Competency-based interviews What you need to know

Competency-based interviews What you need to know by Michael Cheary Interviews can be nerve-wracking at the best of timesBut what happens when you arrive at the interview, feeling fully prepared, and the hiring manager decides to move the goalposts? You might be familiar with certain interview types, for example telephone interviews or group interviews, but have you ever heard of competency-based interviews?Heres a quick guide on what you need to know to ace the next competency-based interview that comes up:What is a competency-based interview?A competency-based interview is meant to test exactly that: your competence. So, where some interviewers may be more interested in your experience or previous qualifications, what a competency-based interviewer really wants to know is whether you have the right skills to take the position on.Why would an employer use a competency-based interview?Often they are used when previous experience in an industry is not seen as essential, for example an entry-level or graduate position.They may also be used to practically test how candidates would react in given situations. So rather than concerning themselves with past achievements, they place emphasis on predicting how an individual would behave in a certain scenario.The tasks could range from oral and written communication to planning, organisation and problem-solving.What are key competencies?Skills that employers look for when recruiting. Some key competencies include:TeamworkResponsibilityCommunication skillsDecision makingLeadershipProblem-solvingOrganisationGoal orientationCompetency based questions and answersAlthough the type of question you are asked will depend entirely upon the role and industry you’re applying for, there are some common themes which run through competency-based interview questions.Some examples include:Tell me a time when…Can you think of an example of how/when…Describe a way in which you…Essentially, what the interviewer is looking for are practical examples of some key competencies , i.e. ‘describe a way in which you demonstrated excellent leadership’.Your examples can be from a previous job, they could draw from your education or even relate to an extra-curricular pastime, such as sports teams or groups you may be a part of.Five key competency questions: revealedHow to answer competency-based interview questionsFirstly, pick out some of the key competencies stated in the job description and think of some examples for each one.If they’re looking for someone with excellent teamwork and leadership skills, think of a scenario in which you’ve demonstrated this. As well as workplace situations, consider, for example, a group presentation you’ve undertaken at school, a university society you were a member of, or even being captain of your five-a-side football team.What is the STAR approach?If you’re not used to answering competency-based interview questions, the STAR model is a useful way of communicating key points clearly and concisely.Once you’ve id entified the ‘Situation’, ‘Task’, ‘Action’ or ‘Result’, formulate it into a short key point, making sure you include how you achieved the result and how your actions addressed the initial situation and task.A simple answer, using the situation above, would be:‘I demonstrated my teamwork and leadership abilities when I headed up a group proposal in front of some key clients. We were asked to give a one hour presentation about how we could improve their hiring practices. After extensive competitor research and market trend analysis, we were able to put a competitive price together and present the features and benefits within the allotted hour. We went on to win the business’.Top tips for competency-based interviewsHere are our top tips for competency-based interviews:Before you arrive at the interview, pick out the key skills highlighted in the job description.For each one, have a pre-prepared example of how you’ve displayed that attribute.Use a wide variety of e xamples where possible, including during school or higher education, any previous employment or work experience, and in your daily life in general.Don’t lie. They will ask you questions about the subject, and any embellishments you’ve made will be quickly found out.Don’t try and think on your feet. For reasons, see directly above.The worst thing you can do at an interview?  OK, so out of all the classic interview nightmares, which are the ones that really worry jobseekers the most?We spoke to a group of university students to find out and see if recruiters actually agreeStill searching for your perfect position?  View all of our current vacancies nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Interview Techniques Job interview tips Preparing for an interview

