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Competency Mock Interview

To help you prepare for your next job interview, here are 25 interview questions and answer examples focused on how competent you are in your profession.

Competency was updated by on March 7th, 2018. Learn more here.

Question 6 of 25

What decisions did you routinely make in your last position?

"In my previous position I was quite often required to make decisions on staff scheduling as well as hiring and terminating. I feel that role prepared me quite well for a position like this one. I have well-honed decision-making skills and my intuition, when it comes to hiring, has been elevated."

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How to Answer: What decisions did you routinely make in your last position?

  • 6. What decisions did you routinely make in your last position?

      How to Answer

      The interviewer would like to know more about the types of decisions you are accustomed to making in the workplace. The way you answer this question will give them a good idea of your level of experience, seniority, and ability to handle the decision-making requirements in this possible position.

      If the job you are interviewing for requires you to be decisive and quick on your feet, you will need to be able to provide examples of how you have done these things in the past. If you worked in tech support, you faced with problems that you needed to find solutions for regularly. If you worked as a sales rep, you might have required knowing how to negotiate and make decisions on prices and benefits you can give your customers.

      You may have faced decisions that became so routine you didn't think twice! Refer to these decisions and be sure to highlight how they have prepared you for a role like this one.

      Written by Christine Pasqueretta on May 4th, 2019

      Answer Example

      "In my previous position I was quite often required to make decisions on staff scheduling as well as hiring and terminating. I feel that role prepared me quite well for a position like this one. I have well-honed decision-making skills and my intuition, when it comes to hiring, has been elevated."

      Written by Christine Pasqueretta on May 4th, 2019

      Admin

      "In my previous role, as an executive assistant, I routinely made decisions on vendors, locations, caterers, and airlines. I thoroughly enjoy making those types of decisions as I am decisive and a great researcher."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on May 4th, 2019

      Manager

      "I routinely make decisions around hiring, career advancement, associate development, and talent management. I am very comfortable in these areas."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on May 4th, 2019

      Marketing

      "I was responsible for planning the content calendar which included emails, blog post topics, and timing, social media posts, in addition to actually executing the plans. That means everything from creating a copy, to choosing images, and the like. Also, I collaborated with management to decide what promotions and sales we will be running and when."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on May 4th, 2019

      Retail

      "I regularly made decisions regarding pricing and discounts for customers. I had a standard set of criteria that I created, and I tried to let that guide me for consistency."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on May 4th, 2019

      Sales

      "On a day-to-day level, I chose the city of focus, prioritization of prospects, and delegation of tasks. The higher-level decisions I made were regarding hiring and assignment of new hires. I also had a large influence on the employee terminations. I feel that these two sets of responsibilities have positioned me well for this role and I look forward to continuing to leveraging my experience while learning from the more seasoned members of the staff."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on May 4th, 2019

      Teacher

      "I write my lesson plans, execute them, and tweak them as I go through the day from class to class. Classroom management is obviously a big part of my job. Since I like to have fun with my students' learning methods, it's especially important to make sure that we're being energetic but staying on task and learning."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on May 4th, 2019

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "Flight booking for examiners going to examine in our international countries was a part of my coordinator role. To do this effectively I'd get as much information from all of the people involved to ensure a smooth trip - I would first check flights to see which ones were most cost-effective, I'd check when the examiner gave availability for, I would then confirm dates with the examiner, giving them two options; and then subsequently check with the International Rep that they would be able to accommodate the examiner as they would normally organize a pick-up from the airport and hotel availability. I had to ensure that the communication with each person was swift but relaxed, and once I had all the relevant information I would book the flight for the examiner and organize the rest of their examining tour."

      Stephanie's Feedback

      This is an excellent example (and you sound highly organized!) but I would suggest developing your response a bit more to specifically state how this task reflected your decision-making skills.
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