Questions Interview Based on Their Past Performance …unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002466/246608e.pdf · You will find at the back of this guide, sample interview questions on

Sample Interview Questions

2016

United NationsEducational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization



COMPETENCY-BASED INTERVIEWINGAssessing Candidates

Based on Their Past Performance

A GUIDE FOR EVALUATION

PANEL MEMBERS

HRM 2016

Competency-based interviewing

Assessing Candidates Based on Their Past

Performance

A GUIDE FOR EVALUATION PANEL MEMBERS

2016



HRM-2016/WS/2

3

Foreword

This guide has been designed to assist those responsible for conducting recruitement interviews and making decisions about the suitability of applicants to UNESCO. It seeks to explain and clarify some of the best ways to enhance the quality of information gathered during interviews and therefore increase the fairness and effectiveness of the selection process.

The role of the interview in the selection process

• Organizations use competency-based interviews as a major part of the assessmentprocedure, and often final selection decisions are based entirely on the interviews;

• Competency-based interviewing reveals information about the person’sexperience and also provides you with the chance to observe their communicationskills first hand;

• Considering the importance of selection decisions, and the significant financial andother costs to the Organization if the wrong decision is made, it is essential thatthe interviewer be confident that the assessments made in selection interviewsare as accurate, reliable and objective as possible.

This guide constitutes a useful tool for interviewers to conduct a structured interview and to avoid questions which would prevent them from getting a correct overview of the candidate.

• Interviewers have to design and use questions to uncover past actions whichpredict future performance;

• Interviewers must remember that the aim of any good interview is to reducepersonal bias and aim for objective – not subjective – decisions;

• Decisions must be made on the basis of concrete evidence rather than simply onthe interviewer’s opinion.

Bureau of Human Resources Management

You will find at the back of this guide, sample interview questions on competencies that may help you in the interview process.

5

Acknowledgments

UNESCO is grateful to the FAO Secretariat, which has kindly permitted UNESCO to use and adapt the FAO “Competency-Based Interviewing. A guide for interview panel members” for the production of this booklet.

This document is the property of UNESCO and is intended for internal use only. Although the information is not confidential, some of the content may be proprietary or privileged. You are therefore requested not to disclose, distribute or copy it by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – to any third party without the prior written permission of UNESCO.

Copyright © UNESCO, Paris, 2015 All rights reserved

Contents

What is competency-based interviewing 9

Prepare the interview 17

Conduct the interview 27

Assess candidates 37

9

WH

AT IS

CB

I ?

WHAT IS COMPETENCY-BASED

INTERVIEWING?

Competency-based interviewing (also referred to as behavioural interviewing) is based on a simple premise, which is that ‘the best predictor of what a person will do in the future is what that person did in the past in a comparable situation’.

It differs from more traditional forms of interviewing, where the evaluation panel members ask questions related to what they are looking for, but without any specific aim in mind other than getting an overall impression of the candidate.

10

Understanding the approach

MAIN GOAL

UNDERSTAND AND ASSESS THE CANDIDATE’S PAST BEHAVIOUR

By assessing the candidate’s behaviour in past situations in which such competencies were required or could have been demonstrated, it is possible to predict how he or she will behave in future similar situations.

Competency-based interviewing places the emphasis on the applicant’s ability to relate learning from experience to the position in question.

HOW IT WORKS

OBTAIN EVIDENCE OF THE CANDIDATE’S PAST BEHAVIOUR

Through the interview process, the interviewer can obtain in-depth information about applicants, how they perform and translate learning to new situations; the interviewer:

• seeks evidence of specific competencies or experience that will enable him or her to understand and assess the candidate’s past behaviour;

• asks questions that require candidates to demonstrate that they have a particular skill or competency that the Organization is looking for.

ADVANTAGES

A MORE OBJECTIVE AND PREDICTIVE APPROACH

Competencies help you to get the right person for the job by focusing not only on qualifications and experience, but on demonstrated skills and behaviours:

• It gives panel members much sounder evidence of how the candidate will actually perform in the job he or she is applying for;

• It ensures that all candidates are assessed against similar criteria;

• It enables meaningful comparisons among candidates.

11

WH

AT IS

CB

I ?Tools for assessing

THE BASIC QUESTION STRUCTURE AND SEQUENCE

Candidates will be asked to provide evidence by using situational examples from their work experience to illustrate their aptitudes, skill set and individual competencies to the interviewer.

The evidence you are looking for can best be assessed if a candidate provides a response that includes the main components outlined below, known as C.A.R for short.

C.A.R. stands for Context, Action and Result

QUESTION SEQUENCE

WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR

CONTEXT

A specific instance in which the candidate has demonstrated the competency.

Ask the candidate to provide an example of a situation he or she was in, or a task that needed to be accomplished. What you are looking for is a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what a candidate did in the past.

ACTION

What the candidate did to demonstrate the competency.

This is the evidence you are looking for – what the candidate did, how he or she handled the situation. To make sure you get adequate inputs, you may need to use the probing questions below.

RESULT

What results were achieved.

Find out from the candidate what results he or she achieved, what was accomplished, and what the candidate learned from the experience.

NB: This approach can be equally helpful to candidates in terms of helping them to prepare for the interview.

12

PROBING

When you gather examples of behaviours in an interview, you want to make sure you are getting the whole story, and depending on the candidate’s response, you will need to probe further.

Probing questions:

• Are vital for detail and for focusing the candidate and interview on particular areas;

• Are designed to further explore areas of interest, information or situations described by the candidate, or to clarify a particular issue.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

CONTEXT QUESTIONS

• Describe a specific situation when you…

• Tell me about a time when you…

• In the past, have you ever….

• What experiences have you had in…

• Give me an example of how…

ACTIONS QUESTIONS

• What did you do?

• How did you approach it?

• What was your role?

• Describe how you went about planning your own work

• Explain the steps you took to complete a work assignment

• What did you do to meet this tight deadline?

• What actions did you take to resolve this conflict with a co-worker?

• How did you react in that situation?

13

WH

AT IS

CB

I ?SAMPLE QUESTIONS

RESULTS QUESTIONS

• What effect did that have?

• How did it work out?

• What was the result/outcome?

• What happened as a result of your reaction?

• What feedback did you get?

• What did you learn?

• Have you applied what you learned?

• What problems/successes resulted from it?

• How did the relationship improve after you talked with your colleague about your problem?

PROBING QUESTIONS

When answers are too general or vague, opinions, incomplete, hypothetical, and theoretical: it may be in the form of ‘encouraging’ questions or clarification questions:

• Tell me more

• What happened next?

• So what were your specific responsibilities in the team?

• Can you give me an example?

DISTINGUISHING COMPETENCIES AND TECHNICAL SKILLS

It is important that the candidates be assessed on both their competencies and technical skills. It is recommended to distinguish these two and to prepare separate questions in order to assess them correctly and objectively.

Each post may require a different set of competencies and technical skills and the following definitions will help determine how to assess them.

14

ASSESSING COMPETENCIES

What are competencies?

Competencies are the sets of behaviours that facilitate effective performance of work tasks. They best capture the ‘softer’ side of how individuals go about their work effectively and help you to get the right person for the job focusing not only on qualifications and experience but on demonstrated attitudes and behaviours. This assessment focuses on the elements and qualities of the candidates that will facilitate the performance of their work and their complementarity to the team.

To identify and to assess the competencies that the evaluation panel should be exploring for each vacancy, please refer to:

• The vacancy notice for the position that you are interviewing for;

• The UNESCO Competency Framework; and,

• The sample interview questions.

