Prepare for an Interview

Definition: Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty. 

Key Behaviors: Embraces change; anticipates and prepares for change; develops new procedures in response to change; proactively adapts to new opportunities or risks; flourishes in high-change environments. 

Definition: Achieves thoroughness and accuracy when accomplishing a task through concern for all the areas involved.

Key Behaviors: Provides accurate, consistent numbers on all paperwork; provides information in a useable form and on a timely basis to others who need to act on it; maintains a checklist, schedule, calendar, etc. to ensure small details are not overlooked; follows policies, procedures, safety and security measures in using various equipment; work requires little or no checking; writes down important details in messages or communications so the details are not lost or forgotten.

Definition: Works cooperatively with others, inside and outside the organization, to accomplish objectives to build and maintain mutually-beneficial partnerships, leverage information, and achieve results.

Key Behaviors: Identifies, organizes, facilitates and /or sustains mutually beneficial partnerships and alliances with internal and external stakeholders; maintains positive and productive relationships; works with others to share information and achieve goals; works towards goals that benefit the team, which includes contributing ideas and participating in team activities appropriately; fosters an environment that emphasizes knowledge sharing and group participation; facilitates agreement by resolving differences of opinions; resolves conflicts, confrontations and disagreements positively and constructively; identifies when to seek additional outside counsel; serves on committees (e.g., task forces, working groups) to analyze and improve administrative processes and procedures; coordinates efforts with applicable stakeholders to ensure awareness, share information, and provide updates until completion.

Definition: Takes responsibility for actions and outcomes and persist despite obstacles. 

Key Behaviors: Is available in case of emergency; gives the amount of time necessary to the job; demonstrates dependability in difficult circumstances and shows a sense of urgency about getting results. 

Definition: Clearly conveys information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message. 

Key Behaviors: Organizes the communication -- clarifies purpose and importance, stresses major points, follows a logical sequence; maintains audience attention -- keeps the audience engaged through use of techniques such as analogies, illustrations, humor, an appealing style, body language, and voice inflection; adjusts to the audience -- frames message in line with audience experience, background, and expectations; uses terms, examples, and analogies that are meaningful to the audience; ensures understanding -- seeks input from audience, checks understanding, presents messages in different ways to enhance understanding; adheres to accepted conventions -- uses syntax, pace, volume, diction, and mechanics appropriate to the media being used; comprehends communication from others -- attends to messages from others, correctly interprets messages and responds appropriately. 

Definition: Brings substantial conflicts and disagreements into the open and attempts to manage them collaboratively, building consensus, keeping the best interests of the organization in mind, not only one’s own interest. 

Key Behaviors: Recognizes conflict and identifies ways to help involved parties work through conflict; identifies areas of agreement when working with conflicting individuals or groups; maintains awareness of broad, longer-term objectives and works to ensure that all parties share this awareness while seeking solutions; states own point-of-view without criticizing the other person’s; responds to opposing views in a non-defensive manner. 

Definition: Demonstrates eagerness to acquire necessary technical knowledge, skills, and judgment to accomplish a result or to serve a customer’s needs effectively. 

Key Behaviors: Keeps up-to-date on current research and technology in one’s work focus and identifies and pursues areas for development and training that will enhance job performance; takes responsibility for one’s own development; maintains fluency in appropriate work applications, software, or tools; reviews, selects, and disseminates information regarding key technologies, best practices, and tools to others in the group; continually looks for ways to expand job capabilities. 

Definition: Demonstrates strong commitment to meeting the needs of internal and external customers (coworkers, managers, community members, etc.) striving to ensure their full satisfaction. 

Key Behaviors: Asks questions to identify the needs or expectations of others; considers the impact on the external or internal customer when taking action, or carrying out one’s own job responsibilities; looks for creative approaches to providing or improving services that may increase efficiency and decrease cost; finds opportunities to pass on knowledge and transfer skills to others; takes personal responsibility for resolving service problems brought to one’s attention. 

Definition: Makes timely and sound decisions based on analysis of the information presented in the face of ambiguous or conflicting situations or when there is an associated risk. 

Key Behaviors: Knows when to stop collecting data and when sufficient information is obtained; makes decisions that consider available evidence; weighs information based on relevancy; accurately identifies the consequences of decisions or actions against desired outcomes (based on available information at the time.) 