Top GPS Tracking Apps for Android

Top GPS Tracking Apps for Android Whether you are driving your car to a restaurant, or outing with family or coming back from the office- location matters. It assists us in various ways such as finding the shortest route, traffic, road conditions, etc. All you need is a GPS tracking app installed over your device.   You can easily download tracking apps from the Play Store. A few are free but some are paid as well. A GPS tracking app can offer a variety of solutions such as family safety, tracking, SOS, etc. Let’s explore a few of the best tracking apps: Find my kids: Find my kids is the best app for the safety of your family enabled with the GPS feature. You can use it with the GPS enabled watch or other devices. This app will help you to track your child’s movement along with the history. Findmykids assists you to check which path they took for school or home. Suppose if your child is not responding to your call, you can listen to what is happening around them. They can also send you the SOS signal which avails their exact location as well as the surrounding movement recording. One more benefit of this app is that you can check app usage statistics on your child’s cell phone. Thus, you can know where they are spending most of the time. Family Locator: With Family Locator, you can share location among various people say your whole family members. Thus, all your family persons can monitor your location with GPS from their devices. It allows you to make private groups where you can only add people as per your choice. This app enables the real-time location of a person on your cell phone. Suppose you are using it to monitor your kid, you will get notified once he will reach a specific location like school, tuition class, etc. Also, this app will assist you in tracking your stolen phone. You can freely download this app over the app store. Glympse: Glympse is an incredible geo-tracking app accessible over the GPS of your device. It allows you to share your location among family members or friends. They can track your location without even signing up for the app. They can also see your location over the web browser; it doesn’t require any app installation for that. Once you shared your location, it will automatically get expired after a specific time. Once it has no use. This app will continue its execution without troubling your other tasks. All you need is the proper internet connection and it is accessible across the whole world. You can freely download this app from the Play Store. Spyera: Spyera is one of the most trending GPS tracker and spying app available for Android these days. With this tracking feature, you can track someone’s location over your mobile screen. Thus, you can easily track your kids, family members or other beloved one’s location in the real-time. The only requirement is that the app must be installed over all the devices whose location you are willing to get. This app allows you to listen to live calls from the supported gadgets. You can record these calls as well. With Spyera, you can also monitor activities from the famous social media platforms. You can press log keys over your gadget for accessing keylogger. At Spyera, you can also capture pictures over the target gadget without informing them. Its GPS tracking feature allows you to capture the coordinates of the gadget. Waze: We all know Waze is one of the biggest communities enabled navigation and traffic application. It stays apart from the crowd offering GPS tracking application for Android smartphones as well. It provides the turn-by-turn navigation feature including voice assistance and real-time maps facility. These services are continuously updated by Waze map programmers and editors. Waze allows you to sync phonebook contacts and Facebook friends with the application. In case you are traveling and looking for the gas station, this app will locate the nearest one for you. As per unexpected traffic or road condition, this app will reroute the path. It also reports the hazardous situations, road blockages or an accident like scenarios. Thus, you got a variety of apps with incredible features supporting real-time GPS tracking. Download any of them and make your first move towards the safety as well.

