Interview by Competencies: 4 keys to achieve the job

The competency interview (or behavioral interview) is a type of interview used by experts in staff pick, since it provides more advantages and is more effective in predicting job performance than the traditional interview.

Doing a good interview will determine if we are really suitable for the position for which we apply. Therefore, if we want to get the best of ourselves in front of the interviewer, it is important to know how the behavioral interview works.

Interview by competencies: everything you need to know

During a competency interview, and to find out if the person interviewed is the right person for the position, the recruiter will focus on obtaining behavioral examples from the personal, academic and professional life of the postulant.

The personnel selection expert, after previously knowing the needs of both the position and the organization, will observe if the motivation, knowledge, capacities or values ​​of the person interviewed, fit with the needs of the company.

Analyzing the keys to overcome it and get the job

Unlike the traditional interview, which focuses on superficial aspects such as knowledge, experience or educational level, the skills interview assesses other skills necessary for the position and the specific organization, such as: the way of relating to colleagues, the desire to work in the company, the leadership, etc. The competency interview, therefore, inquire about deeper aspects that better predict the candidate's future performance.

The concept of competition

The concept of competence arises from the need to assess not only the set of knowledge, skills and abilities that a person may possess, but rather to appreciate their ability to use them to respond to specific situations and solve problems that may arise in the field labor. In addition, it refers to the conditions of the individual and his behaviors, and takes into account the attitudinal and evaluative component that is present in his actions.

The concept of competence is multidimensional and includes four components different:

• Know how to be: it is the personal dimension, the attitudes and values ​​that guide the behavior.
• To know: it is the technical dimension, and refers to the academic data, or knowledge that the person possesses.
• Know to do: it is the methodological dimension, the ability to apply knowledge. They are abilities, skills, methods of action, etc.
• Know to be: is the participatory dimension. It refers to skills related to interpersonal communication and cooperative work.

The previous work of a competency interview

When interviewers ask competency-based questions, they are looking for answers that show that a person will answer successfully to the challenges of the position, that you will fit into the work group and that you will effectively use your skills and experience in daily tasks. Therefore, depending on one position or another, the interviewer's questions can be directly related to specific job tasks, with your interpersonal skills or with your degree of motivation that produces the job.

For example, the questions will be different for a factory operator than for a receptionist. Each of these positions requires different skills, specific skills. But also, in the case of the receptionist, it will not be the same to work in a five-star hotel than in a three-star hotel. The clientele of one or another hotel will encourage the candidates to have some attitudes or others.

In order to correctly define the necessary competencies, there must be a previous job by the human resources department or the recruiter, in which knowledge of the position is obtained (tasks, work schedules work, etc.) and the aspects of the organization that will influence the work (for example, the work environment, company values, etc.). All that information will be translated into clear language, that is, the behaviors and skills that are required will be well defined. This will allow the interviewer to know exactly the specific needs of the position, and will facilitate their ability to prediction in the selection process, that is, it will allow to know if the worker fits both the job and the company.

How to prepare for a skills interview?

An interview is essentially a casting, therefore, you have to be well prepared to avoid falling into "The 10 most common mistakes made in a job interview".

To show the best image of yourself, We are going to give you some tips and advice that can be very useful in order to overcome the filter imposed by the human resources departments of companies.

1. Know yourself

Knowing yourself is essential to do a good interview. Write down your strengths and weaknesses, and think about what you can contribute to the company if you are selected.

2. Research the position

You should research the position that is offered, so you can know the skills necessary for the job. In addition, you can reread the offer description to learn about the functions and requirements that the company demands.

3. Find information about the organization

Investigate the values ​​promoted by the organization, its culture, inquire about the area in which you will work, etc. Surely looking at their website you can find important information.

4. Prepare the questions

If you've followed the steps above, you may have an idea of ​​the most important competencies for your job title. Now you can prepare well the possible questions that you think may arise during the interview. Think of examples from your experience that show that you have these competencies, and prepare anecdotes and examples. Above all, explain what you did in the situation that you are going to explain. You don't need to learn exactly what to say, but you can get an idea of ​​what they are going to ask you. This way you will be more confident and answer the questions more fluently.

If you are not used to attending competency interviews, the model STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) can be useful for you to structure the answers well. Once you have the competence, think about the situation, the task, the action and the result of what you are going to explain. In this way you will build the answers better and you will not forget any data.

Bonus: Frequently Asked Questions in a Competency Interview

To finish, we present some questions with their respective competencies:

• Customer orientation: Tell me about a situation in which you consider that you have satisfactorily solved the needs of a client. How did you act in this situation?

• Problem resolution: Tell me about a problem you encountered in your previous job. What solution did you take? Why?

• Stress resistance: When do you consider that you have been in a truly stressful situation? How did you react to?

If you need to know more about frequently asked questions in interviews, don't stop reading:

"The 10 most common questions in a job interview (and how to deal with them)"