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48 THE FUNDAMENTALS

When answering competency-based questions, avoid mistakes by
following these rules:

, Provide examples. Ideally, you ought to be able to gather your
thoughts without hesitation; however, there may be times when you are
not quick on your feet or your mind goes blank. A knee-jerk response
often takes either of two forms.

First, you may feel inclined to make a defensive comment, such as
the following real-life example: “I do not understand why you are ask-
ing such questions. I have the qualifications for the job. But I am not
good at interviews.” That possibly is the case; nevertheless, an inter-
viewer will not take your word for it and will expect you to demonstrate
your capability.

Second, making an obnoxious comment surely will eliminate your
candidacy, as will unknowingly making rude facial expressions, such as
rolling your eyes. Needless to say, obvious negative reactions tremen-
dously decrease your chances of being hired.

So, when you find you are unable to answer a question or provide a
hypothetical scenario, simply come clean by stating: “At the moment I
cannot think of an example. Is it possible to move on to the next ques-
tion?” This situation is not ideal, and should be used rarely, but it’s bet-
ter than insulting the interviewer.

, Offer details. When interviewers ask competency-based questions,
they want specifics. Failing to provide those specifics will lead the inter-
viewers to conclude that you do not have the right experience for the job.

, Vary your examples. Using examples that always contain the same
facts, situations, gender, or age group is a warning sign that you do not
have a range of experience or can deal with different personalities. To
avoid being pigeonholed, provide diverse examples that reflect an array
of situations and personalities.

, Limit your examples. Depending on the number of years consti-
tuting your work experience, you may have many examples to offer. If
this is the case, avoid providing too many illustrations, lest you over-
whelm the interviewer. To narrow down your choices, stick with the
most recent examples.

American Management Association
www.amanet.org