Competency/Skill Based Interview questions And Suggestive Answers to balance your questions for Interviews Includes:
A. LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY/SKILL:
This is the ability to lead, use appropriate interpersonal styles to inspire and guide subordinates, peers or superiors towards goal achievement.
Question: Have you ever held leadership roles ?
ADVICE: Bear in mind that the interviewer is trying to probe your leadership potentials. Do not say “No but i know i could be a good leader if…….”. This does not score neither does it present you well. You must not be a President, Governor, Counsellor, Director, Manager, in one big company or the other to be a leader. NO. Just say Yes, give one or two instances, describe a situation then you are better off.
B. INTEGRITY:
This is the quality of being honest and having a strong moral principles, maintaining and promoting social, ethical and organisational norms.
Question: You have friends/brothers/sisters who came for your help on assignment or project. How did you help ? What are your shortcuts you have used to complete your class-work ?
ADVICE: These questions are probing your integrity so mind your response. Do not say “I did the assignments/projects for him/her” as this portray integrity. Rather, you could say something like “I only advised and gave him/her guidelines on how best to complete the assignments/projects”
Say something like: I did research to get my own ideas and get the assignment done. This Answer could present you better.
C. ANALYTICAL SKILL ON SENSE OF JUDGMENT:
Is The Ability to secure relevant information and make rational and realistic decisions based on logistic assumptions.
Questions: What information did you use and how did you decide on the school that you wanted to attend ? Why did you choose to study ARTS as a career ?
ADVICE: Your analytical skill and sense of judgment are being tested by such questions. “I just choose ABCs university “, “It was all by chance”, are no good responses. Try to demonstrate that irrespective of those information and advice from people, the decision was yours and that your parents saw the reason with you. Back it with convincing reasons.
D. RESILIENCE:
Your ability to handle disappointment and rejection while still maintaining effectiveness.
Questions: Describe a time you developed a time or strength consuming presentation for your class and it was rejected and criticized. What did you do ? How did you cope ?
ADVICE: Do not ever give a silent or negative response. Even if there was no presentation and disappointment, you can give an imaginary positive answer. No one will investigate it. If there was, present yourself right.
E. TENACITY:
This is the ability to stay with position or plan of action until the desired objective is achieved. It refers to frequency and number of attempts.
Questions: Which college courses gave you the most trouble ? What did you do ?
ADVICE: You could say really that none gave you trouble ? But be ready to demonstrate how you were able to find it easy with the course or you say “I found it hard with Mathematics but i skipped the huddle by going for extra lessons and by studying hard”.
F. ADAPTABILITY:
Your ability to maintain effectiveness in varying environment, levels, tasks or responsibilities with various people.
Questions: Going from secondary to university can be a dramatic change, how was it with you?
ADVICE: In your answer, highlight some of the challenges and how you handled them. Remember, your presentation is a base for your assessment.
G. INITIATIVE:
This is the power and imagination to realize what need to be done, being proactive, self-starting rather than accepting passively.
Questions: Why you were at ARTS company, what ideas did you suggest to help the organization to be successful ? What happened thereafter?
ADVICE: If you have never suggested one before, manufacture some and keep for future use.…
There are so many other competencies/skills the interviewer might chose to probe: like your persuasive skill, ability to keep to details, motivational skills, team spirit, planning and organizing skills etc.