EXAMPLE OF A COMPETENCY THAT CAN BE ASSESSED DURING THE INTERVIEW:

‘COMMUNICATION’

Evaluation panels may evaluate communication skills through both specific questions and also through general observation of the way candidates respond to all the questions during the interview. Communication skills can be evaluated through criteria such as the length, clarity and pertinence of their answers. Unless the position for which you are interviewing specifically requires certain types of communication skills, you should assess this competency through observation.

FOR POSITIONS AT ALL LEVELS

The assessment of core competencies is the assessment of attitudes and behaviours which are considered important for all staff of the Organization, regardless of their function and level.

15

WH

AT IS

CB

I ?FOR POSITIONS OF P4 AND ABOVE

The selection of the specific managerial competencies to include in the interview will depend upon the job profile.

However, because of its special link to leadership effectiveness, the evaluation panel will want to give special consideration to leading and empowering others in the questions to be addressed to a candidate.

ASSESSING TECHNICAL SKILLS

Asking competency-based questions about technical skills provides the evaluation panel with the opportunity to assess the technical skills in a manner that is consistent with the principles of competency-based interviewing. Stated differently, they allow the panel to assess whether the technical skills and qualifications described in the candidate’s application have been demonstrated by the candidate in the past. This assessment is a time for the candidates to provide concrete evidence of the knowledge they acquired during their past work experiences.

Technical skills will vary from position to position

EXAMPLE OF TECHNICAL SKILL ASSESSMENT – APPLYING EXPERTISE –

that can be assessed in any interview

Applying expertise definition Behavioural indicators

This competency is about applying the technical skills, knowledge and experience to one’s work.

Can be ‘generic’ (consistently apply knowledge at work) or job specific (e.g. apply knowledge of…).

OTHER TECHNICAL SKILLS that can be inferred from the duties and responsibilities described

in the vacancy notice

Duties and responsibilities Technical skills

Act as the lead focal point and principal policy advice.

Provision of policy advice.

Plan and implement programmes. Programme planning and implementation.

Draft response to routine correspondence.

Drafting of correspondence.

16

Competency-based interview questions lend themselves very well to finding out more about someone’s

specific areas of expertise as well.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

COMPETENCY-BASED

INTERVIEW QUESTION

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS

Provision of policy advice on …

Tell us about a time when you successfully provided policy advice to …

• Could you describe your role?

• What were the challenges you faced?

• How did you measure your success?

• What lessons did you learn from this experience?

Programme planning and implementation

Give us an example of a time when you had to plan and implement programmes.

• Could you describe your role?

• What did you do in order to create the plan?

• And to implement the programme?

• What were the outcomes of the programme?

• If you were asked to do this work again, what would you do differently?

Drafting of correspondence

Give us an example of a time when you had to draft correspondence.

• What was the situation?

• Can you tell us what your role was?

• What outcome were you aiming to achieve?

• How did you go about it?

• How successful were you in achieving the planned outcome?

17

PR

EPA

RE

TH

E IN

TER

VIE

WPREPARE THE INTERVIEW

PRE-PANEL DISCUSSION

Being prepared is important for making the interview run smoothly and obtaining useful evidence. You will need therefore a suitable structure and sequence of questions prepared for the interview.

All questions should be prepared and reviewed as part of the pre-evaluation panel discussion.

At this time, the evaluation panel will agree on:

• A single set of questions that will be addressed to all candidates,

and

• who should ask each question.

18

Creating a competency-based question

The competency interview questions are derived from the list of competencies and technical skills identified in the vacancy notice.

Example of the ‘results focus competency’.

The evaluation panel has three options, as outlined below.

QUESTION BASED ON THE DEFINITION

Definition Competency-based question

This competency is focusing and assuming accountability for the delivery of agreed results and demonstrating an understanding of how these contribute to the goals of the Organization.

Please describe a time when you took accountability for the delivery of agreed results.

QUESTION BASED ON A SINGLE INDICATOR

Behavioural indicator Competency-based question

Manage times and resources efficiently.

Can you tell us about a situation when you had to manage resources efficiently to achieve an expected result within a specified deadline?

QUESTION BASED ON SEVERAL INDICATORS

Behavioural indicators Competency-based question

• Consistently maintains focus and perseveres in the face of obstacles;

• manages time and resources efficiently.

Describe a situation where you had to plan and manage resources to achieve a challenging goal within a specified deadline.

NB: It is important to draft questions that will explore various aspects of each competency being assessed; the purpose is to be specific.

Example – ‘teamwork’:

Look for which aspect of teamwork is important for this job: ‘builds consensus’; ‘works with others to identify solutions’; ‘builds trust-based relationships’.

19

PR

EPA

RE

TH

E IN

TER

VIE

WGiving priority to open-ended questions

The great majority of questions should be ‘open’ questions, with only a few ‘closed’ questions, as needed to clarify points of fact.

Remember to keep questions short and simple. Long questions, or questions asking for several kinds of information, will confuse candidates.

20

OPEN QUESTIONS

This type of question is the one that you will use most frequently.

It cannot be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, or with a specific piece of information. This type of question gives the candidate scope to respond as he or she feels is appropriate.

These questions usually contain words such as ‘describe’, ‘explain’, ‘tell me about’, ‘share’, ‘compare’, ‘what, ‘how’, and the candidate must give details.

Your lead (or first) question for any competency will generally be an open-ended question phrased as a sentence such as:

• Describe a situation when you faced a major ethical dilemma.

• Give us a specific example that would best illustrate your team leadership skills.

You will follow-up with questions phrased as actual questions.

• How did your actions help the team or its members in overcoming any challenges?

• How did you personally contribute to this outcome?

• How were you feeling at the time?

• Why did you decide to take this action?

CLOSED QUESTIONS

This type of question should only be used when it is essential to clarify a point of fact.

A closed question can normally be answered using a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, or a specific simple piece of information.

• Was this the result you had set out to achieve?

• Did you complete this project within the allocated budget?

• Were you able to complete the assignment within the deadline?

21

PR

EPA

RE

TH

E IN

TER

VIE

W

Balancing achievements and adversity questions

In preparing your list of questions, aim to balance those that deliberately seek evidence about candidate achievements – results, innovation, team leadership – with questions that seek evidence about challenges or difficulties encountered.

A candidate may talk about a situation where, as a result of facing adversity, he or she was able to achieve a significant result. If this does not happen, you should intentionally seek evidence on how the candidate has faced adversity.

COMPETENCY ACHIEVEMENT ORIENTED QUESTION

ADVERSITY ORIENTED QUESTION

Communication Describe a situation in the past when you were able to influence someone who was difficult to persuade.

Describe a time when you were not able to influence someone on an important issue.

Teamwork Give us a specific example when you were able to proactively resolve a conflict within a team.

Give us an example of a time when you were not able to satisfactorily resolve a conflict with a member of your team.

Results focus Tell us about a time when you used the resources assigned to you in the most cost effective way.

Describe a situation where you were not able to meet the target deadline that you set for a project.

22

Questions to avoid

The following types of questions should not be used

LEADING QUESTIONS

This type of question suggests a response, either positive or negative, to a candidate.

• You consulted your supervisor prior to taking this course of action, didn’t you?

• Weren’t you aware that this was in direct contravention of organizational policy?

HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS

These questions encourage a candidate to describe what he or she would do if faced with a particular situation. They do not ask the candidate about past behaviour.

• How would you manage an under-performing staff member?

• What will you do first when you take your new job, if appointed?

COMPARATIVE QUESTIONS

This type of question encourages the candidate to compare differences in past experiences, rather than to describe past behaviour.

• Which would you say was the most stressful experience you have had?

• How do the responsibilities in your current job differ from those you have had in the past?

QUESTIONS THAT INVADE PRIVACY

Avoid questions that invade the privacy of a candidate or any staff member of the organization.

• Are you married? Do you have children? Do you plan on having children? How do you plan to conciliate your work with your family obligations?

• What are your religious practices?

