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Are You Ready for a Competency Based Interview?

Novel Concept

Anita Mann
EEOC
Tue May 12, 2009 7:50 AM

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How clever. When you interview someone for a job you ask them some questions about how they would handle particular tasks, problems, complaints, assignments etc. that might happen regularly and are important part of the job. I never thought of that.

Re: Novel Concept

Anita Mantu
Diversity Manager HHS
Tue May 12, 2009 1:24 PM
We read the resumes/KASOs then compare it to the "person" standing in front of us. The interview goes horribly and, of course, we do not recommend the applicant for selection.

Ah, yes, here come the complaints, EEOs, Congressionals, FOIAs.

Q: WHY, sir and/or maam, did you consider the person's skin color, age, diability, veteran's preference, etc.?

A: We didn't. The applicant was lousy. He/she stumbled through the, "Please state your name and current occupation" portion.

The settlement allows us to get off easy and just select the person.

Those interview questions were handy.

Times have CHANGEd.

It Works!

Workforce Analyst
USAF
Tue May 12, 2009 9:01 AM

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We have been using structured behavior based interviews for the last 6 months and the results are incredible. We worked with OPM to develop our position competencies and interview questions. Quality of candidates is greatly enhanced.

not all behavioral interviews are competency based

Consultant
none
Tue May 12, 2009 9:07 AM

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"Competency" based interviews are not the same as behavioral interviews. Competency based interviews are a subset of behavioral interviews, but only a small subset.
A behavioral interview question can ask about knowledge, skills, abilities, or previous duties separately. Competency based interviews ask about "competencies," which are more broadly defined combinations of actual duties. So for example "Tell me about a time when you had to reconcile two financial documents and there were some missing or inconsistent pieces of information. What did you do to ensure you had the correct figures?" becomes something like "Tell me about what procedures you have used to ensure the overall quality and accuracy of documents?"

Compentancy based interview

operator
department of veterans affairs
Tue May 12, 2009 9:23 AM

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This article is not useful. I need resources -looking at the KSA and coming up with antidotes is one thing but it which types of antidotes are best.
At one interiview I was asked give me an example of when you had to deal with a difficult patient and how did you handle it. I want to answer the question not give an antidote. What do you mean by difficult? Aurguementative- daily, abusive- frequent, not sure what they want- daily, hard to understand- daily, asjking to speak with one department when what they need is something else- daily. These compentacy questions need to be more specific.

Re: Compentancy based interview

Mr. McFeebee
Treetops
Tue May 12, 2009 10:21 AM
I suggest taking 2 aspirins and calling your doctor in the morning.

Re: Compentancy based interview

Competency based interview
HUD
Tue May 12, 2009 10:56 AM
When and where does this happen? Since hiring on at HUD into a position for which I was over qualified, what I have witnessed is the hiring of one person after another who may have had someone else write the text for their application answers which they may have cut and pasted into documents. I say this because I have spent the last many years trying to make what they write coherent: deleting numerous comas, placing a period at the end of sentences and putting an "s" or "ed" at the end of a word for proper tense; inserting "the" or "that" and so on into letters or reports written by these fine GS 11s and 12s. One GS 12er hollers across the office for me, "Hey! Come here and help me find my tool bar! It's disappeared off my screen." This GS 12er rose from a GS 3 to GS 12 position, I am told, because they competed from the outside as an outstanding scholar. I graduated with a 3.6 gpa and dedicated 25 years of service to the Federal government and cannot rise above a GS 7.

Re: Compentancy based interview

Reformed Conservative
DFAS
Tue May 12, 2009 3:26 PM
Somebody who doesn't know the difference between "antidote" and "anecdote" got an interview at an agency that provides medical care?!??!? Talk about your VA horror stories!

Had to stifle a laugh

Assistant Property Manager
GSA
Tue May 12, 2009 9:38 AM

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I must have been way ahead of my time because I've been using these types of questions to interview candidates for years!

Actually - does anyone really use the old method any more?

Still, I'm glad that someone has affixed a name to that process now: Competency Based Interviewing.

On-Line Interview Questions

Retired manager
USPS
Tue May 12, 2009 11:07 AM

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Several private sector companies - generally in sales - are using screening questionnaires to weed out candidates. These are definitely behavioral questionnaires that ask the candidate about his/her attitudes, how they would handle varius situations and work habits. The same basic questions are posed to the candidate in different ways.

Unfortunately, the test is multiple choice and doesn't give the candidate the chance to expand on a choice. Therein lies my objection. A generic questionnaire will not adequately address every candidate's answer - some potentially good people will fall through the cracks.

Re: On-Line Interview Questions

average jill (not joe)
none
Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:29 AM
I totally agree with your comment. I'm a good person with entry level skills looking to get into the workforce (currently unemployed) and agree that you cannot broaden a particular question to your situation. I prefer to have an interview with a person not a questionair that shows my personality along with skills. Its like the online application situation where your resume flies through space and disappears and you never hear from the other end. It's happened to me once already.

Compentancy based interview

Analyst
DOD
Tue May 12, 2009 12:19 PM

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It doesn’t really matter what type of interview is done because prior to the interviews the person to whom the promotion is going has already been selected. All those being interviewed are merely filler interviewees to make the process appear less biased and a little more legal.

Re: Compentancy based interview

Supervisory IT Specialist
DON
Wed May 13, 2009 9:17 AM
Ahahaha, that is funny. I've seen it happen many, many times!

Re: Compentancy based interview

Computer Specialist
VA
Wed May 13, 2009 10:58 AM
Agreed with your statement of preselection. Does not matter how one perform in an interview, if the person intended to be selected were given the question prior to the interview, which put the rest of the interviewee at an disadvantage. Plus, the interviewer never communicate what type of interview were given, performance based or otherwise. Those who have no idea of the type of interview and was not prepare failed to win the desire score. Interview is only a way to toute an unfair selection as a fair and none bias hiring. It would be easier for hiring official to come out and say that one has no chance of getting a promotion rather than dangling that carrot in front of you and say work harder and we will see when you know that there is no chance that you will get the promotion.
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