Competency-Based Interviews: Master the Tough New Interview Style And Give Them the Answers That Will Win You the Job

People interviewing for jobs today often fail because they are using yesterday's strategies. They haven’t realized that the best employers have changed the way interviews are done, and it now takes a different strategy to succeed. Competency-Based Interviews shows today's candidates a new, more targeted way to prepare for the tough interviews based on the competencies that the most sophisticated employers are looking for.

Competency-Based Interviews offers you a new and more effective way to handle the tough new interviews so that you will emphasize the knowledge, skills and abilities that you have and that employers need. Most sophisticated U.S. and international employers are using competency-based systems to recruit, interview and select employees. Corporations such as American Express, Anheuser Busch, BP, Coca-Cola, Energizer, Federal Express, IBM, and Pfizer are all looking for specific competencies.

Preparing for a competency-based interview will give you the strategy you need to:

• Be selected for the most competitive positions.
• Win the best job at a new organization.
• Get a great first job or internship.
• Be chosen for that critical promotion in your current organization.
• Take control of your career path.
• Increase your salary.
• Get more interesting assignments and more interesting work

Most interviewees don't know how to be successful when they are being interviewed by an organization looking for key competencies. Few candidates answer questions so they demonstrate their own critical competencies. Competency-Based Interviews will teach you what you need to master this tough new interview style and give the interviewers the answers that will win you the job.

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

A must for anyone trying to figure out what they're doing wrong at interviews, 2008-01-13
As a Columbia MBA student, I found Kessler's book really helpful. I've found interviewing at business school very difficult because I'm surrounded by amazingly well-qualified competition! Interviews are one of my weakest points and I've read a bunch of interview guides in the hopes of finding out what I'm doing wrong. Until this book, I found these guides kind of useless and a waste of money (e.g. the Vault Guide to Finance Interviews). But this book was great. It has changed the way I view interviews and has made interviews considerably less scary. While other books talk about what and what not to say, she focuses more on the approach to your answers. I found this more applicable and practical.

Instead of focusing on you, Kessler focuses on the interviewer. She gives the interviewer's perspective and examples of what the interviewer might have in front of him or her during the interview. This gave me a better idea of what interviewers are looking for and how I should structure my answers. Building answers around competencies has made my answers more strong and concise.

Kessler also has a section of interview examples and her critiques of the candidate's answers. I recognized a bunch of mistakes I made when I was interviewing for jobs after college. I wish I had this book back then! I'm sure it would have opened a lot more windows of opportunity (or at least ended the job search sooner).

These kinds of books tend to stress me out. Kessler's writing is clear and the pacing was just right for someone like me. It was easy to absorb the main points and see how I could apply them to myself. I still got a panic-y feel in my stomach, but much less than I usually get. The summary tables at the end of each chapter were great because they helped me make sure I got what I was supposed to get out of each chapter.

I highly recommend this book. It's helped me get a better idea of why I haven't received offers for jobs I know I was well qualified for. Now instead of just being frustrated about it, I have a way to deal with it!


2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

The only interview book that makes sense, 2007-12-28
All the other books I tried were nothing like the interviews I was actually having. Instead of having to memorize rote answers, this book helps you to understand what the interviewer is looking for and why. It is not only helping me prepare for interviews; it is helping me understand how I can improve my on-the-job skills so that I am even more appealing in the future for jobs or promotions.


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Competency-Based Interviews, 2007-09-21
I am out on the job market after a 25 year career at GM. While I interviewed and hired employees, there is nothing quite the same as your own job interview. This book is a must for anyone wanting to brush up on their interviewing skills.


3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

A Must for Targeted Selection/Compentecy-Based Interviews, 2007-06-28
This book is a must if you have a targeted selection or competency-based interview in the near future or if you are planning to change jobs in the near future. In fact, even if you don't plan on searching for a new job within a year, I still recommend this book due to the planning advice it gives.

This is by far the best all-in-one book for targeted selection or competency-based interviews. Ms. Kessler is an excellent author and she breaks down the process on how to prepare, how to perform during the interview, and how to follow up after the interview.



1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Great for landing interviews, 2007-06-16
After re-writing my resume using the competency format, the interviews started pouring in! Good examples and guidelines. Have organized all my competencies and interviews are much easier.

Also recommend the full book on writing interviews.

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