Interview Questions Explained – Core Competencies

There are essentially two types of skills assessed by prospective employers at a face-to-face interview soft-skills and core competencies Prepare yourself for questions related to your competence by considering some suggested approaches to common questions.

How do you stay current on developments in the industry?

The Intention: This question provides the interviewer an opportunity to determine whether you are a self-motivated professional who takes initiative in maintaining a base of useful skills.

The Response: Prepare for this question by actually updating your foundation of knowledge. When the question is posed during the interview, use the opportunity to start a conversation on a particularly interesting development in your industry. Citing specific examples from industry news will instill in the interviewer that you take initiative and might even impress him/her if you can demonstrate that you know something that he/she has missed. This is the opportunity to demonstrate how deep and current your knowledge is

What are three specific skills that you bring to the team

The Intention: This question is intended to provide the interviewer with an understanding of what you feel are the core elements of your competencies. Instead of asking for a description of your soft-skills, such as your initiative and team-playing prowess, the potential employer is probing for what you feel are the most valuable hard-skills you bring to the team.

The Response: Take advantage of this opportunity to market some of your most valuable skills. Foreign language, IT, and fob-specific skills will provide you the best opportunity to impress the prospective employer and demonstrate that you will provide a service to the company that is useful, necessary, and marketable.

Why should we hire you? What sets you a part from the other candidates?

The Intention: These very direct questions are aimed at eliciting a response wherein you sell your most marketable strengths What makes you not fust a good candidate, but the best choice for the position? The Response: Your response to these questions should be concise and complete. Directly state that you are the best choice for the position.