Definition: Supports and promotes an environment that holds opportunities for all, regardless of race, gender, culture, age, color, religion, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, family structure, national origin, veteran status and disability. 

Key Behaviors: Effectively works with all employees at all levels, capitalizing on their strengths; actively seeks opinions and ideas from people of varied background and experiences to improve decisions; values and incorporates contributions of people from diverse backgrounds; seeks information from many different sources before deciding on an approach; demonstrates respect for opinions and ideas of others. 

Definition: Adjusts behavior in response to new information or changing circumstances. 

Key Behaviors: Is open to new methods, ideas, or approaches; works and collaborates effectively in unstructured or dynamic environments; adjusts the original objective or plan to allow the best possible results; demonstrates a willingness to embrace new systems, processes, technology, and ideas; stays focused and keeps team focused during times of uncertainty or change; understands that ambiguity is a normal part of doing business and communicates that; anticipates changes in the internal and external environment (e.g., organizational, services, and systems) and adapts accordingly; uses new ideas to reengineer work processes or make changes in how resources are allocated within the business. 

Definition: Asserts own ideas and persuades others, gaining support and commitment from others; mobilizes people to take action, using creative approaches to motivate others to meet goals. 

Key Behaviors: Able to make a good/persuasive argument to persuade/influence audience; develops and uses subtle strategies to influence others; works to make others feel ownership in one’s own solutions; identifies key decision-makers on issues of concern; develops and effectively uses networks, inside and outside the work unit. 

Definition: Does more than is required or expected in the job; does things that no one has requested that will improve or enhance services, avoid problems, or develop entrepreneurial opportunities. 

Key Behaviors: Plans ahead for upcoming problems or opportunities and takes appropriate action; goes beyond expectations in the assignment, task, or job description without being asked; demonstrates a sincere positive attitude towards getting things done; digs beneath the obvious to get at the facts, even when not asked to do so; creates opportunities or minimizes potential problems by anticipating and preparing for these in advance; seeks out and/or accepts additional responsibilities in the context of the job. 

Definition: Applies original thinking in approach to job responsibilities and to improve processes, methods, systems, or services. 

Key Behaviors: Keeps up-to-date on current research and technology in the industry; identifies novel approaches for completing work assignments more effectively or efficiently and works within the “established” system to push for “a better way”; reviews, selects and disseminates information regarding key technologies, best practices, and tools to others in the group; understands technical aspects of one’s job and uses appropriate technology for the situation at hand; tries new approaches when problem solving, seeking ideas, or suggestions from others as appropriate. 

Definition: Gains the trust of others by taking responsibility for own actions and telling the truth. 

Key Behaviors: Follows through on commitments and agreements; respects confidentiality; maintains confidentiality regardless of pressure from others; admits mistakes in spite of the potential for negative consequences; admits mistakes when in low risk situations; consistently tells the truth; challenges others who are not acting with integrity or telling the truth; takes stands based on principles and values despite personal or professional risk. 

Definition: Able to assume a role of authority as necessary; advocate new ideas, even when risk is involved; set an example for team; delegate responsibility and empower team members to make decisions; provide constructive feedback to others. 

Key Behaviors: Manages change; solves problems and makes decisions; manages politics and influences others; takes risks and is innovative; sets vision and strategy; manages the work; enhances skills and knowledge; understands and navigates the organization; demonstrates ethics and integrity; displays drive and purpose; communicates effectively; develops others; values diversity and difference; builds and maintains relationships; manages effective teams and work groups 

Definition: Creates a sense of direction and purpose for others and excitement and momentum for change. 

Key Behaviors: Energizes others to strive toward a compelling vision of the future by embracing and embodying the organization’s values in all aspects of their work; offers clarity around goals and objectives and ensures that others work collaboratively towards a shared purpose; provides the required resources and motivational support others need to grow and the empowerment and accountability to take responsibility for their own success. 

Definition: Explores positions and alternatives to reach outcomes that gain acceptance of all parties. 

Key Behaviors: Determines minimal or ideal conditions of the other party during negotiations; develops a strategy for giving on some points and standing firm on others to achieve desired outcomes; responds to opposing views in a non-defensive manner; keeps arguments issue-oriented; offers compromises and tradeoffs to others, as necessary, in exchange for cooperation. 

