“Core competencies are strengths your organization has now. YOUR core competencies may include any combination of skills, technologies, processes, knowledge or expertise and are often achieved as a result of long-term development processes and / or experiences.” – Bruce Mayhew Consulting
When asked what your Core Competencies are when interviewing for a job, what would you say? How would you demonstrate your competencies?
Most individuals talk about their ability to follow directions, work hard and be dedicated and responsible, be timely, technically savvy, knowledgeable, consciousness, and or a quick study.
These are excellent traits and ones that every company would hope for in a candidate. However, if you know yourself well, you should be able to reply to this question by expressing examples of your Core Competencies to your specific experience and the job description. What is the value you bring?
As an example, many applicants in today’s world of work, may have business savvy, but lack the ability to really “sell themselves” in an interview.
I have said for years, when reading resumes, employers want to know what you have done, when you have done it and where. But, when they meet you they want to know how you THINK. Therefore, being able to express how you think when managing a project, solving a problem and communicating with others are crucial. Think about what separates you from someone else, what are your core competencies that make you unique.
Can you do the job, will you do the job and are you a fit? Is this company right for you?
Think of examples that illustrate how you use your technical skills, project or people management skills, problem solving skills, communications skills and business acumen by putting the example in a work / story format. What is a situation, actions taken and the result?
For example: Tell me about a time you were responsible for handling a project that had both marketing and sales components to the project.
Situation:
- You and your team were given the responsibility to plan for an event that would showcase a new product at an important trade show In Las Vegas, NV.
- As product manager, what were the steps you took to organize the team, provide clear direction, and delegate the responsibilities for each team member?
Action:
- Discuss the objectives with the team, put a plan in place, determine a Theme, and delegate the responsibilities, set time lines and budget.
- Communicate clearly and often with the team to solve problems and any unexpected issues.
- Set up the display, check the technology, look for gaps in the set-up, have the experts check out the entire display for any issues.
- Review the schedule with the team to work at the booth during the conference.
Result & Critique:
The team was energetic and resourceful and worked very hard to set up the interactive display. Our company was represented very well by the entire team and everyone was highly knowledgeable about the product. The sales team worked successfully with the marketing team and, walked attendees through the demonstration and use of the product with a goal of helping the customer save money and be much more efficient.
We won several awards for the attractive and uniqueness of the booth as well as the state of the art product displayed.
CORE COMPECENTIES DEMONSTRATED:
Project Management, People Management, Action Oriented, Planning, Collaboration, Strategic / Creative Thinking, Product Marketing, Customer Focus, Organization Agility, Decision Quality, Humor, Integrity & Trust, and Perseverance.
I would suggest you prepare 4-5 examples of situations / stories during your career that would demonstrate you’re Core Competencies and how you work and think.