Competency Based Interviews - Copy.doc

Resume Writing and Interview Skills Presented By Farzoq Chaudhary

Competency Based Interviews

Increasingly, employers are using 'competency-based' (also sometimes called 'behavioural' or 'situational') interviewing techniques to separate out the good candidates from those who are simply trying to bluff their way into the job without the right skills or experience.

The theory behind competency-based interviewing is that past work behaviour is a good predictor of future job performance. When interviewers ask you competency-based questions, they want you to talk about how you have actually tackled real problems in the past . From this, they are trying to infer how effectively you would tackle future problems if they were to offer you a job.

In responding to a competency-based question, the most important principle is to: Give a real example that actually happened to you . Don't talk in broad terms about how you generally tackle those sorts of situations. Talk about a specific example.

Once you have talked about your example, the interviewer will probably ask you further questions to get a deeper understanding of what you did. So, the second key principle is: Be ready to talk about your example in a lot of detail .

An Example Question and Detailed Response

Imagine that an interviewer has asked a candidate the following question: "Please describe to me a situation when you have helped a colleague who was in trouble. What was the situation and how did you try to tackle it?"

On the face of it, it seems a fairly straightforward question to answer. However, a crafty interviewer could interrupt you at any point and follow up with all sorts of supplementary questions. Look at the following sample candidate's response. You will see certain underlined words and phrases, which indicate points at which the interviewer might want to interrupt to ask for further information.

The candidate's response might go along the lines of the following: "There was a time when James, the sales manager, came to me with a problem about his sales performance . He asked for some advice, so I tried to be supportive and make some suggestions. I also helped him on some site visits to customers. And, over the course of the next few months, he listened to my advice and managed to bring his performance up to satisfactory levels again."

So, supplementary questions (along with the candidate's responses) could include:

Time - "How recently did this happen?" The candidate responds: "This was three years ago, when I'd just moved from the sales department to being the marketing manager. When I left the sales department, they recruited a young sales manager to take over my old role."

Came to me - "Why did he come to you?" The candidate responds: "He came to me because we'd already struck up a good working relationship by that point. It was a small company, so I always tried to meet with new colleagues and take them out for a drink and explain to them that I was there if they ever needed any help."

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Skills Development Department - UMT


Problem - "And what was the sales manager's problem?" The candidate explains: "James wasn't hitting his sales targets. James was a really bright person - but didn't have that much sales experience."

Sales performance - "What exactly was wrong with his performance?" The candidate replies: "James had two major targets. His first target was that he had to cold call enough companies every month to set up five meetings with prospective clients. His other target was to convert 50% of prospective clients into real customers. He was failing on both of them."

Supportive - "How were you supportive?" The candidate explains: "James was on the verge of tears and really agitated about his poor performance because he was worried he was going to get fired. The first thing I did was to get him to calm down. I took him out of the office and bought him a coffee and tried to listen to him without judging him."

Suggestions - "So what were your suggestions?" The candidate responds: "After talking to him and understanding that he was failing to meet both of his targets, my first suggestion was that I might listen in on some of his cold calls. So I spent a few hours one morning listening in on his cold calls. I discovered that he was telephoning customers without first doing enough research on them. He called them up without knowing anything about their business needs. So I worked with James to think about the sorts of facts that he would need to collect before making a call.'

Site visits - "Tell me a bit more about what you did on these site visits." The candidate responds: "I also talked James round to letting me attend a couple of sales meetings with him. I went along, observed him and gave him some constructive comments about what he was doing wrong. In particular, he was being a bit too aggressive in trying to get the customer to sign on the dotted line there and then. So I persuaded him to give customers more thinking time - which resulted in more of them signing up in the end."

As you can see, a candidate who did not actually experience that situation would have found it difficult to provide so much detail. From the initial question then, the interviewer could have asked any number of supplementary questions - all of which you would need to have good answers to.

Techniques for Answering Job Interview Questions

One of the most common complaints about interviews is that people can never think of good answers until it's too late. There's a simple solution to this - preparation and practice.

Answering a Question with a Statement

This is a useful technique for questions that don't have a 'right' answer.

Q 'Do you often find yourself working late?'

Normal behaviour in one company might be poor time management in another. Respond with another question:

A 'What's typical in your department? I like to be efficient but I'm willing to be flexible.'

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Don't answer questions that show you in a bad light.

When politicians are asked difficult questions they give statements instead of answers. You don't want to admit how many times you had flu last winter or that you are waiting to hear from five other interviews.

