Competency Questions
Hiring great people is the key to competitive advantage, and the ability to thoroughly and objectively assess candidates is crucial. Purcon has extensive expertise in the design and development of competency based interview questions to support your hiring managers conduct professional, comprehensive, structured interviews across both technical and behavioural competencies.
Example Competency : Negotiation
Competency Description:
Understands and applies a wide range of negotiation styles and methods in order to achieve personal / corporate objectives. Views in terms of 'best value', total cost, long-term view.
Sample Question:
Tell me about a major negotiation that you have led recently.
- who were you negotiating with?
- how did you prepare?
- how much buying power did you have in the negotiation?
- what were your objectives?
- what was your fall-back position?
- what was the outcome?
- what did you learn?
- what would you do differently next time?
Positive Indicators:
- can quickly analyse relevant supply market data
- demonstrable evidence of pre-negotiation preparation & planning
- understands issues of cost vs. price and different pricing methods
- positions organisation as ‘customer of choice’
- negotiates across a range of criteria
- utilises a range of tools and techniques including e-sourcing, competitive tendering, consortium etc
- has clear goals and fall back position
- considers power play in the negotiation
- uses a range of styles e.g. threat, emotion, logic dependent on situation