Regarding suspicious messages impersonating RGF employees

Sign In or Register
  • Home
  • Jobs
  • For Employers
    • Our Services & Process
    • Our Expertise
    • Register Vacancy
  • For Candidates
    • For Your Career
    • Submit Your CV
    • Insights
  • Insights & News
    • RGF Asian Intelligence
    • News
  • About
    • About RGF Professional Recruitment India
    • About RGF International Recruitment
    • Management Team
    • Vision / Mission / Values
    • Network
    • Contact Us
  • Careers

What are Competency Interviews?

Home › Insights & News › What are Competency Interviews?
Posted On 2019-08-16

If you’ve been scheduled for a competency interview as part of your job interview process, you may be wondering what to expect. A competency interview is a method of interviewing usually used to evaluate your key competencies, particularly when it is hard to judge based on paper qualifications. There are a myriad competencies that you can be questioned about, including your hands-on skills, attitude and familiarity with the industry.

Being a more systematic type of process than the traditional interview, your competency interview will feature questions designed to help your prospective employer assess specific skills or competencies. Your answer to each will enable your potential employer to work out how well you’re likely to be able to deal with particular situations, assignments and colleagues on the job. Be prepared to back up your statements with real examples of your past work styles and skills. Getting a good picture of your past experiences is the best way for your potential employer to predict your future performance within the company.

“Identifying the most qualified candidate from a pool of suitable talent may prove challenging if the traditional and impersonal approach to interviews is utilised,” explains Hiroki Nakashige, CEO of RGF International Recruitment. “In order to decrease a company’s turnover rate, it is essential to eliminate subjective assessments and to comprehensively understand a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. Properly structured competency-based interviews now allow companies to objectively and accurately evaluate core competencies that are critical to succeed in any given role. These interviews provide a concrete overview of a candidate’s work ethic, mindset and behaviour, which would often be difficult to measure when utilising the traditional and unstructured approach.”

 

Why is the competency interviews more widely used today?

The job market is a lot more competitive than it used to be, and not just for job applicants like you. Businesses and organisations are now under pressure to be more careful in hiring so that they don’t lose out on skilled talent or end up hiring unsuitable candidates. With contracts becoming more definitive and laws around contract termination more stringent, these interviews allow companies to scrutinise their applicants to avoid making hiring mistakes. These interviews help achieve the following improved outcomes:

 

Greater objectivity

A normal, unstructured interview is basically a conversation between you and the interviewer. You’ll be asked a few questions that are relevant to the job position, but without a deep desire to understand your full capabilities. Your interviewer will end up with a rough idea of you as a person without a clear understanding of the specific skills you have. This makes the whole process very subjective.

A structured competency interview, on the other hand, has each question designed to test skills relevant to the job you are being assessed for. Your response will then be matched against a rubric and graded accordingly. This makes the interview less vague and eliminates personal bias or that “gut feeling” the employer may have in hiring you. In a panel interview, it also means a single person in the interview panel cannot highjack the hiring process as the selection method is inherently objective.

 

Reduced likelihood of incompatibility

Through the thorough interview process, your interviewees can also evaluate whether or not you have the right attitude for the job. Your way of thinking and work style, while good in some environments, might conflict with the team’s processes. How good your relationships will be with your colleagues will depend on the behaviour of each individual. In normal interviews, you would probably only realise any incompatibility after weeks of being in the position.

If you’re not selected, don’t be discouraged, it may have been for the best as you wouldn’t want to be stuck in an unhappy job where you can’t cope or get along with your colleagues. Your talents and skills are probably more suited for another company and with a working style similar to that you are comfortable with.

 

Preparing for a competency-based interview

The key to showing the interview panel the best version of yourself is preparation. Select the main skills the employer is looking for from the job description and think about examples of when and how you have demonstrated these qualities in the past. Draw upon a range of experiences from your studies and past work positions or internships that you have undertaken.

 

How to answer competency questions

Get acquainted with the STAR approach (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to prepare your answers. This is a helpful way to clearly and succinctly communicate important points.

Situation: Detail the situation you were confronted with.

Task: Detail the task that you had to do to address the situation.

Action: Explain what you did and why

Results: Describe the positive impact of your actions.

