Competency Based Interviews

1© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco ConfidentialGraduate Recruitment NetReady 5/2007

Competency Based Interviews

© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 2Graduate Recruitment NetReady 5/2007

Agenda

Introduction & some interview basics

What is a competency?

Why use competency or behavioural interview approach?

Examples of core competencies

Preparing for the competency interview

Sample questions

Q&A


Rule Number 1


Interview Structure

Open the interview 5%

Close the Interview10%

Gathering Data70%

•Introduce yourself, establish rapport

•Let your interviewer tell you what the agenda for the discussion will be

•Listen to the interviewer give you their expectations of the interview

•Behavioural questions

•Technical screen

•General CV information confirmation

•Ask the questions you prepared

•Try to obtain more specific details about the job description

•Ask the interviewer what the next steps are and when you can expect to hear back from them


Body Language

Defensive

Cross arms or legs, gesture with arm, hand or finger

Insecure

Biting fingernails, thumb rubbing

Nervous

Sighs, ear tugging, sweating...

Frustration

Wringing hands, sharp exhales, rubbing back of neck..

Suspicion

Stroke the nose, rub the eyes, diagonal stance

Openness

Opened hands, unbuttoned jacket, uncrossed legs

Reflectiveness

Rubbing chin, touching cheek, pinching bridge of nose

It’s Not Just What You Say, It’s How You Say It…It’s Not Just What You Say, It’s How You Say It…


Be Prepared

A good interviewer will prepare prior to every interview with specific questions for each candidate…we expect the same from you

What does my company do?

Have you checked out our website?

Do you know who our competitors are?

Do you understand the job your applying for?

Why did you apply to this position?

Where do you see your career developing?

This can make the difference between getting the job or notThis can make the difference between getting the job or not


Agenda



Why use competency or behavioral interview approach?



Sample questions

Q&A


What is a Competency?

The word competency is widely used in business environments and refers to the skills that are necessary to achieve an effective performance level in the job.

Every job will have a set of key competencies, some of which are essential and others desired and all are required to do the job properly.


Why do they do it?

Competency based interview questions are used in an effort to make the interview process as standard and as fair as possible.

It is a technique which is being used increasingly in large organisations where many managers may be interviewing for the same type of position.


Your interview – Behavioural Questions

In general a competency based interview is one in which the interviewer:

– Focuses on the skills that are critical to

success on the job and

– Focuses on how the candidate has demonstrated these

skills in the past

You, the candidate, will be required to recall and describe a specific situation or event in which you demonstrated (or failed to demonstrate) a skill critical for success in the position for which you are applying.


Behavioural Questions

A behavioural question is looking for information about:

The details of a specific situation or event

Your specific action or behaviour and

The outcome of the situation

- In other words, what you did.

A behavioural question is not looking for:

Your opinion

What what you “think” you would do in a situation

Your assessment of your own strengths, weaknesses or performance

- In other words, what you think you would do.


So Why Use this Approach…?

Advantages of examining past behavior– Reduces misunderstanding about a your past experiences

– Reduces your effort to “make a good impression”

– Reduces emphasis on the “hypothetical”

– Prevents personal impressions from affecting evaluation

– Provides actual examples of your knowledge, skills and attributes

– Promotes consistency in interviews and assures all key areas for success are covered in the conversation

Past Behavior is the Best Predictor of Future BehaviorPast Behavior is the Best Predictor of Future Behavior


What is the interviewer looking for? Well, it has to be REAL

What was the RRelevant EExperience? –the situation, event or project you describe in answering your question. In describing this experience, you should tell your interviewer:

– What happened– How it happened– What led up to it (or why it came about)


It has to be REAL...cont

What was your AAction? –what you did or how you handled the situation, event or project. In describing your actions you should tell your interviewer:

– What (specifically and in detail) you individually did

– How you reacted to the situation

– How you arrived at a solution

Make sure you focus on what you individually did, you should say the word “I” a lot. Many people are uncomfortable talking about themselves. Often candidates will say “We” without making a distinction between what s/he personally did and what others involved in the story did.


It has to be REAL...cont

What was the result to which your actions LLed? –the direct result or outcome of your action. In describing the result, you should tell your interviewer:

– What happened

– The result/outcome of your action

– How the action affected your relationship with other parties involved. (This is particularly important when you provides an example of a conflict situation.)

Candidates will often describe an experience and the related action with little prompting. However, because the result of the candidate’s action may be the most critical part of the story, it is important that the candidate follow through to the result.

Be sure you have told your interviewer exactly what happened as a result of your action. Otherwise, the interviewer might misread the example.


Agenda



Why use competency or behavioural interview approach?



Sample questions


Core Competencies

Examples of core competencies required in many jobs are:

- Communication skills- Delivering Results- Use of Initiative- Planning and Organizing- Analytical and/or Strategic Thinking- Building relationships- Team Work

In preparation for a Competency Based Interview the experienced interviewer will draw up a list of questions relating to each competency and all directed towards discovering if you have those skills necessary for the job.


Cisco’s Core Competencies – New Graduate Pre-Sales Role

Effective Communication Good listening and presentation skillsAble to explain complex issues in a simplified manner

ResiliencyAble to deal with changeAble to take constructive feedback

Team SkillsA good team player and leaderPeople-oriented

Sales PersonalityDriven to be in sales

Achievement OrientedNot risk-averse, uses initiativeDetermined to succeed


We Choose these Competencies to Measure if Candidates will Fit into Cisco’s Culture

• Innovation

• Continuous improvement

• Quality team

• Giving Back/Trust/Fair/Integrity

• Fun

• Empowerment

• Profit contribution

• No Technology Religion

• Market Transitions

• Open Communication

• Teamwork

• Drive change


Agenda






Sample questions

Q&A


Preparing for a Competency Based Interview

The most common type are Behavioral Based Interview Questions. These are also called Situational and are used as a tool to discover how your behavior in a previous role or situation can contribute to your performance in the job being recruited for.

Examples of Behaviour Based Interview Questions are:

Tell me about a time when you.... Give an example of a <Stressful, Successful, Important> situation you found yourself in and what did you do?Describe a situation which caused you a problem and tell me how you resolved it.

Something to be aware of; even if your interview is not described as such, it is very likely in today's recruitment market that you will be asked Competency Based Interview Questions.

Your best preparation is to know your own background and know the job description of the job you are applying for

Your best preparation is to know your own background and know the job description of the job you are applying for


Agenda






Sample questions

Q&A


Let’s Review – Cisco’s Core Competencies




Sales PersonalityDriven to be in salesCustomer orientation



For Example...

Competency: Customer Orientation

Definition: A willingness to help and serve others and meet their needs whether they are internal or external customers. Understands urgency.

Question: Tell me about a time when you felt effective in dealing with a customer (internal or external). What was the outcome? How and when did you communicate your findings to the customer?

Response:I recently completed my thesis and presented my findings to the academic review board. I asked my advisor for the background of the board members and saw that two had a specialization in the topic of my thesis so I knew to expect a lot of challenging questions. I made sure that I had double checked all of my data and knew my sources before the review meeting so I was able to answer even the most obscure questions. Also my advisor had mentioned that there was one member of the board who had problems with his sight so I made sure that all of my documents were printed in a larger font to make them easier to read.


Now its your turn…




Sales PersonalityDriven to be in salesCustomer orientation


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Competency Based Interviews

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