Police application help - competency questions

[zippee]

Hi,

I'm most of the way through the app form for the BTP and am after some advice from new reruits and existing officers on the competency based questions.
They want specifics on questions such as -
a time I challenged bullying/insensitive behaviour and how I acted
or
An occasion I've had to give bad news to a person and how I delivered this.

But I cannot think of any specific situations, especially for the first question. Would they be happy with an answer along the lines of I have not had to deal with a situation such as this but if I did would do such and such?????
How did you go about answering these questions and are there any tips etc that you can give me?

[trax]

Dont give an answer that says I havnt done that that but this is what I would do. Competency questions are designed to see if you have the relavent experience of having done what the question is asking, and how you dealt with it. You have to do what everyone does with these questions, and make an example up if you dont have one. Of course that is not being honest, but it is the only way you will get through.

They generaly mark each question with so many points, add them up for all the questions, and meet a score and your through. Thats why I hate the reliance that companies now have on these competency based interview, a godd bull artist can look perfect.

Try and answer the questions with the STAR method,

S what was the Situation
T What was the Task/Options
A what Action did I take
R what was the result.

If you have an idea what competency question they are going to ask, you should be able to real the example of to a tee, if not, they know you havnt prepared, and that will obviously go against you.

[mg6b]

zippee said:

Hi, I'm most of the way through the app form for the BTP and am after some advice from new reruits and existing officers on the competency based questions. They want specifics on questions such as - a time I challenged bullying/insensitive behaviour and how I acted or

You must have done! Think about being a teenager or at school when you or a friend was being bullied. How did you deal with it? Did you tell them to stop and the reasons why they should.. Did you report it to a higher authority? Did you support the victim?
Do not tell them you socked the perpetrator on the nose without first trying resolve the problem reasonably!

Have you asked someone to stop smoking in an area that was irritating you such as a restaurant?
Have you stuck up for someone who has been accused of something you know they did not do? How did you do this? What lines did you take to resolve the problem and what was the outcome of all of the above situations?
Have you had a disagreement over a finacial transaction with an individual or company representative regarding unsatisfactory service or goods either as a customer or as a supplier?

They are not looking for you to demonstrate the wisdom of Solomon or the diplomacy of a Foreign Secretary. They are looking for your ability to identify problems that affect other peoples quality of life and to be considered in how you approach a resolution satisfactory to all involved!

zippee said:

An occasion I've had to give bad news to a person and how I delivered this.

Have you dealt with a difficult emotional issue by giving advice to a friend who is having an affair or something like that?

Have you had to tell a family member about the death of a member of the family or even the death of a pet?

Have you had to disappoint someone who was expecting something from you that you promised but can no longer deliver?

Think along those sorts of lines. They do not want you to give examples that relate to specific police related matters like challenging bad behaviour by strangers in the street etc

They are looking for someone who can identify behaviour that is not acceptable and also looking for evidence of how you appraoched and dealt with the situation.

zippee said:

But I cannot think of any specific situations, especially for the first question. Would they be happy with an answer along the lines of I have not had to deal with a situation such as this but if I did would do such and such?????

NO. DO NOT DO THIS!

zippee said:

How did you go about answering these questions and are there any tips etc that you can give me?

I hope the above has stimulated your imagination! Life is full of challenge and resolution. Unless you have lived in a cell alone for all of your life so far, you will have plenty of examples to use to evidence how you deal with conflict. That is what they want to know!

[zippee]

Thanks very much guys! Especially MG6B, I think thats where I was going wrong, trying to think of specific work related examples rather than outside the box and looking at issues similar to the examples you've given.

>> Edited by zippee on Wednesday 26th April 15:07

[mg6b]

zippee said:

Thanks very much guys! Especially MG6B, I think thats where I was going wrong, trying to think of specific work related examples rather than outside the box and looking at issues similar to the examples you've given. >> Edited by zippee on Wednesday 26th April 15:07

No problem at all! Hope it all goes well for you

[XMG5]

Good reply MG6B. I couldn't put it better myself. Competancy based questions can sometimes generate a wide range of experience based answers and sometimes require a bit of lateral thinking to do so.