EO Behaviours In Depth

Whilst I mainly focus on HEO grade work, there is currently a lot of interest in Executive Officer level behaviours. I will talk through some of the most common behaviours asked for, and where a prospective applicant can set themselves apart. It is important, when there is a lot of competition for a small number of jobs to really show that you are the preferred candidate.

What do they want?

How do I show my brilliant example in the best light?

Basic Advice

Before we start, it is helpful to understand what is the point of using Behaviours to demonstrate our ability and suitability to get to HEO. When we talk about behaviours, what we are doing is showing that we are behaving at the right level, in this case HEO, and are capable of dealing with situations which will arise in the role you are applying for. It does not mean you need to have the skills or knowledge for a particular role, for example, being able to use a particular piece of software.

Coming up with Ideas for Your Behaviours

Are you struggling to come up with ideas for your behaviours? Today I will be giving a few simple pointers on how to come up with ideas to write about, not for any specific behaviour.

Summarising Your Current Stories

You may well have some examples already, write these down in a list, with the first column being the situation, the second being a combination of tasks and behaviours, see my example below. This way you will be able to see, at a glance, which stories cover which behaviours.

Online Tests

Online tests can prove to be a first hurdle which you can unexpectedly trip over if you are unprepared. Often done late at night on the day of the deadline, when your tiredness can easily let you down. I have set out some helpful notes on how to prepare and what you will face on the day.

These tests, they aren’t difficult, they are designed to trip you up though. Don’t be the incredibly capable individual amongst your friends who didn’t even pass the online tests!

Acing The Interview

Interview Success

The most effective strategy for interviews is to prepare, prepare, prepare; preparation is key. Below I will talk about different aspects of the interview process, but remember that mock interviews and practice make the biggest difference.

Most interviews are now called blended interviews. This means that the interview will seek to use multiple elements to assess you. Usually these will be Behaviours and Strengths, but may include a presentation.

How to Write Personal Statements

Personal Statements used to be entirely within the purview of EOIs, however, with the advent of Success Profiles, these are becoming much more common in substantive recruitments. The word count varies from 750 to 1250, don’t feel daunted by this number though, we will walk through a basic model framework below.

You will be required to talk about your suitability for a role, against a handful of assessment criteria. These criteria will be found in the job specification and are loosely based on the Success Profile behaviours. The simplest thing to do is to insert your behaviour statements. Whilst this is the easiest way to produce statements, it lacks flare and doesn’t take advantage of the looseness that personal statements provide versus the rigidity of simple 250 word behaviour statements.