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knOwlEDgE-basED non-ComPetenCY-BaSed QueStionS knowLedge-BaSed QueStionS
qUEstIOns
We can’t give you right and wrong answers to these questions, they will depend
on your particular expertise but there are some general guidelines that should
help you frame good answers.
tell me what you think of the current state of the
low-rental social housing market.
Clearly this is designed to assess how well you know this topic and, let’s face
it, either you do or you don’t! Therefore there is little point giving you a model
answer. But there are some simple tips you can follow as you build your
answers to this kind of question.
n Your best response is to answer the question based on your knowledge
of the subject area. These questions are often asked by a subject-matter
expert who may not expect you to know as much as they do, but do avoid
getting into a knowledge battle where you are disputing facts with the
interviewer. These battles are hard to win in an interview situation. While
it is OK to politely disagree with a point that has been put to you, avoid
confrontation at all costs!
n In answering these more technical questions, start with general points
and then work down to more specific details, but don’t spend more than
a couple of minutes on any one answer. If they want more detail they can
drill down for it.
n Be honest about the boundaries of your knowledge, rather than trying
to waffle. But rather than just give up and say ‘I don’t know’, share what
relevant knowledge you do have. So, for the example question above you
might say: ‘I haven’t had a lot of experience of the social housing sector
but my experience as an estate agent tells me that supply is likely to be
a significant issue …’ Where you can, tell them what you do know rather
than what you don’t know, as long as this doesn’t take you off the point.
n Be willing to take a few moments to pull your thoughts together, rather than
blurt out an answer. Signal to the questioner that this is what you are doing
by using phrases like ‘That’s an important question, let me think about
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