• How many days of sick leave have you taken in the past year? Do you have any disabilities?

23

PR

EPA

RE

TH

E IN

TER

VIE

W

MARATHON QUESTIONS / DOUBLE QUESTIONS

These occur when the interviewer asks more than one question in the same sentence. These questions can be confusing to the candidate.

• I am keen to hear about your experience in planning and about the last time you needed to empower a team member.

– OPTIONAL –

DETERMINE WHICH TYPE OF ANSWERS WOULD SCORE POSITIVE / NEGATIVE POINTS

Before the interview, panel members may want to determine which type of answers would score positive points and which type of answers would count against the candidates.

Example of question “Describe a time when you had to deal with pressure”,

The positive and negative points may be as follows:

Positive points Negative points

• Demonstrates a positive approach towards the problem.

• Considers the wider need of the situation.

• Recognises his or her own limitations.

• Is able to compromise.

• Is willing to seek help when necessary.

• Uses effective strategies to deal with pressure/stress.

• Perceives challenges as problems.

• Attempts unsuccessfully to deal with the situation alone.

• Uses inappropriate strategies to deal with pressure/stress.

In some cases, negative points are divided into two further sections:

• Minor negative points, i.e. those which are negative but which are not critical; and

24

• Decisive negative points, i.e. those which panel members consider to be substantial, e.g. not asking for help when needed.

These points will help you to better assess candidates; especially if two candidates are given the same evaluation, they can help you to decide on who was the best.

Knowing which questions to ask

The following steps will help you to prepare for the interview

1 REVIEW THE VACANCY NOTICE

• Review the entire vacancy notice with particular attention to the required technical skills and competencies.

2 SELECT A MIX OF COMPETENCIES AND TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Analyse the vacancy notice, what you know about the job, and read between the lines.

• Take into account the level of competency required.

• You might also want to refer to the sample key competencies (back of this guide).

For all jobs:

• Select 3-4 important technical skills.

• Select 3-4 competencies from either the core or managerial competencies.

3 DRAFT QUESTIONS

Draft technical skill competency-based questions

Draft 3 to 4 questions, including applying expertise

Draft core or managerial competency-based questions

Draft 3 to 4 questions

25

PR

EPA

RE

TH

E IN

TER

VIE

W

3 DRAFT QUESTIONS

Remember to use a suitable structure and sequence of questions which will allow for the candidates to provide evidence of three main components: Context, Action, Results (C.A.R.).

Depending on the candidate’s response, you will need to probe further, in order to make sure you are getting the whole story.

• Think of what is missing in the team.

• Keep the interview questions short and simple; long questions, or questions asking for several kinds of information, will confuse candidates.

• Identify which aspect of the competencies you want to assess and at what level.

• Give priority to open-ended questions.

• Balance achievements and adversity questions.

4– OPTIONAL –

DETERMINE POSITIVE/NEGATIVE POINTS

• For each question, determine which type of answers would score positive points and which types of answers would count against the candidates.

26

Be prepared for the interview

Make sure that you come to the interview well prepared.

This means that you:

• Have ensured that the candidate meets the minimum requirements for the position;

• Are familiar with the candidate’s personal profile form and current job:

= read the application forms or curriculum vitae prior to the interview;

= ensure that all pertinent information has been provided by the candidate;

= note any candidate’s experiences which are particularly relevant to the job so that they may be probed further during the interview.

• Have reviewed the vacancy notice for the position in question;

• Have participated in a pre-panel discussion to finalize a list of questions;

• Have prepared a good mix of questions;

• Have ensured that the questions are appropriate to the responsibility level of the position;

• Are aware of which question(s) you will be expected to ask;

• Have prepared follow-up or probing questions;

• Have identified positive and negative (minor/decisive) points;

• Have prepared the information that will be presented to the candidate during the interview (e.g. information about the Organization or hiring unit or the job, details about benefits, conditions of employment) in advance.

27

CO

ND

UC

T TH

E IN

TER

VIE

W

CONDUCT THE INTERVIEW

Remember that all questions should be prepared and reviewed as part of a pre-panel discussion. At this time, the panel will also make sure to agree on a single set of questions – the same questions that will be addressed to all candidates.

28

Taking notes and managing time

TAKING NOTES

It is difficult for the interviewer to accurately remember everything an interviewee said during the course of the interview. If the interviewer relies solely on his or her memory, important points may either be forgotten or distorted and systematic bias such as attribution or stereotyping may influence the subsequent recall of information.

Recording both what the candidate said and your observations of the interview will then help you assess the candidate’s suitability.

• The notes you take must be job-relevant and must not relate to any factors other than those directly linked to job performance or other job relevant activities;

• It may be useful to add +’s or -’s to flag the positive and negative behaviours;

• Try not to make any judgments about the candidate during the interview;

• Rather, use the interview time only for gathering information.

Example of notes taken during an interview:Question:

Describe a key innovation you introduced in your current position despite some risks.

What was said Observations

• The way I lead a team;

• Team was dispirited;

• I got to know everybody, then had a retreat;

• Developed a vision of what to do differently;

• Made a contract with them – things we agreed to;

• Achievement was harmonious;

• And productive work environment – we’re all happy.

• Not sure this qualifies as ‘innovation’…?;

• Nothing innovative here;

• No mention of risk;

• Would have been better to hear about the results that the team achieved. Not sure this qualifies as ‘innovation’…?;

• Nothing innovative here;

• No mention of risk;

• Would have been better to hear about the results that the team achieved.

29

CO

ND

UC

T TH

E IN

TER

VIE

W

Referring to the example above, you would probably give a low rating to the candidate on this question. By recording both what was said and your in-the-moment reactions, you would easily be able to justify this low rating.

Observations are very important, as you might otherwise forget when it comes to evaluating a candidate.

MANAGING TIME

Each interview should last about 45 minutes. Allow 5 minutes at the end of the interview for the candidate to ask questions.

Allow 15 minutes after the interview to review/complete your notes and rate each competency.

Remember that you only have a limited amount of time to cover each competency.

If the candidate takes too much time responding to a specific question, you may need to say something like “In the interest of time, to ensure that we cover all of the competencies, we now need to move on to the next question.”

Opening the interview

PRESENTING YOURSELF AND PUTTING THE CANDIDATE AT EASE

Establish a friendly, yet professional atmosphere:

• Start the interview by greeting the candidate warmly.

• Introduce yourself and the other panel members.

• Make sure that the candidate is as comfortable as possible.

Put the candidate at ease:

• Establish eye contact; this shows interest and a willingness to understand what the candidate is trying to communicate.

30

• Use facial expressions that demonstrate interest.

• Use open hand gestures.

• Use simple responses such as ‘mm’, ‘yes’ and ‘I see’.

• In case of a telephone interview, be aware that the candidate cannot see you and make sure to establish other codes to make him comfortable.

EXPLAINING THE PROCESS

Explain the goal of the interview and the process that you will be using:

• Indicate the likely length of the interview.

• Explain that you will be taking notes in order to have a record of what was said.

• Explain what the candidate should do if a question is unclear, or if the candidate would like to have it repeated.

Inform the candidate to answer:

• By focusing on key facts; the response should last 2 to 3 minutes;

• Using the C.A.R. system;

• And explain that you don’t want to know about ‘we’ but about what he or she did (what behaviour he or she used to be successful).

Finally, before beginning the interview, ask if the candidate has any questions about the interview process.

SAMPLE OPENING STATEMENT“As you know, this interview is part of the selection process for…[position]. In the next 45 minutes, We will be asking you to describe some of your specific experiences as they relate to competencies required in the role for which you are being considered. Please try to give us recent examples of your experiences and be sure to highlight exactly what you did (as opposed to what your team or unit did). We will be taking notes throughout the interview so that we can accurately capture the examples you share with us. Do you have any questions about the interview process before we begin? Let’s move on to the first question.”

