There are five different styles of interviews. If you are meeting HR or an experienced Office Manager, they will most likely conduct a structured interview with layered questions. They will ask a series of behavioural questions and non-behavioural questions. The questions often overlap and are designed to gather information about each of the major employer’s concerns. Follow our advice below when tackling a competency based interview and remember, keep it short and simple!
When given a behavioural (competency) based question, your answer should be structured in four parts outlined in the STAR method.
Situation – describe the situation or setting, role, company etc
Task – outline what needed to be done
Action – Describe in detail the action you took (illustrate the skill clearly). Verbally bullet point every step you took to reach the desired outcome
Result – Outline the positive results of your action, especially the benefits to the organisation.
Sample behavioural competencies they may assess within firms:
Behavioural questions will generally begin with “Tell me about a time when…” or “When have you…?” etc.
Questions could be based around the following behavioural competencies and below you will find points to touch on when answering the questions.
Questions about team work:
Make sure you touch on some of the following behaviours;
- Managing others expectations
- Motivating others
- Being constructive
- Escalating issues when necessary
- Being proactive in self-training
- Offering to help others
- Taking a genuine interest in your colleagues
- Being a good listener
- Being someone who can be relied upon
Questions about using your initiative / improving or streamlining processes;
Make sure you touch on some of the following behaviours;
- Testing
- Being a leader, not a follower
- Writing procedural manuals
- Gaining authority
- Training others
- Your commitment to improving productivity
- Adapting or changing your behaviour to better achieve target/objective
- Your confidence to challenge decisions
- Being proactive
Questions about coping under pressure, stress and time management;
Make sure you touch on some of the following behaviours;
- Managing others expectations on timelines
- Delegating
- Prioritising
- Creating to do lists
- Flexibility
- Not taking things personally
- Being happy to work additional hours
- Having a clear appreciation for strengths and limitations
- Showing good judgement under pressure
- Multitasking
Questions about internal and external client focus
Make sure you touch on some of the following behaviours;
- Following up
- Listening and addressing needs
- Empathising
- Using their words when communicating
- Reconfirmations
- Being confident at dealing with all levels
- Managing client expectations
Questions about analytical skills / problem solving;
Make sure you touch on some of the following behaviours;
- Escalating issues when required
- Taking into account risks and potential business impact
- Ability to make decisions based on information
- Analysing diverse alternatives
- Attention to detail