Try to link your answers to the position you are going for whenever possible and display knowledge of the organisation. While you should be well researched and prepared, your answers shouldn’t sound like you’ve memorised a script.

Being overprepared may lose you a few points for authenticity but being unprepared will almost guarantee you failing the interview. Don’t try to wing it and be left with “Argh, I should have said that!” after the interview is over. Certainly, don’t lie about your experiences. Any fabrication can easily be examined, and Karma will come back to bite you eventually. If you can’t immediately come up with an answer to a question, pausing for a moment to collect your thoughts is perfectly acceptable. Its better to give a good but delayed response than an unstructured, quick one.

Now’s the time to get prepared for that competency interview. Research the company, think about the skills listed on the job ad description and prepare to talk about how your past experiences demonstrate you have the competencies your prospective employer is looking for. Once that’s done, prepare to shine on the day, by simply being you.

 

Are you looking for a Job?

RGF Professional Recruitment handles hiring for top multinational and can connect you with exciting opportunities in Asia.

Send your CV

In this article:

 

Hiroki Nakashige

CEO, RGF International Recruitment

TAGS: Interview & Salary Negotiation Advice News
All
  • Awards
  • Career Advisory
  • Career Management
  • Employer Branding
  • Hiring
  • Industry Insights
  • Insights
  • Interview & Salary Negotiation Advice
  • Market Report
  • News
  • Our Activities
  • Press Releases

Our RGF Asian Intelligence series brings you the latest HR and business trends.

Download Now 

Read Also

Hiring In India What Employers And Employees Need To Know

Hiring in India: What Job Seekers and Employers Need to Know

Explore the evolving job market in India, top job opportunities, and how recruitment agencies can...

Dream Job In India

Landing Your Dream Job in India

Finding the perfect job in India can be both exciting and challenging. With a competitive job mar...

India Hiring Job Search

Your Ultimate Guide to Hiring and Job Search in India

This comprehensive guide delves into the various facets of recruitment, offering insights for can...

India Resume Cv Jobseekers

Writing a Winning CV/Resume: Essential Tips for Indian Job Seekers

A well-crafted CV or resume can set you apart from the competition. Let’s explore how you can cre...

Harnessing The Power Of Ai In Recruitment Revolutionizing The Hiring Process In India

Harnessing the Power of AI in Recruitment: Revolutionizing the Hiring Process in India

Harness AI in recruitment for efficient hiring in India. Discover how AI transforms resume screen...

India Upskilling Job Market

Upskilling: Staying Ahead of the Curve in a Competitive India Job Market

Upskilling has emerged as a vital strategy for employees and job seekers to secure and grow their...

Key Contents
Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use
Our Professional Recruitment Regional Offices
Mainland China
India
Japan
Singapore
Our Brands
RGF Executive Search RGF Professional Recruitment RGF HR Agent
Company Name
RGF Professional Recruitment India
Address
Unit No. 602, 6th Floor, Tower 3, Worldmark, Sector 65, Gurugram, Haryana, India-122102
© RGF Professional Recruitment India All Rights Reserved

Join RGF Talent Community

Creating an account allows you for saving your favorite jobs, managing your candidate profile and makes applications faster.
Register with LinkedIn
or
Register with Email
Register with LinkedIn



If this is not you, please go to LinkedIn and Log In with your credentials.

Register with Email





Already have an account? Sign In

Almost There

Please confirm your address

A message containing a confirmation link has been sent to .
Please check your inbox. Once your address is confirmed, you will be able to use our services.

Sign In

Sign In to manage your job alerts, save your favorite jobs and create your candidate profile.
Sign In with Linkedin
or
Sign In with Email
Sign In with Email

Please verify your mail address and password.



Lost your Password
Don't have an account yet? Register

Reset Password

Type in your email address, we will send you a message so that you can reset your password.
Back to Sign In

Don't have an account yet? Register

Reset Password

Please check your inbox

A message containing a confirmation link has been sent to .
You will be able to change your password from this link.
Please check it within 10 minutes. It will become unavailable after this period.

Share

Link copied to your clipboard.
https://www.india.rgf-professional.com/insights/what-are-competency-interviews-9cac7893-efd9-4205-b3b3-94972a864016
Copy