31

CO

ND

UC

T TH

E IN

TER

VIE

W

Interviewing

AT ALL TIMES DURING THE INTERVIEW• Be encouraging and supportive.

• Demonstrate that you are listening and be attentive to create an atmosphere in which the candidate can relax and talk more freely.

• Maintain neutral, professional body language:

= Do not in any way indicate whether you thought a response was ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

= Simply record what the candidate says and move on the next question.

Avoid:

• Following up your question with comments or giving examples. Just ask the question and then stop. Silence is not a bad thing; it gives the candidate time to think about the answer. If you feel that you need to say something, use a neutral phrase such as: “take your time”.

• Tricking candidates with difficult questions; questions should always be related to the ability to do the job for which you are recruiting.

Introductory questions

Sample introductory questions

You might want to begin the interview using one of these questions:

• What is your motivation for applying for this vacancy?

• Could you please highlight to the panel what relevant attributes and skills you would bring to this position?

Review key background information

Any gaps in the CV should be addressed.

Take no more than five minutes to cover this part of the interview.

32

Do not spend your valuable time reviewing biographical information that you have already obtained by reviewing the application. At this point in the interview, you should only clarify any unclear or missing information.

STAYING ON TRACK

The most important challenge you are likely to face during the interview is to keep the candidate on track, allowing you to collect as much evidence as possible of how the candidate has demonstrated the required competencies in the past. Do this by preparing follow-up or probing questions.

Focus on what is significant

Always come back to the vacancy notice; what competency we want (look for a situation similar to the job in which he has been successful).

Follow-up with questions on specific aspects of a situation the candidate had described. For instance:

• Tell me more about how you were involved.

• You mentioned…tell me more about that.

• What was your role in…?

Keep the candidate focused on recent past events (less than 5 years)

Keep your follow-up questions brief, specific, and in the past tense:

• What did you do then?

• What were you thinking when that happened?

• What did you say?

• What led to that decision?

Keep the candidate focused on his or her role in those situations

Avoid the “we”:

• If the candidate talks about ‘we’, ask “what was your role?”

• If the candidate is talking about generalities, or going into too much detail, redirect the candidate to specifics by saying something like “what did you do in this situation?”

Acknowledge reluctance of speaking about themselves, but emphasize that the candidate’s role is important.

33

CO

ND

UC

T TH

E IN

TER

VIE

W

Probe for thoughts behind actions

Questions about thoughts, feelings and reactions can provide information about what a candidate’s values are or how he or she is motivated, and will assist you in evaluating behaviours expected in connection with specific competencies:

• How did you reach that conclusion?

• How did you know what to do in that situation?

• What were you thinking at the time?

• What did you find satisfying/frustrating about that?

ADAPTING TO THE CANDIDATE’S RESPONSE: PROBLEM SOLVING

In addition to needing to keep the candidate on track, you are likely to encounter a number of other challenges during the interview. You may find it helpful to use the following approaches.

IF THE CANDIDATE… YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY THESE APPROACHES…

Appears uncomfortable • Start the interview with a warm-up question to help the candidate feel comfortable with the members of the evaluation panel.

Selects what appears to be an insignificant situation

• Politely interject to direct the candidate to a more pertinent example.

• When he/she has finished, request an additional example that would illustrate the point.

Selects an ‘old’ (more than 5 years ago) example

• If the situation is about a team/interpersonal conflict, do not intervene, as these may only have occurred infrequently. At the end, make sure to ask, “What did you learn from this?”

• If the situation is about a significant result, achievement or innovation, ask right away whether the candidate could identify a more recent example.

34


Does not select any examples from his or her current job

• If the candidate has been in the job for less than a year, is very new to the UN, or has had an unclear assignment/job description for some time, do not intervene.

• If the candidate has been in the job for more than a year, and you are getting close to the end of your questions, when the candidate finishes describing a situation, ask if he/she could also identify a more recent example.

Does not mention any result/outcome of the situation

• Simply ask what the result was.

• If it is not clear what the candidate’s role was in achieving the result, make sure to ask, “What was your role in achieving this result?”

• Consider asking, “What did you learn from this?”

Responds with a confusing answer, without clear line of thought

• Ensure you ask all planned questions – those that would prompt a candidate to describe the CONTEXT-ACTION-RESULT at what appears to be the most appropriate moment.

• DO NOT, however, go so far as to attempt to help the candidate to provide a more coherent response.

Appears very ‘rehearsed’, very familiar with the methodology

• This offers an excellent opportunity for you to make full use of probing questions, exploring in detail not only what the candidate did (the action he/she took) but also what he/she was thinking at the time, and how he/she felt about it.

Uses repeatedly the same situation

• Ask the candidate to select a different situation/example.

Does not answer the question

• Intervene to help put the candidate on the right track.

• Repeat the question with a higher level of explanation of what you are looking for, but do not do this more than once.

35

CO

ND

UC

T TH

E IN

TER

VIE

W


Has no response/cannot think of a situation

• Allow the candidate adequate time to identify a situation.

• If none is forthcoming, try once to slightly coach the candidate.

• If there is still no response, you will have to rate this response weak-no evidence provided.

Gives an answer that is too long

• Remind the candidate at the end that questions must be answered more briefly.

• You can use your body language.

• DO NOT interrupt, as it enables you to observe the communication skill.

Closing the interview

At this point, just before closing the interview, members of the panel might want to ask question on the candidate’s career perspectives. The panel must also remember to always ask the question:

• If you were to be selected for this job, when could you start?

Allow the candidate to ask questions

Members of the panel should allow 5 minutes for a candidate to ask questions; sometimes, they can be very revealing.

The panel members should be prepared to answer questions about the selection process since the candidates may ask when they will receive feedback following the interview.

Sample questions that a candidate may ask:• How many candidates were interviewed.

• When he or she will have an answer, either positive or negative.

• If he or she did well.

36

Close the interview with a positive and neutral attitude• Close on a positive note and ensure that when candidates leave, they feel

positive about their experience:

= Use neutral phrases;

= Be careful not to raise false expectations that may result in later disappointment;

= Avoid saying “That was great”, “you did a great job”, etc.

• Explain the steps involved in the final selection and when the decision will be made (explaining what comes next).

• Thank the applicant for his or her time and end the interview.

37 AS

SES

S C

AN

DID

ATES

ASSESS CANDIDATES

Decisions must be made based on evidence, rather than on the opinions of the interviewer. The latter should avoid basing selection decisions on unsubstantiated opinions, speculation, or stereotypes.

38

Reviewing notes and rating competencies

SAMPLE OF THINGS THAT MIGHT INFLUENCE YOU

Be aware of the need to suppress any first impression bias, in order to avoid feeling either positive or irritated before the candidate has even started.

• The way the candidate is dressed;

• Irritating mannerisms (playing with hair or with pen);

• National/Regional accent;

• Jewellery;

• Previous employer or candidate’s University.

EVALUATING RESPONSES

At the conclusion of the interview, add to your notes any details you missed during the interview. Then independently review the responses and evaluate them for each competency.

The panel should discuss later and agree upon the final rating.

No ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers

In competency-based interviewing there are no right or wrong answers, only strong or weak ones in term of evidence a candidate has provided that he or she has demonstrated the competency in question in the past.

When reviewing the notes of the interviewers, the following points will help you to decide how to evaluate the response:

• Was the answer complete? Did it contain the C.A.R. elements (Context, Action, and Result)?

• Was it a significant, relevant example that demonstrated the competency required?

• In providing the answer, did the candidate demonstrate acceptance of responsibility, capacity for learning and for applying the lessons learned from the experience?

39 AS

SES

S C

AN

DID

ATES

You may use the suggested evaluation scale below and the evaluation template on pages 40-41.