Nine Ideas To Stay Productive At Work

Nine Ideas To Stay Productive At Work It is natural to feel distracted or demotivated at some point during work. But with the workload piling up, there is often no choice left but to be proactive. If you want your weekends and evenings to be relaxed, it is advisable to be productive during working hours, so that you can complete all your tasks on time. So, how can you boost your performance and manage your time effectively? This is a million-dollar question that can easily be answered by incorporating a few changes in your daily routine. Here are the 9 tips that can help you stay productive and focused at work ensuring your optimal performance! Raising Productivity at Work 1- A healthy breakfast Begin your day with a healthy and nutritious breakfast. Breakfast is usually the most overlooked meal of the day, but according to a research, people who have a healthy breakfast are more likely to perform better throughout the day. Choose from low GI breakfast options like overnight oats, whole-wheat toast, eggs, porridge, Greek yogurt and fruit. These foods release energy slowly throughout the day, so you are more likely to feel fuller till lunchtime. Don’t ever skip breakfast as that will only make you feel more distracted and tired. Also, try to minimize your caffeine intake. It may be tempting to sip some coffee while working, but keep in mind that too much caffeine intake can lead to insomnia and dizziness, hence, making it even more difficult for you to be productive. Try replacing coffee with water or a healthy warm beverage like chamomile tea. According to a research by University of Nottingham Medical School, consumption of chamomile contributes in significantly relaxed blood vessels and also smoothens out the muscle fibers. So, if you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed, brew some chamomile tea for yourself as it can do wonders for your nervous system. You can even take some natural and healthy supplements which can act as a brain booster and increase your productivity at work. 2- A good nights sleep Sleep is bodys natural mechanism to restore the lost energy and prepare it for the next day. Lack of sleep can cause serious health problems like obesity, heart diseases and memory loss. This is why you should aim to get at least 7 to 8 hours of restful sleep each night. You will automatically feel rested and rejuvenated the next day, and it will also make it easier for you to handle all your tasks efficiently during work hours. 3- Exercise daily Exercising daily has countless benefits; not only does it help your body but also works wonders for your mental health. According to different research, people who exercised regularly showed reduced levels of anxiety and led longer lives. This is why you should make it a point to incorporate at least 30 minutes of easy exercises in your daily routine. A healthy body will lead to a healthy brain, making it easier for you to focus at work. 4- Stay away from social media After working on a difficult task, it is tempting to check your social media accounts and take a small break. But don’t let yourself be fooled. Visiting social media websites regularly drains a lot of energy from your brain, as there is a lot of information that needs to be processed in a small amount of time. According to a research by Technori, mindless browsing on social media can cost you up to $1000 per hour! Try to break free from social media addiction and use it as a reward to motivate yourself to work harder. Allow yourself to use Facebook for 10 minutes after you complete a task or work continuously for 90 minutes. If you are having trouble in self constraint, add all the social media websites to a list of blocked websites. Resist the temptation, and watch your productivity levels soar! 5- Avoid multitasking Multitasking may seem to be really productive, but it actually slows you down. Therefore, try to concentrate on one task a time. This way, you will focus better and complete that task in a shorter span of time. If you try to write emails, update Facebook and complete an excel sheet all at the same time, you will either make a lot of mistakes or waste a lot of precious time. This is why, it is recommended to focus at one task at a time, and move on to the next one only when the previous task is completed. 6- Cancel out the noise It is very important to set the right work environment to help you increase your productivity at work. If you work from home, or in a noisy office, try a pair of noise cancelling headphones to get those creative juices flowing. Similarly, if you like to listen to music while working, make sure that the tunes are light hearted and easy to listen to. Heavy or distracting music can make it difficult for you to concentrate. 7- Tidy your desk A tidy desk can be a very welcoming sight when you start your day at work. So, make it a habit to clean and de-clutter your desk when you leave your work station. Starting a new day with a clean slate will help you perform better. You can also invest in some office storage items like magazine files and drawers that will keep all your things organized. 8- Step out When you start to feel tired, step out in the sunlight and breathe in the fresh air. The stuffy and unnatural environment of the office can be overwhelming. Experts suggest that going outdoors is an instant stress buster and can help relax those tired brain muscles. Returning to your desk with a fresh mind will certainly restore your productivity levels. 9- Set a to-do list for the next day It is important to set a to-do list for the next day before you leave work. This way you will be well prepared when you arrive the next day, and can dive straight into the outlined tasks. This will create a sense of purpose and drive, enabling you to perform better throughout the day. Checking off tasks from your checklist will make you feel in control and help you stay focused and on track. If you are constantly feeling unproductive at work, try to keep a notebook handy and note down all the factors that are causing a distraction or interruption in your work flow. Hopefully, you will come across a pattern in a few days. This will make it easier for you to point out the areas where you need to make some positive changes so you can spend a quality day at work. These were some of our top tips on how to stay productive at the workplace. If you have any other tips that you would like to share with us, please leave them in the comments below. This guest post was authored by Alma Causey Alma is a mother, wife and a professional blogger. She writes frequently on health, technology and management. Her time is divided between writing and creating exotic cuisines in the kitchen. She loves to discover new places and you’ll often find her globe-trotting with her twins. Find her on Twitter: @Almacausey      

How to find ads for PhD jobs outside academia University of Manchester Careers Blog