Definition: Approaches problems with a clear understanding of organizational and political realities. 

Key Behaviors: Understands how the culture of the organization impacts how the work gets done and takes this into account in planning and decision making; understands the goals/objectives of other departments/work units and uses this information to establish alliances and resolve issues; understands the interdependent nature of operations and the impact of various departments/work units on workflow within the organization; understands how his or her decisions may impact others across the organization and involves them appropriately; keeps up to date on what is happening across the organization; proactively shares information with others across the organization based on an understanding of their priorities, goals, and objectives; considers organizational culture and norms of behavior in making decisions. 

Definition: Able to prepare for emerging customer needs; manages multiple projects; determines project urgency in a meaningful and practical way; uses goals to guide actions and create detailed action plans; organizes and schedules people and tasks. 

Key Behaviors: Establishes a systematic course of action for self or others to ensure accomplishment of a specific objective; sets priorities, goals, and timetables to achieve maximum productivity; develops or uses systems to organize and keep track of information (e.g., “to-do” lists, appointment calendars, follow-up file systems); sets priorities with an appropriate sense of what is most important and plans with an appropriate and realistic sense of the time demand involved; keeps track of activities completed and yet to do, to accomplish stated objectives; keeps clear, detailed records of activities related to accomplishing stated objectives; knows status of one’s own work at all times. 

Definition: Acts in accordance with established guidelines. 

Key Behaviors: Follows standard procedures in crisis situations; communicates and enforces organizational policies and procedures; recognizes and constructively conforms to unwritten rules or practices. 

Definition: Builds a logical approach to address problems or opportunities or manage the situation at hand by drawing on one’s knowledge and experience base, and calling on other references and resources as necessary. Makes decisions authoritatively and wisely after adequately contemplating various available courses of action. 

Key Behaviors of Problem Solving: Undertakes a complex task by breaking it down into manageable parts in a systematic, detailed way; thinks of several possible explanations or alternatives for a situation and anticipates potential obstacles and develops contingency plans to overcome them; identifies the information needed to solve a problem effectively; presents problem analysis and recommended solution to others rather than just identifying or describing the problem itself; acknowledges when one doesn’t know something and takes steps to find out. 

Key Behaviors of Decision Making: Considers alternative available actions, resources, and constraints before selecting a method for accomplishing a task or project; refrains from “jumping to conclusions” based on no, or minimal, evidence and takes time to collect facts before decision-making; considers cost and efficiency when making decisions establishing or changing work procedures; considers the long-term as well as immediate short-term outcomes and actions; appropriately balances needs and desires with available resources and constraints; recognizes when to escalate appropriate or specific situations to the next higher level of expertise. 

Definition: Identifies and initiates working relationships and develops and maintains them in a way that is of mutual benefit to all parties. 

Key Behaviors: Earns trust in relationships with others by consistently demonstrating integrity (honesty, consistency, and reliability) and professional competence; is squarely focused on helping others achieve their agendas; consistently meets commitments; tunes into other’s feelings, thoughts, and daily context; acts in socially appropriate ways; shows a genuine interest in other people; asks good questions, and listens keenly; able to adjust and adapt social style and communications (e.g., pace, flow, focus of a presentation; balances dedication to clients with objectivity and independence; acts in the client’s best interest (except when to do so would cause harm) but is willing to say “no” or to disagree on important issues. 

Definition: Effectively manages all resources (people, systems, space, budgets, contracts, information) to achieve organizational goals and results. 

Key Behaviors: Articulates the functions and objectives of the organization and the relationship between own office and the larger organization; applies knowledge of organization to define requirements and acquire resources; develops realistic and manageable budgets based on organizational goals, objectives, and priorities; tracks and evaluates organizational budget, inventory, space, purchasing and personnel activities; prepares and administers contracts and monitors contract performance; optimizes processes by coordinating interactions across the organization; builds and leverages networks to work across the organization and achieve results.

Definition: Maintains stable performance under pressure or opposition (such as time pressure or job ambiguity); handles stress in a manner that is acceptable to others and to the organization. 

Key Behaviors: Stays focused on work tasks and productively uses time and energy when under stress; presents a positive disposition and maintains constructive interpersonal relationships when under stress; develops appropriate strategies as needed to alter conditions that create stress and to sustain physical and mental health.