USING AN EVALUATION SCALE

The standardized proposed scale below may be used to evaluate every candidate’s individual competency; it is important that all panel members use the same scale.

Remember that all panel members review their notes and evaluate the candidate’s responses independently. The panel should discuss later and agree upon the final rating.

4

Excellent: The candidate identified a meaningful situation that provided strong and consistent demonstration of the competency and/or technical skill through excellent evidence of meaningful behaviours.

3Good: The candidate provided solid positive evidence of having demonstrated the competency and/or technical skill through a wide range of effective behaviours.

2Average: The candidate provided adequate evidence of having demonstrated the competency and/or technical skill through several effective behaviours.

1Poor: The candidate provided poor positive evidence of having demonstrated the competency and/or technical skill through limited effective behaviours.

0/NENo evidence: The candidate did not provide any positive evidence of having demonstrated the competency and/or technical skill.

Reminder: Positive and negative points (page 23) can also help you to better assess candidates; especially if two candidates get the same evaluation, they can help you to decide who was the best.

40

Proposed evaluation grid

Reminder: the evidence you are looking for can best be assessed if a candidate provides a response that includes the C.A.R elements:

• Context: a specific instance in which the candidate has demonstrated the competency;

• Action: what the candidate did to demonstrate the competency;

• Result: what results were achieved?

This template is provided as an example of evaluation grid that can be used by interviewers to assess and compare each interviewed candidate based on the evaluation scale established by the panel.

COMPETENCY-BASED INTERVIEW

Evaluation grid for interviewers

POST AND GRADE

Candidate 1 Candidate 2 Candidate 3 Candidate 4 Candidate 5 Candidate 6

Competency 1

Competency 2

Competency 3

Competency 4

Competency 5

Competency 6

Observations:

NE 1 2 3 4

No Evidence Poor Average Good Excellent

41 AS

SES

S C

AN

DID

ATES

Proposed comparative evaluation grid

This template is provided as an example of evaluation grid that can be used by the evaluation panel to discuss and agree on a final rating. Each candidate is therefore given an average rating on all evaluated competency and the panel can prepare its recommendation.

COMPETENCY-BASED INTERVIEW

Individual evaluation of candidates

POST AND GRADE

Interviewer 1 Interviewer 2 Interviewer 3 Interviewer 4 Interviewer 5 Interviewer 6

Competency 1

Competency 2

Competency 3

Competency 4

Competency 5

Competency 6

Final Overall Rating

Observations:

Sample Interview Questions

2016





COMPETENCY-BASED INTERVIEWINGAssessing Candidates

Based on Their Past Performance

A GUIDE FOR EVALUATION

PANEL MEMBERS

HRM 2016

3

CO

RE

VA

LU

ES

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

CORE VALUES

4

Commitment to the Organization

1. Give me an example of when you have had to defend an Organization’s decision

to others who did not agree with the viewpoint.

What was the specific situation?

Why did you defend the decision?

What did you say or do that was particularly effective?

In hindsight, what would have you done differently?

2. Give an example of a situation when you encountered criticism against your

organization/company.


What caused the criticism?

How did you respond?

How did your interlocutor react?

3. Tell me about the ways in which you motivate yourself or others toward

commitment and hard work.

Can you give a specific example of a situation?

What approach did you use to motivate them?

To what extent were you successful in your attempt?

4. Tell me about a time when you have gone an “extra mile” for the Organization.


What did you do that was particularly beyond your role?

What feedback did you receive?

5. Give me an example of a time when you initiated a collaboration with another

unit or other colleagues in order to better deliver.

What were you trying to achieve?

How did you go about establishing/promoting the collaboration?

How effective was this collaboration?

What were the advantages of this approach?

6. Describe a time when you were able to advocate persuasively for your

organization/company’s vision and mandate.

5

CO

RE

VA

LU

ESIntegrity

1. Tell me about the last time that you had to face a professional or ethical

dilemma at work (in the recent past).


How did you feel?

How did you resolve the dilemma?

2. When have you been asked to ‘bend the rules’ by a colleague or client?

How did you manage the situation?

What pressures were you under?

What factors did you have to consider?

What was the outcome?

3. Describe a time when you have had to choose between admitting a mistake

and maintaining credibility to a superior or client.

What did you do?

How did you decide what to do?

What would you do differently next time?

4. Tell me about a time you have observed others working in an unprofessional

or unethical manner.

What was unprofessional or unethical about their behaviour?

What did you do about their behaviour?

What were the implications of taking action?

How did you deal with the possible consequences?

5. In most organizations there are rules, regulations and principles that have

to be adhered to and some that can be interpreted more flexibly. Give me an

example of a time where you have interpreted the rules with more flexibility.


What made the situation ambiguous?

What did you do well in handling the situation?

What else could have you done?

6

6. Describe a situation where you felt pressured to act in a way that would

compromise your values or those of the Organization.

What was the nature of the situation?

What were the implications of your actions?

How did you respond to the pressure?

What was the result?

What did you learn from the experience? If you had to do it again what

would you do differently?

Respect for diversity

1. What experience have you had with working with people from diverse

backgrounds?

Describe a specific situation where you have had to relate to others from a

different background from yours.

How did you improve the way you interact with people from different

backgrounds?

Based upon your experience, what advice would you give to someone

having difficulty working with people from different backgrounds?

2. Describe an occasion when you found it difficult to work with someone from

a different background.

What caused the problems?




3. Describe a situation that required you to consider a different perspective from

your own when exploring an issue.

What did you learn from the experience?

How do you think you could improve your ability to see issues from a

different perspective?

What do you see as being the key to effectively viewing issues from an

alternative perspective?

7

CO

RE

VA

LU

ES

4. Give me an example of a situation where you have pursued a course of action

which had to take into account the sensitivities of external (different) parties.

What were the issues?

What did you specifically do to handle these?


5. What opportunity have you had to examine your own biases and behaviours

when dealing with people?

What observations have you made?

Describe an example of when you have attempted to avoid a stereotypical

response.

What did you do that was effective?

What feedback did you get from the person/people?

How could you be more effective in this area?

6. When you were liaising with colleagues or others from different cultures,

what sorts of issues did you need to take into account?

When did this knowledge help you to get your job done more efficiently?

When did you overlook something?

How did you handle this?

Professionalism

1. Give me an example of when it has been important for you to appear

knowledgeable about your area of specialty.

Why was this so important?

How did you go about establishing credibility?

2. Give me an example of when you experienced a setback.

Describe what happened.

How did you react to the problem?

To what extent did others see how you were feeling?

8

3. How do you define success in your current role/previous work?

Can you give me a specific example of when this has occurred?

What specifically do you wish to achieve?

How do you know when you have achieved success?

4. Give me an example of when you have set yourself an ambitious target.

What made it so ambitious?

How did it compare with other targets you had set yourself?

How well did you do?

5. Tell me about a time when you worked especially hard in your current role/

work.

Which aspect of the situation motivated you to work hard?

What feedback did you have on your performance?

6. Tell me about a time when you were able to anticipate a problem in your work.

How did you know the problem was likely to occur?

What did you do?

How effective was your action?

9

CO

RE

CO

MP

ET

EN

CIE

S

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

CORE COMPETENCIES

10

Accountability

1. Give me an example of when time pressures prevented you from spending a

lot of time on a task.

What implications did this have for the quality of your work?

How did you ensure that the task was done properly?

What would you do differently in the future?

2. Describe a time when you did not meet your usual standards of work.

What alerted you to this?

How did you overcome the problem?

What were the long-term consequences?

3. Describe a time when you failed to complete a task on time.

Why was this?

What steps had you taken to avoid this?

What lessons did you learn?

4. Describe a time when you delegated a task to another person.

How did you enable them to carry out the work?

