Your qualifications should be seen as a badge of honour. They evidence your hard-work, expertise and dedication and open more doors than you might be able to open without them but they shouldn’t be your everything.
Competency-based interviewing has gained pace over the last few years as a way of focusing on an individuals values and behaviours while preventing unconscious bias against those who are not degree educated but, are they serving their true purpose?
Every time I meet a new candidate I ensure I ask a blend of both technical and competency-based questions to really fathom an insight into the way they behave and react in certain situations but it seems increasingly, professionals are falling back on their qualifications thinking it’s all their recruiter or prospective employer wants to hear.
This afternoon I met with a senior Finance Transformation Lead who really brought this issue to life. I had asked her how she effectively inspired individuals in her team, working underneath her in a programme. Rather than describing ways in which she can inspire, lead, motivate or encourage (all things she then went on to prove) her response came down to her technical expertise of finance processes.
Contrary to popular belief, we really do want to find out more about you as a person. Your resume gives us the crucial information, an interview is an opportunity to fill in the gaps and discuss your strengths, weaknesses and abilities outside of your on-paper skill-set.
Are you a candidate struggling to answer competency-based questions or are you a hiring manager facing the same problem, I’d like to hear from you – why do we use our qualifications as a shield of armour? 
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