Examples of competencies Flashcards
Tell us about a time when you have been analytical
S- Phys and pharm experiments- multiple lab reports
T- condense a lot of info and analyse and display the results
A- statistical analyses, identify errors and understand and explain their effects
R- succinct report that displayed the results and explains how the results came to be
Tell us about a time when you had to influence someone/ a decision
S- dad was planning the family holiday and was set on going to V island- asked me to plan it
T- convince my dad we should spend the 3 days in V city instead- produce a compelling argument
A- thorough research into V city and produced a presentation of all the activities we could do, printed off a map showing the large distances of V island and how long it would take to travel to the places of interest
R- use of visual aid allowed him to visualise for himself that we would not be able to enjoy V island- presentation on V city convinced him that the 3 extra days in V city would be worthwhile
Give an example of when you have had to communicate effectively
S-at work in Waitrose- training to be a supervisor so responsible for staff on the tills- everyone gets a break in accordance to shift length and age etc
T- calculate break lengths and communicate it to the staff at the beginning of their shift to minimise confusion
A-listen to staff, empathise in able to negotiate a time which works for them and the wider schedule- introduce compromise
R- being open & direct makes people feel valued and strengthens relationships- everyone is on the same page
When have you had to be self-motivated
S- final year dissertation based on field I was unfamiliar with- only contact was a ten min meeting with supervisor once a week
T- produce 2 big pieces of writing, a video and an oral presentation with little help
A- organised myself and started ASAP, aware of deadlines, planned what i would cover in each meeting, instead of feeling out of depth I used my initial lack of understanding to motivate me and instead viewed the field with a new perspective
R- proud and happy with work- first class grade- learnt new skills- producing a video etc
Example of showing leadership
S- group project second-year- campaign to raise awareness for organ donation
T- some members were particularly quiet while others knew each other- weren’t having discussions about the project
A- introduced the idea of setting a goal for each meeting at the beginning, also suggested we go around the table and talk about past work/projects we had done- any skills/experiences people had
R- setting goals made people feel involved from the offset and more comfortable to share ideas, going around the table opened up the conversation between members and created talking points- discovered that one member was familiar with designing games- included it in our project
Tell us about a time when you had to solve a problem
S- work at waitrose- working at the front desk- lots of different queries from customers throughout each shift
T- customer came with own-brand wine and said she was disappointed with the product- i had to gage how the customer was feeling and thus work out the most appropriate response to ensure the customer left happy
A- used carefully worded questions ‘have you bought this before/ own brand before/ to assess the situation and see if there was anything the customer wanted in particular . Called over wine specialist- pick a wine free of charge from a similiar price point
R- customer felt valued and important as time was spent to rectify the situation- maintained reputation of waitrose and avoided a customer possibly sending a complaint to head office
Give an example of when you had to be organised
S- waitress at a busy pub/restaurant during summer vacation of second year of university, often understaffed and lots of tables to attend to
T- had to organise ourselves to ensure that work was split evenly- customers weren’t waiting
A- beginning of my shift split the tables on the reservation list evenly between the other waitresses- confirmed everyone was happy and knew which tables they would tend to
R- waitresses were more relaxed and in control as they knew who they were serving and when to expect them- customers received swift service and situation was much less hectic
When have you had to be flexible
S- at Waitrose, i am trained on multiple areas- expected to respond to the needs of the shop floor
T- on self-service and could see a queue forming at the desk- partner was at the back dealing with a cage of parcels- time pressured job
A- could see self-service wasn’t too busy- decided to switch between the front desk and self-service- making sure to check the self-service after i tended to each customer
R- by adapting to the situation i prevented the customers at the desk become frustrated and also managed to keep on top of self service- by multi-tasking i avoided having to call the partner back
Example of when you have demonstrated team-work skills
S- played GK for BMS netball during third-year- game was going badly- opposition was using the same players each time to get the ball down the court and score
T- we needed to regroup as a team to assess the situation and discuss how to break their chain
A- in the next time out- got together- i communicated that i had identified a player using the same oppo each time- used suggestive and open language to suggest that… - constructive feedback allowed us as a team to provide suggestions for each other and become aware of patterns that not everyone might have identified
R- our play became better and we managed to break their chain by becoming more cohesive and working together as a team more effectively
