development, presentation and influencing skills. Marketing roles they may include: copy-writing, agency management, planning, budgeting, measurement of ROI, analysis of data and social media. Management and leadership roles they may include: team management, coaching, motivation of people, planning, influencing, presentation and budgeting.…
How to prepare for a competency based interview
Firstly, ask the employer or your recruitment consultant what the interview format will be. Will there be competency based questions? If yes, then prepare for them as follows:
Read the job description thoroughly. Try to identify what the required competencies are. These are likely to be listed in the candidate requirements for the job but may also be found in the actual job responsibilities. If your interview has been arranged by a specialist recruiter such as Copeland Automotive Recruitment, they will probably want to help you prepare. Here at Copeland we offer pre-interview preparation calls to all our candidates.
For each competency:
- Think of one strong example to demonstrate your competency (ability) in that area. This should ideally be drawn from your previous work experience, however if it’s your first permanent job, you can use examples from your education, extra-curricular activities or any other work experience.
- Make sure your answers have context (when and where did it happen), are always in the 1st person. You should also try and give the outcome eg ‘this resulted in increase a 10% increase in revenue’
- Write down your examples – it will help you remember them in an interview situation...
How do you answer competency based interview questions?
- Answer with examples of something you personally have done. Use ‘I’ in your sentences and not ‘we’.
- Make sure your example is relevant to the position you are being interviewed for. For example, if an interviewer asks you about communication skills for a role in sales, try to use an example from a sales situation.
- If possible, use facts and figures in your example. For example ‘my actions directly caused an increase in profit of 5% over the year’
- Follow the C.A.R structure (another similar structure used is STAR: Situation, Task, Action Result).
| CONTEXT | When and where did this situation take place? What role were you doing and what background information can you provide? |
| ACTION | What did you do to manage the situation at the time? How did you behave? |
| RESULT | What happened in this situation? Did you make a difference or add value? What did you learn from this situation? |
Practice, practice, practice
Once you have prepared your example questions and answers. Practice them. If possible get someone to roleplay the interview with you and ask you some of the potential competency based questions so that you can practice answering them. Another great tip is to record yourself answering the questions to see how you come across.
On the interview day
You should now be well prepared for your interview and stand yourself in good stead for performing at your best. Good luck!
Copeland help employees progress their careers in the automotive industry. Learn more about HOW WE HELP EMPLOYEES or if you’re ready for your next career move start by registering with us HERE.
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Further Reading:
How To Prepare For Your Interview
How to succeed in interview psychometric tests
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