Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - (Page 4) 4 PROSPECTS GRADUATE Issue 63 · 19 March 2008 · Fortnightly www.prospects.ac.uk ASK THE EMPLOYERS THE COMPETENCY QUESTION VICKI GALLAGHER, MANAGER MANPOWER PLANNING, JOHN LEWIS Competency-based interviews take the subjectivity out of the process by establishing exactly what evidence the company is looking for and then testing for that evidence through the questions asked. The first preparation needed is to investigate what competencies the company you are applying for work towards. For example, John Lewis states what competencies we are looking for in our graduates on our website. However, if the company that you are applying for does not state its competencies publicly, the best course of action would be to research a number of different companies and try to establish a common ground. The general behavioural traits that companies are looking for in their future leaders do vary, but you will find constant themes. Once you have established what those themed competencies are, try to gather a portfolio of examples where you have demonstrated that competency. For example one of the behavioural competencies John Lewis looks for is called ‘Delivering Results’, this looks at a person’s ability to complete a task in a set time frame to an agreed standard. Evidence of this may be a project you have worked on in which a measured result was required and you achieved that result. It’s about finding real life examples that fit under a series of desired company competencies. BE YOURSELF HOWARD GROSVENOR, MANAGING CONSULTANT, SHL (PSYCHOMETRIC SPECIALISTS) Good preparation here is all about thinking of relevant experiences you’ve had that relate to the requirements of the job you’re applying for, so that when you have your interview you can relax and be yourself, giving you the best opportunity to perform at your optimum. Most organisations should provide you with a full job description, so studying this in detail is a good start, and may also help you to decide if it really is the job for you. You should also take time to look at the company website. Identify the key attributes of the role and see how they align with your own. Be prepared to talk about your past experiences in detail, and try to include examples of excellence as well as instances where you have YOUR VOTE Are you comfortable about sitting personality tests for job selection? (SEE PAGE 2 ARTICLE) YES NO RESULTS NEXT TIME THE VOTE LAST TIME A big majority of readers are concerned about ‘quarter life crisis’ 15% said they were confident they would avoid crisis 75% were not so sure learnt something by getting it wrong – interviewers know that no one is perfect and will appreciate your honesty. Don’t be tempted to embellish your experience. Skilled interviewers will spot this; plus if you do make it through the interview, you could end up out of your depth. Send questions for employers to editorial@prospects.ac.uk SEE THE BAD BUSINESS ARCHIVE http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Graduate_jobs/p!edcaefX http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Feature_articles/No/p!eaLeijF http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Feature_articles/Yes/p!edcbjiF http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Feature_articles/Bad_Business/p!egimFbd
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 Royal Bank of Scotland Hertfordshire County Council Barkers Advertising Agency Compass Management Consulting Limited Digby Morgan Exchem Virgin Atlantic Limited University of Liverpool Perriam & Everett Recruitment 3 mobile IAMCO Strategy Consultants Finnings Scotia Gas Networks Plc Propeller Training TRI-London Mason Blake Halcrow Group Ltd National Engineering and Construction Recruitment Exhibition Warwickshire County Council Smith Wright Bell University of West of England Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - (Page 1) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - (Page 2) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - Royal Bank of Scotland (Page 3) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - Royal Bank of Scotland (Page 4) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - Hertfordshire County Council (Page 5) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - Compass Management Consulting Limited (Page 6) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - Digby Morgan (Page 7) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - University of Liverpool (Page 8) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - 3 mobile (Page 9) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - Scotia Gas Networks Plc (Page 10) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - Propeller Training (Page 11) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - Halcrow Group Ltd (Page 12) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - National Engineering and Construction Recruitment Exhibition (Page 13) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - Smith Wright Bell (Page 14) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - Smith Wright Bell (Page 15) Graduate Prospects - March 19, 2008 - University of West of England (Page 16)
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