competency based questions.docx

8/12/2019 Competency Based Questions.docx

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COMPETENCIES

1. DRIVE, COMMITMENT, AND PROACTIVITY Extra-curricular activities.

BA Economics Football Team while at the University of Manchester

Required a routine in order to balance out my football commitments and university degree(and being a PASS leader).

Important for routine to be flexible and adaptable to incorporate new events/tasks. PASS Leader(Teaching Assistant) for Econometrics

Voluntary. During degree (had to balance degree with this activity). Improved my presentation and communication skills. Went beyond the minimum expected of me(facilitating discussions) by producing

PowerPoint slides and example questions.

o This could be interpreted as a risk.2. TEAMWORK

International Marble Run Challenge, run by a company called Eventus (arranged by the LSEcareers department).

o Team building challenge.o Challenge: to transport marbles by pipeline from the city of Alphato the city

of Bravo

Access to construction material. Time limit. Paying attention to structural integrity (attention to detail) Collaboration and constant communication between the team building in

Alpha and Bravo respectively.

3. LEADERSHIP During the International Marble Run Challenge, I nominated myself as Leaderbecause I have

had experiencein taking part in these sorts of activities through my experience in Scouts

when I was younger.

o Produced a planof how the team (as a whole) should go about building thepipeline.

o Due to my past experience, I was always prepared to give advice and help out. (E.g.bamboo sticks were givenI suggested the idea of constructing a tripod like

structure to hold up the structure).

o As the leader of my region (Alpha), I saw it as my responsibilityto keep in regularcommunication with the leader of the other region (Bravo).

4. ATTENTION TO DETAIL Research on industry and company.

5. BUSINESS AWARENESS AND FOCUS Understand the division that I am applying to. Market factors that may influence its performance.

o Technological advancementsimprove processes.o Regulationplaces greater responsibility on Operations with respect to the

profitability of the firm by ensuring that processes are being conducted in the most

efficient way (to save costs).

o Market factorssuch as changes in interest rates, exchange rates, and governmentpolicies.


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Examples of Competency Questions

http://www.callcentrehelper.com/the-top-50-interview-questions-and-how-to-handle-them-

8000.htm

How would your team/manager describe you?

Describe your strengths + provide examples.

Good communicatorPASS Leader OrganisedKeep to a routine FlexibleAble to switch between things i.e. at one moment I could be reading a chapter for a

module, the next, I could be teaching Econometrics.

DeterminedDesire to meet objectives.Good communicator -> Organised -> Flexible -> Determined.

What have you done to promote great customer service?

Define what you think great customer service is:

Having thorough knowledge and experience. Being able to help customers make the best choices for them.

o This could involve you going the extra mile (go beyond the minimum expected ofyou)how did you do this?

Treating customers with a friendly, helpful attitude.PASS leader:

The minimum expected of me was to simply facilitate discussions but, instead, I chose to producePowerPoint slides and exercises to aid the understanding of the students that attended.

Created a friendly and no fear environment in order to encourage students to feel comfortableabout expressing their difficulties.

o A Facebook group was created in order to aid this.What are the key factors that contribute to success?

Clear communication - PASS leader, Football team ConsistencyOrganisationtime as a prefect at Whitgift and PASS leader PerformanceExam results, all students who attended my PASS session passed. LeadershipPass leader (via gaining the trust of the students that attended). Innovative and Dynamic TeamworkMarble Run team challenge.We look for highly motivated individuals that value client service, risk management, integrity and

excellence. We are interested in diverse, driven and innovative team players who have an interest in

management, financial markets and business-process design.

How do you manage change?

Depends on the nature of the change: (1) a change in the task (something which I have controlover) or (2) a change in an external eventsuch as changes in market variableswhen I do not

have full control over such changes but have to adapt to manage those changes.

Give me an example of how you have dealt with an under-performing team member in the past.

Future performance can be predicted by past behaviour

Use STAR approach


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SituationOne member of the group (a Politics student) was unfamiliar with the mathematical

concepts that were required to do the project.

TaskTo find the minimum variance portfoliothis required us to find what the should be the

optimal weights that we should attach to the assets that form our portfolio that minimises the

standard deviation (risk).

Action

Dont blame himtook time to properly assess the difficulties that he was having. I feel that it isimportant to show maturity in such a situation to prevent a bad reaction on his part.

Offer him supportoffered him help with the task by suggesting that we should perhaps work onthe project together. He could provide the analysis side of things while I could tackle the

mathematical issues. It actually turned out that I was learning things from him at the same time

as he was learning things from me. Of course, I continued to do this until the project was

eventually handed in.

Talk to himto understand what he wants from me and why he is not performing to the best ofhis abilities. (Lack of motivation because not given enough work to do? We will never know

unless we ask!).

Be honestby not being honest, you are not helping anyone in the long-run (neither your groupor the individual who is underperforming). Outlined the areas where he was making mistakes and

offered him advice on how he should address them.

ResultsProjects was handed in time, and we achieved a good grade from our project.


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Tell me about you?

Base your answer to this question on personal achievements, educational background, and on-going studies.

