1. Please tell me what are core competencies?
The number of academic standards that have been generated by national organizations and states can be overwhelming. Based on a study the system would need to be changed from a K-12 to a K-22 system in order to adequately teach all standards to mastery. This is certainly a recipe for failure. The Common Core creates a different starting point, focusing on the most important standards. The next step is to translate the standards into core competencies. States can be helpful in identifying a shared set of core competencies that all districts will be building upon. This is also helpful for establishing portability, a key ingredient for ensuring that students with high mobility will benefit directly from a competency-based system.
2. What are lifelong learning competencies?
The common core includes application of knowledge through high-order skills. However, there are other skills that are important to all students but particularly critical for students living in areas of concentrated poverty and/or violence. These include social-emotional and navigational skills that help them overcome trauma and engage others in helping them to manage highly complex dilemmas in their lives. In addition, workforce and career development are critical for finding jobs to support families and increased motivation through the broadened horizons. For students that are first in their families to go to college, gaining knowledge about the college application and financial aid process is imperative. States can facilitate the development of shared lifelong learning competencies, rubrics and professional development so that educators and community members can work together to support students.
3. What should you do when you are asked typical competency based questions?
You should have an idea before the interview of the experiences from your life that you could use as examples to demonstrate the key competencies of the firm to which you are applying. You are likely to have to provide at least two examples for each competency during your interview.
It is quite acceptable to ask for and to use a few moments of thinking time before answering competency questions. If necessary, simply notify your interviewer by explaining you "may need to think about this for a few moments". Once you have thought of a good example to use, continue with your answer.
4. Why do interviewers ask career motivation questions as competency based key?
Interviewers ask career motivation questions to determine why you want to work for their company and why you want to work in role to which you have applied. Career motivation questions are similar to, but not the same as commitment to career questions and are often used as part of a competency based interview.
5. Give examples of organization questions as competency based key?
Some questions that you might be asked:
★ You are allocated a new project of a type you never had before. How do you structure it? Where do you start?
★ You have a limited budget. It is not enough for all the activities you want to implement. How do you prioritize?
★ You have a huge list of things to do and not enough time for everything. What do you do?
6. Tell me about organization as competency based key?
A focus on organizational competencies is more critical to achieving team alignment, effective execution and the right allocation of scarce resources than is a focus on strategic goals.
7. What should you do for answering about problem solving as competency based key?
To answer these questions you should give examples of intelligent and useful decisions you have made to solve problems that have arisen either at work, in education or during extracurricular pursuits in the past.
8. Please give examples of problem solving as competency based key?
Examples of problem solving competency questions are:
★ How do you solve problems?
★ Give me an example of a problem you have faced in the past, either as part of a team or as an individual. How did you solve the problem?
★ What do you do when you can't solve a problem?
9. Tell me what is problem solving as competency based key?
The ability to solve problems is an analytical skill that employers look for evidence of in applicants, particularly for jobs that involve frequent problems that must be solved, such as mathematical problems or managerial problems.
The ability to solve problems can be defined as the ability to accurately assess a problem and effectively arrive at an excellent solution.
10. What do you need to do when answering about results orientation as competency based key?
You need to make it clear that you understand how important results are, that you are a competitive and results driven person and that although you may not always have achieved the desired results in the past, you certainly did aim to do so and have learnt from your mistakes.
11. What are the questions included in results orientation as competency based key?
Results orientation questions you may be asked include:
★ Are you successful?
★ Give me an example of a time you have been very successful.
★ Why do you think people aren't successful?
★ Give me an example of a time you were not successful. Why do you think this happened?
12. Tell me about results orientation as competency based key?
Results orientation is a term used to describe "knowing what results are important and focusing resources to achieve them." Interviewers will ask competency questions to determine if candidates are results driven, aware of the importance of results, to find out what kind of results are important to a candidate and if the candidate understands how to achieve results.
13. Please give examples of trustworthiness and ethics questions as competency based key?
Examples of competency questions that are used to find out about a candidate's trustworthiness and ethics are:
★ Give me an example of a time a member of a team you were in had a problem. What did you do to help?
★ Give me an example of a time you told a lie.
★ Would you lie if your job depended on it?
★ Do you think it can sometimes be ok to deceive people if this leads to a positive final outcome?
★ It is late on a friday afternoon. The rest of your team, including managers, have left the office for the day but you have stayed to finish some work. A client company calls and you are the most relevant person to talk to. They are angry and demand that you shred some key documents immediately, otherwise they will terminate their relationship with your firm. You are almost certain destroying these documents is illegal. What do you do?
14. Please define trustworthiness and ethics as competency based key?
Trustworthiness and ethics are key competencies employers want to see evidence of in candidates, in particular for jobs in industries that require a high level of confidentiality such as law, accounting and consulting.
15. Give examples of leadership questions as competency based key?
Examples of competency questions that are used to evaluate leadership skills are:
★ Describe a time when you had to lead a group to achieve an objective?
★ Describe a work based situation where you had to lead by example to achieve an objective?
★ Describe a situation where you inspired others to meet a common goal?
★ How do you motivate team members to do something they decide they do not want to do?
16. Tell me what is leadership as competency based key?
Leadership is a competency employers look for in candidates who are applying for jobs that require them to lead, motivate and/or develop other people, usually team leader and management positions (or trainee positions that lead to management positions).
17. Give examples of communication questions as competency based key?
It is likely that you will need to show evidence of your own communication skills during a competency based interview. Questions you may be asked include:
★ Give an example of how you dealt with a difficult or sensitive situation that required extensive communication.
★ Give me an example of how you dealt with a difficult customer at work.
