1. Which skills and competencies do competency-based interviews test?

The list of skills and competencies that can be tested varies depending on the post that you are applying for. For example, for a Personal Assistant post, skills and competencies would include communication skills; ability to organise and prioritise; and ability to work under pressure. For a senior manager, skills and competencies may include an ability to influence and negotiate; an ability to cope with stress and pressure; an ability to lead; and the capacity to take calculated risks.

2. What is Pressure?

Pressure is the ratio of force to the area over which that force is distributed.

3. Suppose If your boss is 100% wrong about something, how would you handle this?

My present supervisor does not like to have his authority questioned. He's fairly new on the job and almost all of the people he supervises have been on the job longer than he has. He's never bothered to learn the procedures, how things are done or how the computer system works. But if any of us tell him that how he wants something done won't work, he gets extremely angry. So, I never tell him he's wrong. Never. Whatever he tells me to do, I smile and say "okay." Then if I know a way to get it done that will work, I do it that way, give him the results he wants and never tell him I didn't do it the way he told me to. He got the results and is happy. I saved myself the stress of being yelled at and gave him what he wanted, so I'm happy.

4. Tell me an example of a pressured situation where you faced conflict or difficult communication problems?

This is not the time to tell the interviewer how much you hate your current boss or colleagues!
It's also not the point to launch into a tirade about how difficult people in your office are to work with and how many arguments you have.
So what are they looking for? They're looking for someone who can rise above conflict and diffuse the emotions, finding a win-win solution.
Basically, recruiters want to employ people who will get on well with others, whilst still delivering the company's objectives.
This type of question is your chance to demonstrate your interpersonal and team-working skills.
The interviewer will be looking for maturity and the ability to be able to keep your calm, whilst others around you are losing theirs. Don't feel you have to provide an answer that gives you full credit for the solution - it can often be more powerful to demonstrate how you worked with others to find a fix.
Practice your answer to this question. It can have many guises, but is almost guaranteed to be asked in some form.

5. How do competency-based interviews differ from normal interviews?

Competency-based interviews are also called structured or behavioral interviews are more systematic, with each question targeting a specific skill or competency. Candidates are asked questions relating to their behavior in specific circumstances, which they then need to back up with concrete examples. The interviewers will then dig further into the examples by asking for specific explanations about the candidate's behavior or skills.

6. Tell me how do you deal with working under pressure?

I work well under pressure. For example, recently the number of workers in our department was cut while the amount of work I was given nearly doubled. I was asked by the managers to work overtime, and I managed to work efficiently and in a professional manner during a busy and stressful time. I showed efficiency and professionalism in spite of the stress.

7. Give me an example of a contribution you made to your work team?

I recently worked with five programmers on a project for a large food company. I made a significant contribution to the success of the team in carrying out the project. At the end of the project I got a letter of commendation for my contribution to the success of the team.

8. What is your sales ability in Pressure?

A candidate who responds with a lack of confidence, and answers: "I have a hard time recalling a specific instance," will leave a bad impression. A candidate who responds with confidence will answer: "Last month I closed a big deal with a leading computer firm. The deal significantly increased the company's turnover for the last quarter.

9. Tell me how do you assess your sales ability as compared with other salespeople?

I'm considered a leading salesperson in our company. I received a bonus several times as the leading salesperson in the company.