Good idea to think of occasions where you have initiated projects or ideas, which have gone onto achieve results.

o PASS Leaderall students went on to pass the Econometrics exam.My strong points are that I am focused, enthusiastic and dedicated (Use experience as a PASSas an

example),

I like to ensure that I maintain a healthy balance between my personal and my academia life. This

helps me to maintain a high level of performance at work.

I recently embarked on a Masters degree, which I am nearly halfway through. I enjoy new challenges

and like to take care of my own self-development.

Overall I would say that I am a reliable, self-conscious and hard-working person who always looks for

ways to improve."

Would you say that you are a flexible person?

Yes I am very flexible and I fully understand that the role will require me to be available when

required.

During my time as a PASS leader, I was aware that I needed to be available to students at times

outside of the sessions. On one particular occasion, I suggested to a student that we should meet at

the library to discuss in greater detail the difficulty she was having with a particular topic. On the day

that we scheduled to meet, she contacted me stating that she would be approximately an hour late.

Even though it wasnt the ideal scenario, I realised how important it was for me to fulfil my

responsibility as a PASS leader with respect to giving the student the guidance required to help her

with her issue. I thus waited for her, took care of her difficulty and went back home once I felt

confident that her issue was resolved.

What are your strengths?

One of my strengths is that I have the ability to implement change in difficult circumstances.

For example while working on my assigned task for the foundation of finance project which I

participated in, I realised that I made a few mistakes in my calculations which had an effect on the

overall conclusion (in the form of a recommendation) on the project. Once I notified my team about

this, they were initially not happy with having to implement changes to the conclusion due to the

work involved in doing so, but I managed to motivate them by first of all correcting the mistake

efficiently and quickly and also persuading them by expressing how the correction changes the

conclusion quite significantly.

I thus feel that I have the ability to understand that attention to detail is of high importance as well as

effective communication

My strengths include an ability to persuade a team as well as make a decision without hesitation.


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What are your weaknesses?

Yes I do have one weakness. If somebody is late for a meeting or an appointment I usually have to say

something to them when they do eventually arrive. This can sometimes be taken the wrong way. Ipersonally don't like lateness, but I am trying to understand that some people are just late as a rule

and I have to be accepting of others.

Strength shown: punctuality

Do you enjoy working in a team environment?

I really enjoyed the atmosphere within that team and managed to learn so much from othermembersWe all came together as a team and discussed the different options available to us.

Yes I do enjoy working in a team environment but conversely my adaptability allows me to workin any environment.

I would say that I can work either as one of a team or an individual depending on therequirements of the role. If I am required to work as part of a team then I will always listen carefully to the provided brief,

keep in communication with the other team members, support those people who need

supporting in the team, and also learn from any mistakes that the team makes so that we can

improve next time.

Are you a risk taker?

If the situation requires risk to be taken, then I am not averse to taking risks. However, the risks that I do take are always carefully thought through and focused on achieving

the goal (intelligent risk).

I would always look, wherever possible, to consult my manager before taking the risk. At the same time, if my manager was not present and a decision had to be made, I would ensure

that the risks were always carefully calculated and veered on the side of caution.

With the regulation, which currently shapes the investment banking landscape, I would nevertake any risks that breach regulations and confidentiality.

What are you like at time management?

I am very effective at time management. I am the type of person who is extremely organised and knows what they want to achieve during

each day.

I like to keep lists, which act as a reminder of what I want to achieve and in what timeframe. For example, if I have a busy schedule planned for the forthcoming week, I will always write

down what I want to do during that week, the week before.

o This allows me to plan ahead and also makes sure that I have everything in place so thatI can achieve each objective.

I fully understand that the role I am applying for will require me to be competent at timemanagement, and I am fully prepared for this."

What are you like at taking criticism from senior managers?

Whilst working as a PASS leader, a situation arose where I was criticised for a mistake. At the time of the criticism I felt disappointed in my own performance, but knew it was important

to learn from my mistake and improve for next time.


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I understand that not everybody is perfect and when we make mistakes it is the ability to moveon and improve for next time that is important.

I spoke with student and the class after the mistake was made, apologised and made certain Iimproved my performance in that particular area.

Key words: reflect and evaluate.

Can you give me an example of a particularly difficult customer you had to deal with and how you

used your skills to successfully overcome the problem they had?

Additional source: http://www.wikihow.com/Defuse-a-Situation-With-a-Difficult-Customer

Pre-prepared answer should include the following:

1. I listened carefully to what the customer had to say.2. I apologised and empathised with their situation.3. I confirmed my understanding of their concern.4. I took responsibility to resolve the issue.5. I offered a solution (plus alternatives if possible).6. I confirmed the customer was happy with this.7. I thanked the customer for raising the issue with me.8. I took immediate action following the call to resolve the situation.9. I remained calm throughout the whole process.10. (If appropriate) the customer wrote in to my supervisor congratulating me on my efficiency.Example: When I started my 3

rdyear at the University of Manchester, I sold an Economics textbook

(which I no longer required) to a 2ndyear student. A couple of weeks later, she came to me wanting a

refund.