How did you follow up with them?

Who had responsibility for the work?

How was this responsibility established?

5. Tell me about a time when it was particularly important for you to take

responsibility for your actions.

What had you done that required you to take responsibility for your actions?

Why was taking responsibility so important?

How did you make this known to others?

6. Describe a time when you realized that your team’s results/output could have

been better?

What did you do to address the issue?

How responsible were you for the team’s results/output?

What was achieved?

What feedback did you have on the subsequent performance of the team?

11

CO

RE

CO

MP

ET

EN

CIE

SCommunication

1. Give me an example of when you had to explain something difficult to someone

who did not have your background/knowledge.

What information did you need to get across?

What did you consider when explaining the concept?

What was the most difficult aspect about giving the explanation?

How did you ensure that they understood?


2. Tell me about a time when it was important to involve someone in a

conversation.

Why was it important to involve them?

How did you go about involving them?

When has your approach been less effective?

In retrospect, what would have you done differently?

3. What kind of correspondence have you had to prepare in the past?

What experience have you had in writing formal communication?

How effective is your writing technique?

How could you improve the quality of your writing?

4. What experience have you had speaking formally in front of others?

Describe a talk or presentation which you have given recently.

How did you tailor the discussion to suit the audience?

How did the audience react?


5. Tell me about a time when you have chosen not to disclose information to

others.

What was the situation?

When are you less likely to share information with others?

What are the main issues you consider when deciding whether to share

information with others?

12

6. Tell me about a time when you have outlined the key points in an argument

in the past.

What did you do specifically that was effective?

How could you present your argument more effectively?

In what situations have you been most effective at outlining your arguments

to others?

What do you see as being the key to successfully putting an argument

across orally?

7. Give me an example of a situation when it was important for you to

communicate a strategy or organizational objective clearly to others.

Why was it important?

What did you do to prepare your communication?

What did you do that was particularly effective?

What factors did you feel were important to address?

How did you make sure you were understood?

Teamwork

1. Describe to me a successful teamwork work experience:


Which was your role?

What made the team successful?

How did you handle the disagreements within the team?

What were the results?



2. Tell me about the last time you worked as part of a team.

What was the purpose of the team?

What did you like about working in the group?

What did you dislike?

How did you get the team members to cooperate?

13

CO

RE

CO

MP

ET

EN

CIE

S

3. Did you face a situation where your personal objectives were at odds with

those of the team?

How did you react?


How did you balance competing personal and team goals?

4. Describe a time when you worked in a really effective team.

What made the team so effective?

What was your particular contribution to the team?

How did your colleagues relate to you?

5. Give me an example of when you had to support someone else in a team.

Why did they need support?

What did you do to support them?

How did that change things?

6. Tell me about a time when you have accepted joint responsibility for a team’s

limitations or problems.


How did you explain about your part in the situation?


7. Describe an occasion when you had difficulties working with a team.

What caused the problems?



8. Give me a specific example of when you have encouraged a cooperative

approach in a team.



What did not work so well?

How did you ensure that you made the best use of people’s ideas?

How did you go about making decisions in that group situation?

14

9. Tell me about a time when it was difficult for you to be supportive of a team

member based on differences in your work styles or work habits.

How did you handle the situation?

With the benefit of hindsight, would you handle the situation differently?

Innovation

1. Describe a situation when you had to be creative.

What was the nature of the situation?


What were the different actions to carry out?




2. Tell me about a time when you came up with a new idea at work.

Why was this important?

How did you come up with this idea?

What risks did you consider?

How did you get other people interested in the idea?


3. Creative ideas may initially seem good but in practice be unusable. How often

do you find this?

Tell me about one such situation.

How did you decide that the idea was not practical?

What was the outcome of the situation?

4. Give me an example of a time when you used a less conventional approach to

your work.

Why was this necessary?

Why do you consider your approach to be different?

How well did it work?

15

CO

RE

CO

MP

ET

EN

CIE

S

In what situations are you least creative?

What stops you from being innovative?

How do you manage these situations?

What would help you to handle these situations more effectively?

5. Describe a situation when you produced an imaginative solution to a problem

at work.

How did you generate the solution?



6. Tell me about a time when you questioned a way of working.

Why did you question it?

What alternative did you suggest?

To what extent were your ideas used?

7. Tell me about a time when you took a risk with pursuing a new approach or

idea.

What was risky about pursuing the approach/idea?

How did you handle the situation?

How far did the new approach/idea progress?

8. Tell me about a recent time when you instituted improvement and change.

How was it decided that an improvement was needed?

How did you go about making the change(s)?

What resistance was there to the change(s)?

What effect did the changes have?

What feedback did you receive regarding the quality of your idea?

Results focus

1. Give us an example of when you led and facilitated work planning to achieve

a significant result.

16

2. Describe a time when you needed to ensure that the work you were doing

would meet the needs of a person or group external to your Organization or

immediate work area.

Why was this required?

How did you approach this?

What did you do to ensure that their needs were met on an ongoing basis?


3. Describe a time when it was particularly important for you to adopt a results-

based approach to your work.

Why was a results-based approach particularly important in this situation?

What changes did you institute to meet this requirement?

How did you monitor progress?

What challenges did you come across?

What was the final result?

4. Tell us about a time when you pushed yourself and your team to meet a

particularly demanding goal.

Why were these goals particularly demanding?

How did you approach it?

How did you ensure the goals were met?


Planning and organizing

1. Tell us about a time you had to organize or plan a major event.

What was the nature of the event?


How did you plan and organize the different actions to carry out?

How did the event turn out?

Reflecting back, what did you learn from the experience? If you had to do it

again what would you do differently?

17

CO

RE

CO

MP

ET

EN

CIE

S

2. Tell us about a time where you had a number of demands being made on you

at the same time.

How did you handle it?



How did you plan to organize the different actions to carry out?




3. Describe an occasion when you had to prepare in advance for a meeting or

project.

What did you do?

How much time did you have to prepare?

Was the meeting or project a success?

4. Give me an example of when you had to work to an important deadline.

How manageable were your timescales?

What did you do to ensure that the deadline was met?

How would you organize your activities differently next time?

5. Describe the last time you missed a deadline.

Why did this happen?

How responsible were you for this?

What did you do to try to overcome this problem?

6. Tell me about the last project plan you had to produce, a piece of work or

event you had to organize.


How did you prepare and plan for it?

What timescales did you set?

What could you have done to be more effective in your planning?

What are the key stages in project planning as you see them?

7. Describe a recent situation where you had to set clearly defined objectives.

How did you go about setting your objectives?

18

In hindsight, how realistic were your objectives?

What areas do you think you need to work on in terms of your objective

setting?

What do you see as being the key to setting realistic objectives?

8. Thinking of a specific example, how have you helped others with planning

their work in the past

What kind of advice did you give them?

What feedback have you had on your ability to set plans for others?

How do you think you could improve your planning for other people?

9. Using a recent example, describe how you have developed actions for

achieving an objective.

How useful were your actions when it came to achieving your objectives?

What would you like to improve on in terms of your action planning?

What do you think are the key things to remember when developing action

plans?

10. Tell me about a time when it was necessary for you to plan several alternative

courses of action in response to a change in an Organization’s direction.

How did you re-prioritize?

How far did you plan ahead?

How did you monitor the progress of the plans?

11. Tell us about a time when you have had to translate a strategy into actions

and plans.

What did you specifically do that was effective?

How did you know that your plans were clear enough to be implemented?

How do you break down strategy into manageable tasks?

What would you do differently in hindsight?

12. When have you considered strategic issues when developing goals?


What advice do you give others on strategic implications for goal-setting?

What is the impact of failing to align goals with an Organization’s strategy?

Have you ever had to address this?

