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34 THE FUNDAMENTALS

, Written Correspondence. Letters and e-mail correspondence that you
have written on the job usually contain statements that reflect the core
competencies of the position. Scour your correspondence for such exam-
ples and add those skills to your list of core competencies. Figure 2-3 is an
example of an e-mail message that reflects core competencies that are re-
quired for a purchasing position.

Figure 2-3

Terry:

I received the shipment. Thank you for making sure it arrived on time, and for your
patience in answering my questions along the way. I’ll keep you in mind the next time
my office supply runs low.

Sincerely,
Michael Gilmore
Purchasing Agent
www.websitename.com
(954) 555-1111

Keep SOAR in Mind

When answering competency-based questions, think SOAR: Situation or
Obstacle, Actions, Result. That is, in framing your response, you need to
concentrate on the situation or obstacle, the actions you took to implement
a solution, and the results you achieved. But, let’s look at each of these steps.

Situation or Obstacle: To provide context for the interviewer, be-

gin your response with background information. Depending on the impor-
tance of the setup, you do not have to provide too much information—just
enough to give the interviewer a feel for the situation (circumstances) or ob-
stacle (impediment).

Action: Focus your response on the process you undertook to com-

plete the project or carry out your responsibility.

RESULT: Close your answer with the results of your actions, casting

them in a positive light.

American Management Association
www.amanet.org