201 Knockout Answers to Tough Interview Questions

The Ultimate Guide to Handling the New Competency-Based Interview Style

Linda Matias

• Publisher: AMACOM
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9780814415009
• eBook ISBN: 9780814415016
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Business General

This useful resource will help you gain a storehouse of sample interview answers that consistently highlight your ability in these areas.

Employers today are using increasingly tough interview questions to evaluate candidates based on key competencies and determine how well they think on their feet. To stand out in these competency-based interviews, job seekers must be prepared with situation-specific examples and answers to questions that highlight their accomplishments, knowledge, and abilities--and clearly display how all three meet their potential employers’ needs.

In 201 Knockout Answers to Tough Interview Questions, you’ll learn the five core competencies most interviewers are looking for:

• individual responsibility (decisiveness, independence, flexibility, career goals);
• managerial skills (leadership, delegation, strategic planning);
• motivational factors (ambition, initiative); 
• analytical skills (problem solving, attention to detail);
• and people skills (teamwork, communication, customer service)

Featuring fill-in-the-blank exercises and a plethora of traditional and quirky interview questions to help you prepare, this powerful book will help you get noticed by key players during the interview process--no matter what questions get thrown your way.

Part I
The Fundamentals

Chapter 1
What Are Competency-Based Interviews?

Competency-based interviews, also known as behavioral-style interviews, offer you an opportunity to demonstrate the skills, proficiencies, and abilities you have developed in the course of your career. By answering interview questions that focus on your actions in particular workplace situations, you allow interviewers to compare your experience to the requirements of their open positions. This works to your advantage since the likelihood increases that their hiring decisions will be based on your know-how rather than on the interviewer’s personal impressions.

Competency-Based vs. Traditional Interview Questions

Traditional interview questions are broad, allowing the candidate to select an example of a work situation that fits the question asked. These traditional types of interview questions are easy to detect because each typically begins with: “How would …,” “How can …,” “What would …,” “What experience …,” “What qualifications …,” “Can you describe …,” “Have you been …”.

For example, the traditional question, “How would you describe yourself?” opens the door for you to answer in very general terms. You can choose to provide a short response, such as “I describe myself as hardworking.” Or you can go into detail by saying, “Since my employment with ABC Company, I have never missed a day of work. I take pride in providing customers with a top-notch experience.” You also could choose to mention your skills in problem resolution, negotiations, or account management. As you can see, with traditional interview questions, your options as a candidate are unlimited, giving you full control over how you answer each question.

On the other hand, competency-based interview questions are specific. They require you to provide examples in response to questions that are essential for the company and the position for which you are interviewing. An example of a competency-based interview question is: “Describe a time you kept your cool when in a stressful situation.” In this case, there is no flexibility for you. The interviewer has laid out exactly what he wants to know. Because of this specificity, competency-based questions are more difficult to answer and they require more thoughtful responses.

Competency-style interview questions begin with phrases such as the following: “Tell me about a time when you…,” “Give an example of a situation when…,” “Describe an occasion …,” “Describe a time …,” “Recall a time …”. They may also involve a follow-up question, asking for elaboration of your cited incident; for example, “Describe a time when there was a fundamental change in the way things were done in your workplace. What was your response to the situation?” Interviewers choose this line of questioning to ensure that they receive a well-rounded response from you.

In addition, interviewers may set up a competency-based question with an introductory statement. For example: “There are times when a firm decision must be made quickly, and there are other times when it is prudent to consider all angles before making a decision. Give an example of a situation when you took your time in making a final decision.” Beginning a question with a scenario or an affirmation is a conversation tool that interviewers use to ease your anxiety and get you to open up. And that “opening up” allows you to present yourself as an asset to the company.

Proficiencies That Competency-Based Questions Measure

There are five core competencies that are measured during interviews that include these questions. The competencies are transferable from profession to profession and industry to industry and call for particular traits. They include the following:

Competency #1. Individual Responsibility

Decisiveness

Independence

Flexibility

Career goals

Competency #2. Managerial/Leadership Skills

Leadership

Employee motivation

Ability to delegate

Strategic planning

Competency #3. Personal Motivation

Ambition

Initiative

Competency #4. Analytical Skills

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Competency #5. People Skills

Communications skills

Teamwork ability

Customer service awareness

In addition to these core competencies, interviewers seek industry-specific competencies, as noted on the next page. Lastly, you can find additional competencies in current or previous job descriptions, classified ads, performance reviews, and written correspondences. In Chapter 2 you will find examples of each.

Industry-Specific Competencies

To assist you in identifying key words that regularly appear on résumés, in job descriptions, and in interviews, review the following compilation of competencies for a broad range of industries and professions. Choose your profession, or one that is closely related to it, and become acquainted with the competencies that an interviewer may focus on when you seek employment.

Accounting and Finance

accounts payable

accounts receivable

audit controls

bookkeeping

capital budgets

conduct variance analysis

cost-benefit analysis

development of financial models

due diligence

expense analysis

financial audit preparation

financial planning and reporting

financial statement review and research

forecast consolidation

general ledger accounts

liability management

management of due diligence

management of suspense control

month-end reconciliation

preparation of balanced scorecards

preparation of financial presentations

private equity transactions

pro forma business reporting

quickbooks management

Banking

audit controls and reports asset management

branch operations

credit analysis and/or administrat...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• 201 Competency-Based Interview Questions At a Glance
• Part I: The Fundamentals
• Part II: Competency-Based Questions and Answers
• Part III: The End of the Interview
• Contributors
• About the Author