Q 'How is your health? Do you often take sick days?'

Q 'Are you being interviewed for any other jobs?'

Confident remarks about the importance of a healthy lifestyle or the fact that your job search is in the early stages are a diplomatic option here.

If you respond promptly and confidently to a question, what you say will usually be accepted as an answer - even if it isn't.

Asking for the Answer

Q 'Do you think you have the right experience for this post?'

It's easy to get this wrong - either too much or too little experience could rule you out of the job. Find out more about what they want before committing yourself - if you have too little experience, think of some areas in which you have done similar work.

A 'Perhaps you can tell me a bit more about exactly what you're looking for. Do you need someone who has specialised in telesales?'

Changing the Question

Q 'What kind of things do you worry about?'

In questions like this, you can defuse the question by taking out the loaded word when you answer.

A 'I think worrying is pretty pointless - I prefer to take action and make changes. However, the areas that do concern me are meeting deadlines, reducing staff turnover, reaching sales targets and getting the best out of my team.'

Avoiding Traps for the Unwary

Beware of 'either/or' questions. They are usually traps for the unwary.

Q 'What is most important in the workplace, total honesty, or supportiveness towards colleagues?'

This appears to be straightforward on the face of it. After all, both honesty and supportiveness to colleagues are important. On closer examination however, the interviewer is asking you to choose between loyalty to the company and loyalty to your workmates.

A 'I think that honesty and supportiveness are both important. But obviously I couldn't support a colleague who was behaving dishonestly either toward the company or with a client.'

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That would depend on is one of the most useful phrases in interview and can be used as a last resort.

Q 'What would you do if you felt your line manager was dishonest/incompetent/had a personal problem?'

A 'That would depend on the seriousness of the problem and whether or not it was affecting his ability to do his job. Obviously in the case of dishonesty or incompetence, action would be required. A personal problem might or might not affect others in the workplace and I would need to make a judgment on that.'

Observing the Golden Rule

The Golden Rule of answering interview questions is always to give a positive answer. It doesn't matter if your last employer was an alcoholic pervert who was fiddling the books and blaming you for it - your reasons for moving on are always forward-looking and pro-active.

Q 'What did you like / dislike about your last job?'

Treat this question as an opportunity to make it clear that you are a positive, forward-looking person. In interview, you should say that you liked everything about your last job, but pick out something with the new job that is different and challenging. Don't fall into the trap of saying what you want the new job to give you - emphasize what you have to offer and use the word contribution.

A 'I enjoyed my last job and gained some useful sales experience, but I am looking for an opportunity to contribute that to building a new team with a higher conversion rate.'

People are tainted by their misfortunes. You will attract not sympathy but distrust if you appear to have walked out of a hotbed of dissent and corruption and a prospective employer will suspect that you have brought with you some traces of the problems you are claiming to have left behind.

Typical questions that might tempt you to be negative include:

Q 'What did you think of your last boss?'

Q 'What is the most difficult situation you have faced at work?'

Never say anything detrimental about your colleagues, managers or the system.

Advice on How to Start an Interview

There is a common saying that an interviewer decides within the first 30 seconds of meeting you whether or not he/she wants to hire you. This is unlikely to be true, especially now that managers are becoming more and more enlightened, more aware of 'human factors' such as psychology, and are better trained in interviewing techniques, etc.

However, there is no denying the fact that preconceptions and prejudices exist, as do instant reactions. People do tend to react positively or negatively to others quite quickly; to get around this at interview you have to bear in mind that you can influence interviewers, even to the extent of changing an initial negative reaction. Obviously, the quicker you start to influence them, the

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better, so the early stages of an interview are vital, when you are introducing yourself, meeting and greeting, etc.

Arriving

From the moment you enter . . . you're on show:

You may be on security camera from the moment you enter the building Receptionists/PAs, etc, may be asked their opinion, or what they thought of you, so be on

your best behaviour with everybody from the moment you step into the building. Try to avoid carrying too much baggage Ladies should avoid carrying both a handbag and briefcase - it's too much If possible, avoid carrying multiple items such as a coat and umbrella and briefcase into

the interview Ask if you can leave things in reception before you are announced - it shows confidence

as well as getting rid of the clutter!

Breaking the Ice

Never be afraid to initiate conversation if necessary. It shows confidence without being pushy. Safe comments are things like 'It's a beautiful day, isn't it?' or 'What a lovely building; have you been here long?'