How to find ads for PhD jobs outside academia University of Manchester Careers Blog Want to know where jobs for PhDs are advertised? Ive been writing a new web resource to support careers for PhDs and thought Id give you a preview of one of the pages. Look out for the rest, coming to our website soon (including important info on where to find the jobs for PhDs which arent advertised). If youre looking for adverts for jobs for PhDs, they probably fall into one of four categories: PhD entry-level programmes One-off PhD-specific specialist jobs Experienced hire jobs Graduate jobs One obvious source of job ads is CareersLink, although we dont get many jobs which specifically ask for a PhD. However, broaden your search to include experienced hire and graduate jobs (see below to find out why), and there are suddenly lots to choose from. PhD entry-level programmes There are a small number of PhD entry programmes which recruit on an annual basis. These include some (but not all): management consultancies eg McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group major industrial research organisations eg GSK, BP, Microsoft Research, Astra Zeneca banks, especially in quantitative finance eg. Bank of England, investment banks such as JP Morgan These programmes are normally advertised once a year and are fiercely contested. As long as you have excellent academic, and normally non-academic, evidence of your achievements, its worth considering these programmes. One-off PhD-specific specialist jobs PhD jobs sites There have been several attempts over the years to set up non-academic job sites specifically for PhDs. In the main, they have struggled to survive (LinkHigher, PhDjobs.com) employers probably saw little benefit in advertising on a site only aimed at PhDs when they could also attract experienced candidates or good undergraduates/Masters in the sites they used already. However, job sites where non-academic posts requiring a PhD are often advertised, include: jobs.ac.uk although this is the prime UK site for academic jobs, they also advertise jobs outside academia. You can see the non-academic employers currently advertising at their Browse employers by type page PhDs.org mainly US academic jobs but some non-US non-academic posts ecm Cambridge-based high tech recruitment consultants, including a page for PhDs Findapostdoc.com UK-based jobs board, mixture of academic and non-academic posts Quantfinancejobs.com an international jobs board for quantitative finance, with a page for PhDs ResearchGate jobs board for a scientific researcher community site (they do keep encouraging you to sign up to their network, but you dont need to do that to access the jobs they advertise) Targeted job searches Targeted searches of jobs sites can give you an idea not only of current jobs, but also which organisations might recruit PhDs in your discipline for future roles. Job sites which do a combined search of online ads from agencies, jobs boards and jobs pages on employers own websites can be useful, such as: Careerjet Indeed SimplyHired As an illustration, if you use PhD, economics in the keyword search, with the location UK in a targeted search in Careerjet this gave 331 jobs last time I tried it, including research associates and lecturers, health economists, management consultants in the oil sector and quantitative finance roles. However, for less vocational disciplines, such as history, this approach may result in finding only academic posts. Experienced hire jobs A job advert may not ask for a PhD, but that doesnt mean you cant apply. If you can argue that you have the skills and knowledge required for a job, its probably worth a try. If you have professional work experience gained before or during a PhD, you should definitely be looking at experienced hire jobs. One problem may be where an advert asks for a certain amount of experience. If the recruiter receives applications from candidates with the ideal experience, skills, knowledge and qualifications, you may struggle. However, an advert is often an idealised shopping list; the successful candidate may not satisfy all of the criteria but could still be seen as the best choice. Sceptical? We were once asked to advertise a technical job targeted at PhDs, working for a major industrial employer. Subsequently, we found that the same job had been advertised a month earlier asking for three years experience instead of a PhD. In this case, the skills and knowledge gained in a relevant PhD was seen to be just as good as experience (but only once theyd tried and failed to find that experience). If you want to find experienced hire (or PhD/graduate) jobs in a wide range of sectors, the Careers Service sector pages are a good starting point for suitable job sites. If you want to stay near Manchester, our North West sector pages may also help. Graduate jobs You may feel youve gone beyond new graduate jobs, but if you are not directly using the content of your PhD, UK employers may see you as a career changer, with no more work experience than a new graduate galling as that may be. In particular, if you have no relevant experience, you may very well be paid the same as other first degree graduates, at least initially. Graduate schemes vs graduate jobs To distinguish between different types of jobs for graduates, Ive used graduate schemes to refer to one or two year training programmes, often with large employers, often the fast track into management. Ive used graduate jobs to refer to jobs where they want someone of graduate level, but theres no formal long-term training programme (though jobs are likely to involve some initial training) and the entrants have a specific job to do from day one. There are many, many more graduate jobs than graduate schemes. You should probably consider both. Here are some reasons why: You have the skills to compete. With graduate schemes and some graduate jobs, employers generally assess your potential and the transferable skills you have developed, rather than expecting you to have lots of relevant work experience. You have the opportunity to sell the skills you gain as a natural part of your PhD: being able to use your initiative, self-motivation, analytical and communication skills. Any PhD has the ability to deal with a mass of sometimes conflicting information, identify what is important, construct a cogent argument and communicate and defend that argument which employer wouldnt want that? Graduate schemes are not always filled by new graduates. Graduate schemes with large employers are generally prestigious, competitive roles, and often the quickest route into a fast-track career. Graduates who are successful in getting on to these schemes sometimes have experience in one or even two jobs before gaining entry to these programmes. Therefore you may not be much older (and possibly be less experienced) than other successful candidates. You may not stay as a new graduate for very long. Anecdotal evidence suggests that PhDs who enter either graduate schemes or graduate jobs may progress much more quickly than other graduates, once the employer realises what you are capable of achieving. However, it is critical to demonstrate that you are happy to join at the level of a new graduate and that you dont think your are above any other graduates recruited at the same time. This may be the only realistic way of entering your chosen profession or employer without relevant experience. Many big name recruiters only have one professional entry point for those without experience. This includes some major consultancies such as Accenture, the UK Civil Service Fast Stream, the NHS Scientific Training Programme and more. Even employers which employ lots of PhDs may expect all graduates and postgraduates to experience their graduate training programme. If you really want to join a big name employer which operates this sort of programme, the only alternative may be to get professional experience with another employer through a direct hire route, and then switch employers once you have experience. Big employer graduate schemes often recruit once a year, in the early autumn for entry the following autumn. If you miss their early deadlines you may have to wait for another year. Jobs with smaller employers, or one-off graduate jobs with any employer can occur at any time of year, although there is generally a peak in May and June (for a start date in summer/early autumn) just in time for the new crop of graduates in June. Know any more? If you know of other sources of PhD job ads (particularly outside the UK where my knowledge is a bit more hazy), do let me know and Ill add them to our new web resource. All Postgrad-highlighted Postgraduate

