How to ace a Skills-based job interview

Acing Your Next Skills-Based Interview

Skills-based interviews are becoming far more common in the recruiting procedure, since they give recruiters a more accurate idea of whether or not candidates have the core competencies required for the job. Skills-based interviews focus on a candidate's past experiences by asking them to provide specific examples of how they have shown relevant skills, qualities, abilities and intelligences in the past. It is favoured in top companies across the globe not only because it gives a detailed picture of a candidate's abilities, but also because it is highly structured €“ this means that a set of predetermined rating scales can be used to gauge how well each candidate has answered a specific list of questions.

What Questions Can You Expect at a Skills-Based Interview?

Because this type of interview will ask you to reveal specific instances in your past work or academic experience in which you displayed core skills or competencies, you need to anticipate (and prepare well for) questions. To work out which skills you will be questioned on, look well at the job posting. Make a list of specific situations in your past work experience in which you displayed these skills. Try to €˜pique' your recruiters at the application stage by drafting a professional resume that lists skills in a specific way. For instance, if you are applying for a position as a social media manager, don't just state "Headed the social media efforts of X company"; rather, say "Headed the social media accounts of X company, raising Instagram followers by 10,000 in six months." This type of information will undoubtedly provide ample ground for recruiters to delve into; they will definitely want to know how you went about achieving an important goal or breaking a record, bet it in sales, marketing, or any other measurable target.

Rehearsing Using the STAR Method

To give a fully rounded answer to skills-based questions, use the STAR method, which stands for Situation (What situation were you called upon to remedy or What goal were you asked to achieve); Task (What exactly did you have to do?), Action (What actions did you take?) and Result (What results did your efforts achieve?). Rehearse answers for various skills using all these categories in your answer. For instance, if you are applying for a sales position and you are asked, "Tell me about a time you failed to achieve a sales goal," you might start by saying, "Goals are indeed important for the type of post I am applying for and while I always try to achieve or surpass my sales goals. However, let me tell you about one time I did not achieve my target." When you are asked a question like this, it is important to be honest about your failures and achievements. This type of question is geared towards finding out the extent to which you are able to learn from mistakes, and to build a new strategy so as not to succumb to similar obstacles in the future.

When practising for a skills-based interview, try to list down three examples for each skill, practicing an answer for each example. If possible, enlist the help of a friend who has experience with this type of interview, so you can practise €˜thinking on your feet' €“ a skill you may need to master if you are asked a question you are not expecting. Start out with a strong, detailed resume, which will hopefully steer your recruiters in the right direction. Remember that your answers don't have to all be positive; they can also be valuable if they show you have a positive, proactive attitude to challenges and a strong desire to learn and improve.

By Jane Sandwood