This term Grant Thornton ran a very useful workshop for the school on interview skills. An interesting section was on how Grant Thornton have moved away from the traditional competency based questions to strength based questions.
Strength based questions are questions that look at what you are capable of doing in the future. It gives the interviewer a better feel for who you are and is particularly useful for applicants who do not have a lot of work experience. Competency based questions look at what you can already do which means it is much easier to just prepare a bank of stock answers and examples.
Examples of competency based interview questions are:
• Give an example of a challenge you faced in the workplace, and how you overcame it
• What is your biggest achievement?
• How did you reach the decision that you wanted to change your job and work for us?
• Tell me about a time your communication skills improved a situation
• Give an example of change in the workplace and how you handled this
• Give an example of a time you identified a new approach to a workplace problem
Examples of Strength based interview questions are:
• What do you like to do in your spare time?
• What energises you?
• Do you most like starting tasks or finishing them?
• Describe a successful day. What made it successful?
• Do you prefer the big picture or the small details?
• What tasks are always left on your to-do list?
Increasing numbers of employers are moving toward strength based interviews and so the way interviews are conducted and the way we will start to prepare for interviews will begin to change.
There are a number of useful websites which have information on strength based interviews including hints and tips on how to prepare for them:
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/interview-tips/strength-based-interviews
https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/strength-based-interviews.htm