★ Tell me about a time when you had to explain an issue or process to a colleague (or colleagues) at work.
★ Tell me about a time when you taught someone else something.
★ How do you explain things to other people?
18. Tell me what is communication as competency based key?
Employers are looking for employees who can communicate well with other people. Strong communicators make good team members because they can efficiently and effectively transfer information from person to person, follow instructions and instruct other people.
Strong communicators generally also make good leaders and decision makers, which makes communication a key competency.
19. What should you do while answering the decision making questions as competency based key?
To answer these questions you should give examples of sensible and pertinent decisions you have made during difficult situations either at work, in education or during extracurricular pursuits.
20. Give examples of decision making questions as competency based key?
Examples of decision making competency based questions are:
★ What is the toughest decision you have ever made? Why was this so difficult?
★ How do you come to conclusions?
★ Tell me about a decision you have made that has affected other people.
★ Do you find decisions difficult?
★ Give me an example of a bad decision you have made. Why was this a bad decision?
21. What do employers need to know in decision making question as competency based key?
Employers need to know that the people they hire are competent enough to make good decisions during these times. This is why interviewers test candidates with competency based questions targeted at measuring their decision making skills.
22. Tell me what is decision making as competency based key?
Top jobs give employees both power and responsibility. Employees are forced to make difficult decisions as part of their employment, often during times of intense pressure and/or stress.
23. Please give examples of career motivation questions as competency based key?
Career motivation questions you may be asked include:
★ Why do you want to work for our firm?
★ Why do you want to work in the service line to which you have applied?
★ What can you tell me about us and the service line to which you have applied?
24. What do you need to do when asked about the career motivation as competency based key?
You need to logically illustrate your desire to work for the company you are interviewing with. Good answers should make reference to any, training, qualifications and/or experience that you would receive, if you were to be offered the role you have applied for.
25. What are the commercial awareness questions as competency based key?
Typical commercial awareness questions include:
★ Describe a company you think is doing well/badly and explain why you think this is so.
★ What do you think are key qualities for a company to have to be successful?
★ What significant factors have affected this industry in recent years?
★ What do you understand of the role this firm plays in this industry?
Although competency based interviews are standardized, a typical interviewer will decide within minutes whether they like you or not and this is likely to affect the outcome of the interview. It is very important to give a good impression to your interviewer from the very first moment you meet.
Shake hands confidently, smile, introduce yourself and be generally convivial to the occasion. Sitting quietly and communicating poorly will not help you and neither will boisterous or arrogant behavior. You should be polite but outgoing, assertive but not aggressive and aim to be every bit as professional as the interviewer who is assessing you.
27. What is commercial awareness as competency based key?
Commercial awareness is a term that refers to a candidate's general knowledge of business, their business experiences (or work experience) and specifically, their understanding of the industry which they are applying to join. It is a key competency for all city job applications, as well as for roles in engineering, consultancy and many other sectors.
28. What should you be able to do with commitment to career as competency based key?
You should be able to:
★ Give a well informed description of what the line of service you have joined does for its clients.
★ Be able to describe what you will be doing in your first year at the firm.
★ Be able to describe makeup of any qualification to which you have applied and to understand what work you will have to do to achieve it.
★ Be able to give a rough account of where you imagine you might be in 5 years time. (e.g. a certain position in the firm)
★ You must be certain to convey clearly that you fully understand the role you are applying for. If you are not able to do this, you will not make it through the interview
29. Tell me what is commitment to career as competency based key?
Commitment to career is a key competency you should be able to demonstrate in job interviews. To test your commitment to a career interviewers will usually try to find out how much you know about the firm they represent, the position you have applied for, the industry you will be working in and what you will be doing if you are employed.
30. Give examples of competency based questions about responsibilities as competency based key?
Examples of competency based questions used to determine how candidates have performed their responsibilities in the past include:
★ Tell me about a time when you were responsible for something?
★ How do you perform your responsibilities?
★ Are you a responsible person? Explain why?
★ Do you enjoy having responsibilities?
★ What responsibilities have you been given in the past?
31. Tell me what is responsibility as competency based key?
If an employee has a responsibility then they have been given the duty to make decisions in certain circumstances. Interviewers use competency based questions to find out how candidates have performed in the past when they have been given responsibilities and to find out how candidates may perform responsibilities given to them in the future.
32. What are candidates able to do with good teamwork as competency based key?
Candidates with good teamwork skills are able to see the bigger picture and grasp the concept that employers value the outcome achieved by a group, more than that achieved by any one person.
33. Give examples of competency based questions of teamwork?
Examples of competency questions interviewers may use to find out about a candidate's teamwork skills are:
★ Tell me about a time when you worked successfully as part of a team.
★ Describe a situation where you were successful in getting people to work together effectively.
★ Describe a time when a team member has annoyed you.
★ Tell me about a time when you have had to modify yourself (or a way you do something) to take into account someone else's views.
★ Tell me about a situation when you needed to offer constructive criticism to a friend or team member?
★ Describe a time when you were a member of a team and witnessed a conflict within the team. What did you do? What were the results? What could you have done better?
34. Tell me what is teamwork as competency based key?
Being able to get on with other people and work with them efficiently (Teamwork) is a key competency employers value and often require job applicants to demonstrate at interview. Most jobs require employees to work alongside other people, as part of a team.
35. What do employers use as their competency based keys?
Employers typically use some of the following as their competency based keys:
★ Teamwork
★ Responsibility
★ Commitment to career
★ Commercial awareness
★ Career motivation
★ Decision making
★ Communication
★ Leadership
★ Trustworthiness & Ethics
★ Results orientation
★ Problem solving
★ Organisation