Issues:

I clearly stated at the time of the sale that I would not accept a refund. Book was damaged when she returned even though I sold it to her in perfect condition.Reaction:

Look at my options:1. Stand firmI tried to put myself in her shoesI understand how youre feeling, as a student, we want to save

money where we can but at the same time

The fact that I sold it to her in perfect condition made it quite difficult for me to refund the book. Offer an exchange (but not for something or equal value because I felt that she would simply do

the same thing again in the near future).

I was under the impression that maybe she just photocopied the relevant pages andnow no longer needed the book.

Suggest that, in the future, borrowing a book from the library may be a better option.


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2. Get away Give her the refund but warn her that in the future, I will not refund the book and it is unlikely

that anyone else would either.

Tell me about a difficult obstacle you had to overcome recently at work? How did you overcome

this?

Problem:When I was given the role of being captain for the BA Econ Football team. During the first

half, I consistently felt that I was struggling to motivate my team as the team captain usually would.

Action:I sought the advice of the team captain (who was watching from the side-lines) to find out the

techniques he uses to motivate the team (including myself) throughout the match.

Solution:Acting on the advice of the team captain, I implemented a combination of being very vocal

with respect to motivating the team to push on (when attacking) as well as ensuring that the team

kept their overall shape (when defending) throughout the match.

How do you plan daily and weekly activities?

I initially plan and allocate tasks (which I am aware of) on a Sunday ready for the new week. During the week, however, I am fully aware that new tasks or events (such as the interview) may

arise so I make sure that my plan is flexible at the same time in the sense that I can choose to do

a task which I initially planned to do on Monday for another day while at the same time making

sure that the deadline (the end of week) that I have set for that specific task is met.

o The interview meant that I had to reading for Behavioural Finance on Thursday morningrather than Friday morning, in preparation for my lecture on Financial Risk Analysis that I

have later.

So I keep that in mind by allocating myself free time on certain days in order to accommodatenew events.

Why Operations/Why Goldman Sachs?

Show that you have research the company. Try and align experiences and/or knowledge gained from current situation to some of the

challenges and responsibilities of the present within the role you are applying to.

Transferable skills. Explain what you can bring to the role and demonstrate how some of the skills you have (making

reference to an example) would make you a good fit to the role.


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What is your greatest success and achievement to date?

Employers want to see how you have developed and maintained a strong professional network,or how you pride yourself on your reputation for being reliable and hard working.

Example: Being first member of my family to go to university and graduate.o Give a timelinestarted at Downsview where I didnt really gain much from an

education point of view. My parent put me an independent (private) school (Cumnor

House) to see if it could improve my fortunes.

o Lot of moneyI realised that and that is what drove me to changing my attitudetowards education because I knew my family was making a significant sacrifice to me I

enjoyed two successful years at Cumnor House.

o That philosophy is still with me nowhard working and reliableand it is for thosereasons why my family have been wiling to invest in me until now!

Keep the answer to this question short; you do not want to come across as being cocky!

How would you manage your time and objectives in your role?

In my current role, I break down my objectives into daily targets and outline periods of the day when I

am going to focus on achieving them. I find this system works well for me and I expect to carry it into

my next job.

Show employer that you are capable of working in line with your objectives and getting the jobdone.

How do you keep yourself motivated? (What keeps you focused?)

Breaking your workload up into daily targets to ensure that the next small success (completion ofan objective) is never too far away.

Living a healthy and balanced lifestyleI believe that looking after yourself will have a big impacton an individuals concentration levels, which will translate into being productive.

Promoting others and working in a positive atmosphere.What key factors drive you?

Another way of asking:

What attracts you to operations? What inspires you through the touch times?How often do you challenge the way your current company does things or challenge something that

you feel needs to change?

Throughout my term of employment, I keep a constant note of any areas that I feel can be improved.

But I only present these concerns to my boss when I have developed in-depth and realistic solutions


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How creative are you in comparison to your colleagues, i.e. in managing, developing, encouraging

and motivating your team?

During the exam period, where I held revision sessions as a PASS leader, I would separate thestudents into groups and ask the groups to work together in order to answer the questions

presented on the PowerPoint (which I created).

o I created short, multiple choice, questions that I felt were exam relevant. The winning team would win a box of Celebrations chocolate. While my overall aim as a PASS leader was to help students with their difficulties in Econometrics,

for that particular session, I also wanted to ensure that they would approach the Econometrics

exam with a positive outlook.

Give an example of when you have been really stretched for a deadline, and how you made sureyou completed your work on time.

Your potential employer is looking to see that you are prepared to go above and beyond the call of

duty when the company needs you

Whilst revising over the Christmas period, there was dramatic increase in events such as family

coming over, Christmas day, and New Years which would distract me from my revision. To ensure that

I continued to complete my daily tasks over this time period, I frequently started work at 5am rather

than 7am.

How do you deal with work issues? Would anyone know you were having a bad day or would you

keep it to yourself?

Morale is infectiouswhether positive or negativeand, when working in a team-orientatedenvironment, its important that there is always an air of positivity around.

Its therefore vitally important to ensure that if youre having a bad day, you contain this anddont let it influence the morale levels of the team, and in turn the productivity and efficiency of

the overall operation.

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