Competency based questions aim to find out about some of your core skills, abilities and attitudes. They are very frequently asked in interviews and it takes a bit of thought and preparation to get those answered correctly. The most common method to answer these questions is the STAR method – Situation, Task, Action and Result. Be sure to think in advance of an example for each of the situations below and formulate your answers according to the STAR method. Below are just some of the most popular one and how to best answer it to guarantee yourself a good chance of being successful.
Tell me about yourself – take this opportunity to introduce yourself in a way that says some other things alongside the information on your CV. Do talk about your extra curricular activities as well, a potential employer likes to get to know you as a person too, not just as an employee.
What do you do in your current role? – Here you are asked to talk about some of your daily duties and responsibilities.
Why do you want to leave your current job? – It is reasonable to say that you are either looking for a new challenge, your current job is not as rewarding as you had hoped it would be or have relocated. It is NOT reasonable to say that you want more money, you hate your current job, you don’t get on with your boss or a particular colleague or you feel it’s a dead-end job. You must prepare your answer adequately and politely and make sure you come across as professional as you possibly can whatever your reasons.
Why do you want to work for us? – Before you make your choice on your employer, make sure you know exactly why you want to work there. Is it the prestige, is it the career progress, the security? An easy way to think of your answer is if you put yourself in the employer’s shoes, what would you want to hear? The worst thing you can do is not have an answer ready for this.
What can you bring to this job/team? – This is your chance to really sell yourself and tell them why you would be so suitable for the role, perhaps your qualifications or experience or anything extra you can think of. Be careful not to come across as overly confident or “know it all” or you might appear intimidating. Keep modest, it’s always preferable.
What makes you a good team player? – Some good things to say are that you are reliable and find it easy to communicate with people. Also find a couple of personal qualities that you might be able to bring to the team that other people might appreciate such as being lighthearted or gregarious.
What are your strengths? – There is big list of things to choose from such as adaptable, numerical, analytical, fast learner etc. Adapt your answer according to the example you wish to present the interviewer with.
What is one of your weaknesses? – This is the one question that surprises most people. The least favourable answer is that you work too hard! It is important to chose something that won’t necessarily affect your application such as you’re terrible at keeping to deadlines or forgetful. You must assess your own weaknesses and show that you are doing something to improve them in the short or long term.
What are 3 things your boss would want you to improve on? – Again, this is something for you think about from your own previous work situations. Also show that you are striving to improve on them.
What are 3 things your best friend would say about you? – It’s work actually asking your best friend this question, you might be surprised of their answer as it will most likely differ from how you perceive yourself.
How do you handle pressure? – A good answer is that you chose to remain calm and prioritise. A lot of jobs involve pressure so be sure you have already worked out methods to deal with this.
What motivates you? – Some people are motivated by money, others by career progress, others by stability or desire to succeed at what they put their mind to. Choose carefully! It is ONLY OK to say you are motivated by money when you are going for a sales job. All the other times you must choose a different answer.
Where do you see yourself in 5 year’s time? – The most inappropriate answer would be – the other side of this desk (i.e. – your job). Be very careful how you structure your answer here. By all means, it is more than OK to wish to progress but only when the situation allows it. Most appropriate answer is: I see myself learning my role inside out and when the time is right, I would like to take on more responsibility and hopefully progress to team leader or a more senior role. If you don’t want this, that is fine also but a potential employer wants to see dedication to the job they are hiring you for.
Please keep your answers fairly short and focused, you don’t want to bore the interviewer. Preparation is key so take sufficient time to do this. As one of our lovely colleagues always says: “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.
Good luck!
