Getting the most out of recruitment interviews is essential – why?
- It maximises the opportunity of identifying the right person for the job
- It enhances the return on your opportunity costs – saving time, money and effort
- It minimises the chance of making a “reactive” decision
- It reduces the chance of reviewing a candidate at “face value”
- It establishes a framework that enables you to “score” an individual’s performance
What is a competency?
A core competency is a behavioural or technical trait that you consider essential or desirable in a role or individual – it is a tick list of characteristics you are seeking in your employee, for example …
- Decision-making – evidence of providing support on key operational decisions
- Team management – experience of building, developing and motivating staff
- Technical skills – exposure to IFRS, SOX or financial modelling
How do I go about interviewing based on competency? 
- Identify essential competencies which you deem prerequisite to the role
- Create a shortlist of questions that will initiate dialogue around a competency
- Establish a scoring system to track candidate performance
How will a candidate demonstrate a core competency?
An astute candidate will have a “tool box” of real-life examples that they can utilise to demonstrate key skills, characteristics or traits. A well-prepared interviewee will answer a competency-led question with a specific experience, which demonstrates the desired competency by following the SOAR pattern.
- Situation – a brief introduction to a situation
- Objective - highlighting key aims of any outcome
- Action – a detailed account of how the situation was dealt with
- Result – a brief outline of the results of any actions
In a nutshell … 
Competency based interviews drill through a CV to the substance behind it. They are designed to be thorough, to verify that candidates can demonstrate proven examples of specific skill sets, experience or personality and to “score” an interview objectively.
Get some top tips at http://www.howtobooks.co.uk/employment/interviews/competency-based.asp