19

CO

RE

CO

MP

ET

EN

CIE

S

13. Describe a key programme to promote…(specify)… that you have planned and

implemented

What challenges did you face? How did you overcome them?

What was the contribution of the programme to …(specify)…?

In hindsight, what would you do differently if you had to do it over?

Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement

1. What type of specialist knowledge have you needed to be aware of in your

previous jobs/education?

How have you gone about keeping your technical knowledge up to date in

the past?

In what areas of technical knowledge do you want to become more

competent?

2. Which areas in your profession/occupation are the most challenging for you?

What are your strengths and weaknesses in your specialty area?

What feedback have you received about your specialist knowledge?

How have you gone about developing these areas?

3. How do you keep up with advances in your field?

How important is it for you to keep up to date professionally?

How much time do you spend doing this?

Which specialist or technical magazines or journals do you read?

What other methods do you use to keep up to date?

4. Describe an occasion when you felt that your level of technical knowledge was

insufficient.

What made you think this?

What action did you take?

What are your current strengths in terms of your specialist knowledge?

What are your current weaknesses in terms of your specialist knowledge?

20

5. Describe an example of when you had to acquire additional technical

knowledge.

How did you go about acquiring this extra knowledge?

In what aspects were you least knowledgeable?

What feedback have you had on the breadth and depth of your technical

knowledge?

What do you see as being the key for acquiring relevant technical

knowledge?

6. Describe an occasion when colleagues (others) sought your advice or

experience.

What had you done to be an authority?

How accurate was your advice?

What have you done since to acquire extra knowledge?

To what extent could you answer all their questions?

How did you know that the information you gave was up to date?

What was their reaction?

7. How have you contributed to the learning of others?

Tell me about a specific time when you have coached or trained a colleague

in something new to them.

How did you make yourself available to them?

What ongoing support did you provide?

21

MA

NA

GE

RIA

L C

OM

PE

NT

EN

CIE

S

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

MANAGERIAL COMPETENCIES

22

Driving and managing change

1. Describe a situation where you had to drive a team through change.

How did you manage to make people follow your lead?

What challenges did you meet?

How was it received?

How was your action effective?

2. Tell us about a time when you led an initiative to improve the work in your

team.

Why did you feel this was necessary?

What steps did you take?

How did you manage to help the person go through the transition?

What feedback did you receive from your team?

3. Tell us about a situation where you faced reluctance from your team to accept

the direction that you were setting.

What were the reluctances?

What approach did you use to convince them?

How successful were you?

4. Can you give an example of a change you have initiated to improve your

Organization/work unit?

What prompted you to make this change?

What specific actions did you take?



5. Tell us about a time when you undertook a major review of current work

practices.

What did you discover?

How did you go about implementing change?

Did you come across obstacles?

What did you do to overcome them?

23

MA

NA

GE

RIA

L C

OM

PE

NT

EN

CIE

S

6. Tell us about a time when you needed to get around an obstacle to a goal that

was new.

What was the goal you were aiming?

What strategies did you use to address the obstacle?

What were the factors you needed to take into account?


7. Tell us about a time when you needed to communicate to your team or clients

a change in policy or procedure.

What communication channels or tools did you use?

How effective were you in influencing and persuading them?

How do you think you could improve your approach?

Strategic thinking

1. Provide us with an example of when you were in a complex and confusing

situation and had to decide on a clear path of action.

2. Give us an example of a time when you have involved others in the selection

of the best course of action, guiding them to weigh the impact of different

options.

3. Tell me about a recent time when you needed to take a broad view of your

own work.

Why was this necessary?

How useful was this approach?


4. Describe an occasion when you considered a range of possible future

scenarios when planning.

How did you take account of possible risks?

What contingencies did you make?

24

5. Give me an example of a time when you could have taken a more long-term

view.



What did you learn?

6. Tell me about a time when you have had to translate a strategy into actions

and plans.

What did you specifically do that was effective?

How did you know that your plans were clear enough to be implemented?


7. Describe an example of when you have taken strategic implications into

consideration as part of your decision-making.


How accurate was your view of the big picture?

What risks did you identify?

How could you have taken a more strategic perspective?

In what situations do you take a less strategic perspective to your work?

8. Tell me about a time when you have taken into account the wider implications

of an issue in your decision-making.

Was there anything that you did not anticipate that would have been useful

in hindsight?

When are you least likely to take into account the wider implications of

issues?

What do you see as being the key to ensuring that the wider implications of

issues are taken into account when decisions are made?

9. It is not always easy to step back from day-to-day operations to consider the

bigger picture when making decisions. Give me an example of when you have

found it difficult to consider the bigger picture when making a decision.

Why was this?

What did you do?

What would you do differently in a similar situation?


25

MA

NA

GE

RIA

L C

OM

PE

NT

EN

CIE

S

10. Tell me about a situation when you took global trends into account in a

strategy or plan.

How successfully did you integrate these global trends with the work of

your Organization?

How could you have been more effective at taking account of global trends?

What advice would you give to someone who had difficulty taking a global

perspective at work?

11. Describe to me a complex problem which you recently solved.

What made it so challenging?

How did you handle it?

What implications did you consider?


Making quality decisions

1. Describe a time when you had to make a difficult decision, one which was not

necessarily supported by all key stakeholders in the situation.

How did you present your point of view?

How did you handle the decision-making process?

What were the objections?

With hindsight, how would you approach this differently?

2. Tell us about a time you solved a difficult problem that had significant impact.

How did you go about analyzing the problem?

What additional information did you gather?

What alternative solutions did you consider?

Tell me how you implemented your solution.


3. Tell us about a situation where you made a decision that involuntarily impacted

negatively on others.

How did you make that decision?

26

How did you handle its consequences?


4. Give us an example of a time you had to seek all relevant information in order

to get to the bottom of an issue.

What type of information sources did you specifically use?

How did you know when you had enough information?

What do you see as being the most important thing to remember when

gathering information to solve problems?

5. Give us an example of a time when you needed to quickly make a decision.

Why making that decision was so urgent?

How did you go about making that decision?

How did you ensure that this decision was right?


6. Describe a situation where you have had to consider a variety of alternatives

in your decision-making.

What factors did you take into account?

What feedback did you receive on the success of your decision?

What would you have done differently in hindsight?

How do you think you could improve your decision-making approach?

7. Give us an example of a problem you were unable to handle effectively.


Why do you think your solution was ineffective?

What did you do after you recognized the problem was not handled

appropriately?

What will you do differently next time?

8. Give us an example of when you have had to seek advice in solving a problem.

Who did you consult?

Why was there a need to?

Did you do what they suggested?

27

MA

NA

GE

RIA

L C

OM

PE

NT

EN

CIE

S

Building partnerships

1. Identify a time when you developed or contributed to the development of a

partnership that contributed to achieving important outcomes.

Why was the development of partnership important in the situation?

How did you go about identifying the partner in question?

What steps did you take to develop the partnership?

2. Give us an example of when you were able to forge an important partnership

between your Organization/company and an external stakeholder.

3. Describe an example of when you approached a key negotiation with the

explicit goal of achieving a win/win outcome.

4. Give me an example of how you have developed and maintained trust in the

past.

How effective were you at building and maintaining trust in your example?

How could you be more effective at building and maintaining trust?

What do you see as being the crucial issues to manage in order to get

others to place their trust in you?

5. Give us an example of a time when you helped a member of your team build

a partnership.

What kind of help did you provide?

What reasons did you have to support this partnership?

What was the impact of your help on the partnership?


6. Give me an example of when you have identified an opportunity to enhance a

service/ practice by collaborating with another team.

How did you identify that this was an opportunity?

What was your role in developing an effective partnership?

How did the team benefit from this collaboration?

28

Leading and empowering others

1. What opportunities have you had to take the lead in a team?

Which of these were the most challenging?

