Filling an application form plan: what is an application form?

Competency Questions

Competency questions are a common part of application forms. Examples include:

• 
  ‘Describe a situation in the past when you have worked as part of a team. Explain the role you played.’
  
• 
  ‘Describe a time when you have explained something complicated to a group or individual; show how you helped them understand this concept.’
  ‘Describe a time when changes in your life meant you had to do something new or different. Say what you did and how you coped.’
  

Employers ask these questions to help them imagine how you would operate in the workplace and how you would interact with others. Using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action and Result) can help you write effective answers to competency questions.

References

1. 
   Ruminski, Clayton. "Manuscripts and Archives: Early Twentieth Century Job Applications - A Personal Affair". Hagley Museum.
   
2. 
    Diane Arthur, Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting & Orienting New Employees (1998), p. 111.
   
3. 
    Diane Arthur, Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting & Orienting New Employees (1998), p. 111.
   
4. 
    Donald H. Weiss, Fair, Square & Legal: Safe Hiring, Managing & Firing Practices to Keep You and Your Company Out of Court (2004), p. 45.
   
5. 
    Sandra Bunting, The Interviewer's Handbook: Successful Interviewing Techniques for the Workplace (2005), p. 82.
   
6. 
    Diane Arthur, Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting & Orienting New Employees (1998), p. 168.
   
7. 
    Joe Kennedy, The Small Business Owner's Manual (2005), p. 122.
   
8. 
    Diane Arthur, Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting & Orienting New Employees (1998), p. 59.
   
9. 
    A C "Buddy" Krizan, Patricia Merrier, Joyce P. Logan, Business Communication (2010), p. 551.