Candidate Support - A Guiding Hand

CV Presentation Notes

• The CV should have 2 distinct sections – Personal Details followed by Employment History
• Bullet point it where possible
• If your employment has spanned more than a couple of decades, employers will want to see the most detail pertaining to recent positions. Earlier roles can be summarised to show career progression
• Qualifications should be restricted to professional qualifications and highest academic achievements
• For shorter or trainee employment more detail should be given to provide a balanced overview of qualifications and achievements
• The CV should be relevant – tailor it to each position you apply for

What is a competency based interview

It is an interview in which each candidate is asked the same broad questions which are designed to obtain information about the match between the candidate’s competencies and those required for the job.

These questions concentrate on the most important parts of a candidate’s past experience. This enables the interviewer to draw from each candidate his or her ability to demonstrate successful performance in the job.

Why are they used?

Our individual skills, attributes and behaviours make us unique, they also influence the way we react and respond to events in our lives and thus how we perform at work. There is a direct relationship between our skills, attributes and behaviours and our performance at work. It makes sense for interviewers to ask candidates about their competencies and see how they ‘match’ the job requirement. Candidates can assess whether the job matches their competencies so that they would be happy on that role.

Behavioural Interviewing

Behavioural Interviewing is based on the premise that examples of past behaviour are the best predictor of future behaviour. Interviewers have identified certain skills and competencies (“critical capabilities”) essential to the position and will ask you to describe a specific instance in your past related to these qualities. They will use this information to draw conclusions about how you are likely to react should you encounter a similar situation in the future.

Some of the skills and qualities you may be evaluated on include: Problem solving, decision making, initiative/execution, handling details, technical expertise, flexibility, communication, conflict management, business acumen, achievement drive, leadership, stress management and teamwork.

The best approach to take when answering these types of questions is the SOAR interviewing approach, Situation, Opportunity, Action, Result.

Situation: Give an example of a situation you were involved in that resulted in a positive outcome or a positive learning experience or describe the tasks involved in that situation.

Opportunity: Discuss what opportunity you had with the situation to make things different.

Action: Talk about the various action involve in the situation’s tasks.

Result: What results followed because of your actions.

This method is the best form of projecting your personality and capabilities as you are substantiating your strengths with examples!

These tips are only short examples of how to follow best practice. If you feel you would like further help and training, please give us a call on 01295 724570.