The current industry leading practice is to interview candidates using a technique known as “Competency Based Interviewing” (also called “structured” or “behavioural” interviewing). Competency based interviewing is based upon the concept of linking three parameters – knowledge, skills and attitude. Each question is designed to test one or more specific skills and the answer is then matched against pre-decided criteria and marked or rated accordingly. For example, the interviewer may want to test the candidate’s ability to deal with stress by firstly asking how the candidate generally handles stress and then asking the candidate to provide an example of a situation where he or she worked under pressure.
Competency based interviewing differs from traditional interviewing (also called unstructured interviewing) as traditional interviews are essentially a conversation where the interviewer asks a number of questions that are relevant to what they are looking for but without any specific aim in mind other than getting an overall impression of the candidate as an individual. Questions are usually quite random and can also be quite open. For example, a question such as “What can you offer our company?” is meant to gather general information about the candidate but does not test any specific skill or competency. In an unstructured interview, the candidate is judged on the general impression that he or she leaves and the process is therefore likely to be more subjective.
Competency based interviews are more systematic, with each question targeting a specific skill or competency. Candidates are asked questions relating to their behaviour in specific circumstances, which they then need to back up with concrete examples. The interviewer will then dig further into the examples by asking for specific explanations about the candidate’s behaviour or skills.
An example of a competency-based interview question is:
“This is a busy role which manages high volumes of client contact and juggles a number of competing priorities. Can you tell us about a time when you have had to coordinate multiple work outputs with competing deadlines? What strategies did you employ and what was the outcome?”
This question tests organisational skills, working at a fast pace, dealing with stressful situations, providing high quality client service and achieving results.
Utilising a methodology called the “STAR” methodology can be useful tool to frame competency-based interview questions.
The STAR methodology is:
- Situation – Ask the candidate to set the context by describing the circumstance where they used the skills or qualities you are seeking.
- Task – What was their role / involvement in the situation?
- Actions – What did they do and how did they do it?
- Results – What did they achieve? What was the outcome of their actions?
Regardless of the specific position being recruited it is always worthwhile asking a question about communication skills, teamwork and organisational skills as these qualities are important requirements of most jobs.
Another effective technique in assisting to select the best candidate for the position is to conduct a secondary interview with the top one or two candidates. This interview should be a much less formal unstructured interview – at a café for example. This is a good opportunity to meet the candidate in a less stressful environment than the initial interview, and will give you an excellent insight into their potential fit into the culture of your organisation, and you should be able to effectively gauge how you would work with the candidate on a day-to-day basis.
For assistance with your next recruitment campaign or with developing competency-based interview questions, please call CBR Recruitment on 02 6103 7000 or email: hello@CBRrecruitment.com.au
