Talking about your competencies
at interview
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Introduction and housekeeping
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In this session…
By the end of this session you will:
• Have considered some of the competencies
that you might be questioned about at
interview
• Have considered your own skills, experiences
and achievements
• Be familiar with tools for creating,
remembering and delivering narratives of your
competencies
3
What is a ‘Competency’?
Competencies are:
- The skills and experiences you have already
- The skills and experiences you will want to
develop to be able to confidently pursue your
goals – whatever they are
- The skills and experiences that employers look
for when they recruit for a role
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Competency Development
4. Unconscious Competence: “I am so familiar with this skill that I no
longer need to think about how to do it well”
3. Conscious Competence: “I have learned how to do this skill and I
know the processes I must go through to perform”
2. Conscious Incompetence: “Now I’ve tried this skill, I realise that I need
to learn how to do it”
1. Unconscious Incompetence: “I have never tried and I have no idea
how bad I am at this skill!”
Four Stages of Competence - Model developed by Noel Burch, Gordon Training
International,
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What is a Competency Framework?
• A list of competencies at different levels
• Used by employers in recruitment and
promotion
• Used at this university to describe the
competencies its students develop at different
levels (e.g. undergraduate, masters and PhD)
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The mysterious language of
competencies
Take a look at the Competency Framework that
relates to your subject and level of study and
then:
1. Introduce yourself to the others in your
group
2. Talk about which of the competencies you
feel most confident and least confident about
in yourself.
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The recruitment process (3-6 months)
Workload
identified - noone available inhouse to take it
on so a new
person must be
recruited
If a suitable candidate is
identified, they are
offered the job. If not,
or if the interviewee
declines, the whole
cycle must be repeated.
Significant time/cost
implication
Staff meet to
discuss the
workload and
create a job
description
Small number
are invited to
discuss their
competencies at
interview
(usually 3-6
interviewees)
Staff then identify the
competencies needed
to do the job they
have envisaged and
create a person
specification
Applications are
screened
according to
match of
competencies
with the person
specification
Job/
internship
is
advertised
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Screening processes
● Manual (for smaller organisations)
● Electronic (for large volumes of applications,
e.g. Graduate Schemes)
● Assessment Centre
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How to speak the mysterious
language of competencies at
interview
1. Know which competencies you’ll be asked about
2. Think about your relevant experience
3. Construct an interesting story
STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
Happy Ending (make it measurable and positive!)
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How students talk about their
competencies
•
Insert appropriate videos of students
articulating their competencies.
[click here to view videos]
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Practice talking about your competencies
● For both your strongest and your weakest competency, draft
an answer to the interview question:
“give me an example of a time when you demonstrated
[competency]”
● Practice your answers on a partner and get their feedback
● Write up your competency statements onto flipchart paper
and put them up on the wall.
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Preparing for specific interviews
1. In your group, choose which of the job ads you want to work
on
2. Identify the competencies that the recruiter is asking for
3. Draft an interview question for each
4. Prepare answers for the questions you have some up with - if
you need inspiration, look at the examples on the flipcharts
around the room.
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How to perform your best at an interview
1. Prepare by researching the job and the organisation
2. Practice by studying the competencies and drafting
interesting answers based on your experience (remember to
use STAR and include a Happy Ending)
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How to perform your best at an interview
1. Consider taking a ‘folder of experience’ in to the interview
that outlines some of your key achievements and any other
examples of your work. Also take a notepad to jot down
things you need to remember.
2. Think of some interesting and intelligent questions to ask have them written down to refer to at the end of the
interview.
15
What do you worry about?
Write your worries one per post-it note. They
can be serious or light hearted.
We will get through as many as you can so that
you feel confident and ready for your interview.
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Summary
● Thinking about your experience in terms of competencies
takes practice
● An understanding of the recruitment process, of the job and
of the organisation should help you to prepare
● use the STAR and Happy Ending techniques to help you
prepare your story
● Think about what to take into the interview to help you
explain your competencies best
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