Why was that?

2. Give us an example of a time when you led a team towards the achievement

of a significant result.

What skills did you need to achieve your objective?

What sort of strategies did you develop to achieve the objective?

What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

What feedback have you had on your ability to keep teams on track?

What are your lessons learned from this experience?

3. Tell me about a particular situation where you had to lead by example.

What messages did you want your team to pick up? Why?

How did you go about it?


What could have you done better?

4. Tell me about a situation when you found it difficult to manage the work of a

team.

What made this difficult?

How did you try to overcome these difficulties?

How could you improve upon this?

5. Tell me about a time when you have found it difficult to compel others to

follow a strategic direction.

How did you try and get others on board?

Why was this difficult?

What did you specifically do?


6. Describe an example of how you typically interact with staff at different levels

of an Organization.

In what past situations have you been effective at building relationships

with others?

29

MA

NA

GE

RIA

L C

OM

PE

NT

EN

CIE

S

On what occasions have you been less effective?

What have you gained through your interactions with these people?

7. Describe how you have gone about resolving conflict between others in the

past, using a specific example.



In what situations are you less comfortable about resolving conflict

between others?

What advice would you give to an inexperienced colleague faced with a

conflict situation that needed resolving?

8. Identify a time when you had to motivate and inspire a team to achieve a result.

What approach did you use to motivate the team?

To what extent were you successful in your attempt?

What was the impact of your efforts on the performance of the team?

9. Describe a time when you successfully empowered someone to carry out a

task.

How did you enable them to carry out the work?

What feedback have you had on how successful you were in your

empowering?

When have you been least effective at empowering others in the past?


10. Describe a specific example of when you have involved others when making

decisions.

How did you go about making decisions in that group situation?



What did not work so well?

How did you ensure that you made the best use of people’s contributions?

11. Give me an example of when you have solicited the contributions of others in

your team.


What reasons did you have for soliciting the contributions?

30

What feedback have you had on the way you consult with others?

In what situations are you less likely to consult widely with others?

12. Thinking of a specific example, how do you typically go about delegating tasks

to others?

What did you do that was particularly effective in your approach to

delegating?

What would you do differently if you had the chance?

How do you think you could improve your delegating approach?

How do you typically reward team members for their efforts?

13. Describe a time when, in hindsight, you could see that you provided more

detailed direction on an assignment than was necessary for the person

involved.

What kind of direction did you provide?

How did this affect the person?


What do you consider when deciding whether to give a person detailed

direction versus independence with an assignment?

Managing performance

1. Tell me about a situation where you have had to manage the performance of

a team or individual through a particular assignment.

What were your objectives?

How did you manage the people through the assignment?


2. Tell me about a time when a member of your team made a mistake.

What did you do when you found out?

What was the message you conveyed to him or her?

What were the short-term and long-term consequences for the team

member?

31

MA

NA

GE

RIA

L C

OM

PE

NT

EN

CIE

S

What opportunities have you had to identify development opportunities for

others?

3. Tell me about a project in which you had to monitor people’s performance.

How helpful were the controls you set in place for monitoring the progress

of others?

What would you do differently if you were placed in a similar situation

again?

When are you least likely to build checkpoints into your project plans?

What do you think are the key features of an effective approach to

monitoring progress towards an objective?

4. How do you assess the capabilities of people (e.g., direct reports, applicants)?

What methods do you use?

How effective are you?

5. What opportunities have you had to assess other people’s performance?

How often do you assess individual performance?

What form does this take?

What feedback do you provide?

What advice would you give to others assessing the performance of

individuals?

6. Describe a development plan that you have set for a team member.

How did you set the development plan?

What did you do that was effective?

What advice would you give to other managers/supervisors about setting

development plans?

33

OT

HE

R S

KIL

LS

AN

D C

OM

PE

TE

NC

IES

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

OTHER SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

34

Applying expertise

1. Give us an example of a time when you have applied a best practice in your

area of work.

How did you become aware of its being considered best practice?

What was the benefit to your Organization of the application of its principle?

How do you stay informed of best practices in your area?

2. Give us an example of a time when you have applied your knowledge of

administrative procedures to solve a significant problem to the Organization.

How did you become aware of the problem?

What was the benefit to your Organization of resolving the problem?

How did you share your knowledge of how to address the problem with

others?

3. Tell us about a time when you successfully provided policy advice to (…)

Could you describe your role?

What were the challenges you faced?

How did you measure your success?

What lessons did you learn from this experience?

4. Give us an example of a time when you had to plan and implement programmes

Could you describe your role?

What did you do in order to create the plan?

And to implement the programme?

What were the outcomes of the programme?

If you were asked to do this work again, what would you do differently?

5. Give us an example of a time when you had to draft correspondence


Can you tell us what your role was?

What outcome were you aiming to achieve?

How did you go about it?

How successful were you in achieving the planned outcome?

6. Tell us about a time when you have demonstrated knowledge and expertise in

(insert applicable technical or substantive expertise in question).

35

OT

HE

R S

KIL

LS

AN

D C

OM

PE

TE

NC

IESClient orientation

1. Describe a time in the last 6 months when you had to help a client.

How did you find out about their real needs?

Why did they come to you?

How well did you manage to meet their needs?

2. Give me an example of when you have put a client first.

What sacrifices did you have to make?

What impact did this have on your other activities?

How was this seen by others?

3. Tell me about the last time a client made an excessive or unreasonable

demand on you.

What made them so demanding?

What did you do to assist them?

What pressure did this put you under?

4. Describe a time when you were unable to help out a client as much as he or

she wanted.

Why was this?

What did they say about your reaction?

What feedback did you have about the situation?

What would have you done differently?

5. How much opportunity have you had to develop long-term relationships with

clients?

Tell me about a particular relationship.

How did you develop this relationship?

Describe how you gained their trust and respect.

What feedback did you receive from the client (person)?

6. Give me an example of when it has been important to keep clients (people)

informed of progress.


36

How do you think you could improve your approach to informing clients?

When are you less likely to follow up with clients?

How do you manage the expectations of clients?

7. When have you considered the perspective of clients when making a decision?


What did you specifically consider?

What did this information add to the final decision?

Service orientation

1. Describe a situation when you had to provide a service.

How many different actors did you have to respond to?

How did you manage time pressure?

How did you ensure the follow-up of the mission with the different implied

actors?

2. Describe a situation when you had to face an unexpected situation and

successfully resolved it.

Had you anticipated the situation?

What was the expected outcome?

What did you do to face the situation?

What was the final outcome?

3. Tell me about a time when you had to identify multiple expectations from

multiple decision-makers and stakeholders.

How did you manage to meet all these expectations?

4. Describe a situation when you had to use your interpersonal skills in order to

successfully deliver a service.

Who was the service meant for?

How did you know how to act?


37

OT

HE

R S

KIL

LS

AN

D C

OM

PE

TE

NC

IES

5. Tell me about a time when you asked for feedback on your service skills

from your supervisor and then used that response to improve your own

performance.

What competencies did you develop to provide a higher level of service?

Technological awareness

1. How do you keep up with advances in technology?

How much time do you spend doing this?

What are the limitations of technology in your work?

2. Which technical issues are the most challenging for you?

What are your strengths in using technology?

What are your weaknesses?

How important is using technology in your role?

3. Give me an example of when your technological awareness helped you to

solve a problem.

What brought the issue to light?

What did you do?

What was the result of your efforts?

4. What have you done to acquire knowledge about technology?

How did you go about developing your knowledge?

What opportunities have you had in this area?

5. Give me an example of when technology breakdown had an impact on your

delivery.

What did you do?

What were the implications?

What did you learn from the episode?

Questions Interview Based on Their Past Performance …unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002466/246608e.pdf · You will find at the back of this guide, sample interview questions on

Documents