Talking about your competencies at interview 1

Introduction and housekeeping 2

In this session… By the end of this session you will: Have considered some of the competencies that you might be questioned about at interview Have considered your own skills, experiences and achievements Be familiar with tools for creating, remembering and delivering narratives of your competencies 3

What is a ‘Competency’? Competencies are: -The skills and experiences you have already -The skills and experiences you will want to develop to be able to confidently pursue your goals – whatever they are -The skills and experiences that employers look for when they recruit for a role 4

Competency Development 5 1. Unconscious Incompetence: “I have never tried and I have no idea how bad I am at this skill!” 2. Conscious Incompetence: “Now I’ve tried this skill, I realise that I need to learn how to do it” 3. Conscious Competence: “I have learned how to do this skill and I know the processes I must go through to perform” 4. Unconscious Competence: “I am so familiar with this skill that I no longer need to think about how to do it well” Four Stages of Competence - Model developed by Noel Burch, Gordon Training International,

What is a Competency Framework? A list of competencies at different levels Used by employers in recruitment and promotion Used at this university to describe the competencies its students develop at different levels (e.g. undergraduate, masters and PhD) 6

The mysterious language of competencies Take a look at the Competency Framework that relates to your subject and level of study and then: 1.Introduce yourself to the others in your group 2.Talk about which of the competencies you feel most confident and least confident about in yourself. 7

The recruitment process (3-6 months) Workload identified - no- one available in- house to take it on so a new person must be recruited Staff meet to discuss the workload and create a job description Staff then identify the competencies needed to do the job they have envisaged and create a person specification Job/ internship is advertised Applications are screened according to match of competencies with the person specification Small number are invited to discuss their competencies at interview (usually 3-6 interviewees) If a suitable candidate is identified, they are offered the job. If not, or if the interviewee declines, the whole cycle must be repeated. Significant time/cost implication 8

Screening processes ● Manual (for smaller organisations) ● Electronic (for large volumes of applications, e.g. Graduate Schemes) ● Assessment Centre 9

How to speak the mysterious language of competencies at interview 1.Know which competencies you’ll be asked about 2.Think about your relevant experience 3.Construct an interesting story STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) Happy Ending (make it measurable and positive!) 10

How students talk about their competencies Insert appropriate videos of students articulating their competencies. [click here to view videos] 11

Practice talking about your competencies ● For both your strongest and your weakest competency, draft an answer to the interview question: “give me an example of a time when you demonstrated [competency]” ● Practice your answers on a partner and get their feedback ● Write up your competency statements onto flipchart paper and put them up on the wall. 12

Preparing for specific interviews 1.In your group, choose which of the job ads you want to work on 2.Identify the competencies that the recruiter is asking for 3.Draft an interview question for each 4.Prepare answers for the questions you have some up with - if you need inspiration, look at the examples on the flipcharts around the room. 13

How to perform your best at an interview 1.Prepare by researching the job and the organisation 2.Practice by studying the competencies and drafting interesting answers based on your experience (remember to use STAR and include a Happy Ending) 14

How to perform your best at an interview 1.Consider taking a ‘folder of experience’ in to the interview that outlines some of your key achievements and any other examples of your work. Also take a notepad to jot down things you need to remember. 2.Think of some interesting and intelligent questions to ask - have them written down to refer to at the end of the interview. 15

What do you worry about? Write your worries one per post-it note. They can be serious or light hearted. We will get through as many as you can so that you feel confident and ready for your interview. 16

Summary ● Thinking about your experience in terms of competencies takes practice ● An understanding of the recruitment process, of the job and of the organisation should help you to prepare ● use the STAR and Happy Ending techniques to help you prepare your story ● Think about what to take into the interview to help you explain your competencies best 17