Job Hunting - telephone interview (2/2)

In the previous post I was talking about motivational questions. Now it's time for competency based and analytical questions.

Competency based questions

The theory behind competency-based (sometimes called skill based or behavioral) interviewing is that past work behaviour is a good predictor of future job performance. This means that during competency-based part of the interview interviewer will ask you about specific time when you had to solve a specific problem. This means that you should provide real-world experience rather than theoretical ways you would solve the problem. Typical CBQ start with "Tell me about a time when you..." and here are some of the endings:

• ...had to work as a part of the team? - all the companies use this one. Teamwork is very important and they want to find out if you can deal with it. Provide an example of a time when you worked successfully as a part of a team. Focus on how did you interact with other, how did you gain feedback and decision making.
  
• ...had to solve a problem you have never faced before? - very common, other question like "What was your plan of solving this problem?" follows. This one is about planning and learning. I strongly advice you to use some kind of methodology for describing your plan, for example PDCA (plan, do, check and act).
  
• ...helped a somebody else? - again, typical question. Tell them how did you helped somebody. They like examples when you helped somebody even without being asked to help (= you offered to help).
  
• ...asked for a feedback and how this feedback influenced your performance? - I guess they want you to know if you are interested in your ability to improve based on a feedback. Again best example is the one, when you proactively asked for a feedback and used this feedback to change your approach. For example: I worked on a project and did not know how to move on, so I asked my supervisor if he could give me some hints...
  
• ...had to persuade somebody about your solution? or ...had an argument with a team member and how did you solve it? - questions about your ability to persuade and influence other people.
  

How to answer such questions? As I mentioned, they want you to provide real-world example, so you should mention some details, in the beginning you might describe the situation by answering WHAT was the situation, WHEN it happened, WHO were the main stakeholders and then you can continue with HOW did you solve the problem, WHAT was your plan to solve the problem (use the PDCA model - I planned, then I did what I planned, I checked what I did and I acted to improve this or that). You also have to stick to the subject of the question, if they ask you about teamwork, don't talk much about yourself. Instead of "I did this and I did that..." you should say "As a team we have decided to do this and that...". It is also important to realize that everything (in modern management) is project and projects have several layers (personal, financial, time and resources).

Analytical questions

Analytical questions are tricky, they differ a lot and it is very difficult to prepare for such a questions. They usually ask you to solve case study or something that proves you understand industry you applied for. These questions are very company specific, here are some examples:

• What does Web 2.0 mean for you? (Cisco)
• What is a virtual team and what are the advantages and disadvantages? (Shell)
• Why do you think Apple computers is so successful lately? (Allianz)

I also know that technology consultancy companies like Accenture or Logica will ask you to solve a case study.