Working With Executive Recruiters - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

Working With Executive Recruiters Are you confused about the different kinds of recruiters, why you should connect with them,  and what they can do for you? Did you  know that internal recruiters and external recruiters â€"  either retained or on contingency â€" help you in different ways? As an executive, youve probably worked with recruiters in the past. The story I most often hear from my c-level executive clients is that they were pursued by recruiters while they were employed, and easily slid from one job to the next, without much effort. The recruiter(s) took over and landed them in most of their jobs. Executive job search doesnt work quite so easily these days, unless youre very lucky. Dont expect executive recruiters to come knocking. Theyre certainly out there looking for candidates like you, but with so much competition in the job market today, theyre looking at a lot more people. You may not be in demand in the same way you were a few years ago. Youll need to reach out to them. For help in sorting out all the pros and cons and how-tos, go to the Work Coach Cafe and 2 posts written by Susan P. Joyce, online job search guru  â€" one on Internal Recruiters, the other on External Recruiters. Some of Susans tidbits on Internal Recruiters: ?   They have an insider’s perspective. They see how the organization works and typically know many of the people inside the organization, particularly the hiring managers. ?    They may be your advocate, if they believe you are the best person for the job. But . . . ?    Their loyalty is to the organization. No matter how tempting, don’t tell them anything that you don’t want the rest of the organization to know. ?    They can bar the door, keeping you from being interviewed or considered, even if (sometimes, especially if) you try to go around them directly to the hiring manager. And a few of her points on working with External Recruiters: ?    Contingency recruiters may be strong advocates of your candidacy â€" because they, or their employer, will earn a commission if you are hired. ?    They have an outsider’s perspective, so they are not caught up in the politics inside the organization, although â€" if they have worked with an employer before â€" they may understand quite a bit about how the organization and the people inside it operate. But . . . ?    External recruiters are outsiders. They don’t know everything going on inside the organization. They may or may not know the people involved in every hire, so they may not be able to provide you with any meaningful coaching. ?    Your cost of hire (what it costs the employer to hire you) is higher than an internal referral or someone who walks in off the street because of the commission paid them if you are hired based on their referral. It can be as much as 20% to 25% of the annual salary. Each kind of recruiter works differently. Understanding what motivates them can help you avoid making damaging assumptions that can derail your job search.  Knowing how they work with candidates can help  you to build positive, mutually rewarding relationships with them. Related posts: Build Winning Relationships with Executive Recruiters Executive Job Search: How Recruiters Find You Working with Recruiters For Senior Executives Over 50 photo by Rosmary 00 0