Body Language

With body language, three things seem to make people relate to each other quickly and easily at a first meeting:

Make eye contact - look them in the eye Smile - to show you are pleased to see them The 'eyebrow flash' - quickly raising your eyebrows when being introduced apparently

shows interest in the other person and indicates a willingness to establish a good relationship.

Body Language & Interview Techniques

Body language is a huge subject upon which many books have been written. Unfortunately, they can sometimes give you conflicting advice, while studying body language in depth can mean you spend all your time studying other people's mannerisms instead of concentrating on your own! You need to have enough information to allow you to focus on performing at your best at interview. Knowing the basics of body language can increase your performance at interview greatly. Being able to control your own body language makes it easier for you to relate to interviewers, and to make a good impression. It can also make you appear more confident, more honest, and more in tune with the interviewer.

But there is one other advantage of knowing about body language - it helps you control your nerves, if you suffer from nervousness. Concentrating on your physical actions will take your

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attention away from negative thought processes and feeling nervous, and make you focus instead on what you are actually doing. This can reduce your nervousness significantly.

The Golden Rule

The golden rule with body language is to match your interviewer's body language. Like attracts like.

Match verbal with non-verbal behaviours

Use non-verbal behaviour - ie, body language, to reinforce and back up what you are saying verbally.

Try never to use body language that gives a different message from your verbal message, such as saying 'Yes' and shaking your head at the same time, or a more common example, saying 'No' and nodding.

The trick is to always match non-verbal messages with verbal messages - so you should always nod when you agree, shake your head when you are disagreeing, etc.

Positive body language

All these actions, on the other hand, will enable you to establish a good rapport with interviewer:

good eye contact leaning forward slightly in your chair tilting your head whilst maintaining eye contact with your interviewer open-lipped smiling open hands with palms visible unbuttoning your coat or jacket upon being seated keeping your chin up putting tips of fingers of one hand against the tips of fingers of other hand in the 'praying'

or 'steepling' position having your hands joined behind back your when standing

Proven Interview Skills

An interview is a sales pitch and you are the product. Unless your skills and experience are in short supply, in which case you will be interviewing your prospective employers, rather than vice versa. But, if you are just one of many well-qualified and experienced applicants for the same few jobs, you will have to do some competitive selling.

If you have the intention of actively selling your skills, you will feel more in control. And most people feel better and perform better when they have some control. Of course there will be surprises and unexpected questions, but there are many ways of staying in command: by asking questions, by actively listening, and by taking notes so that you can refer back to difficult points.

Awareness of some basic sales techniques can take you beyond feeling comfortable in interview and on into enjoyment of the adrenaline rush and challenge of the situation.

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Selling the benefits is the most important sales technique of all. Every salesperson knows that they have to sell the benefit of the product rather than the product itself.

Use your CV in the interview. Refer to it whenever you feel you might be losing your way. You wrote it, so you can use it as a means of getting back on track and staying in control. Interviewers like talking through a CV - they can make notes on it and refer back to it afterwards. A well-written CV gives you lots of hooks for mini-presentations about your good points and achievements.

You must decide what to sell. Analysing the criteria for a job will have given you a pretty good idea of the benefits you need to sell. Nevertheless, it's important to listen carefully in interview for live, on-the-spot clues.

You may think you will get a job by what you say in interview. But listening is actually more important than talking - if you don't listen carefully you may answer the wrong questions - or give the wrong answers to the right ones.

Leading the interviewer can bring positive results. There are two reasons for asking questions:

to get more information about the job to get a 'yes' response. This puts the interviewer into a positive thinking mode which is

much more likely to lead them into a buying (hiring) position. For example:

'Would it be true to say that you are you looking for somebody who will be a good team player?'

Once you are getting consistent yes responses, you can slip in some questions which start from the premise that you are already an employee:

'If I were to join you, what would my first assignment be? '

Without thinking about it, the interviewer will already be allocating your first task to you and picturing you doing it.

Typical Criteria Based Questions

If you meet a skilled interviewer who is working to a set of criteria, you are lucky. They will give you the best chance to show what you can do and will be as keen to discover real talent as you are to display it. What's more, they will happily share their criteria with you and admire your pro-active attitude in asking.

Start work on the interview before you apply for the job. Get your strengths and weaknesses down on paper - then you can tailor yourself to the requirements of a particular job. If you concentrate on the three main areas which concern most interviewers, you can easily pre-prepare some strong, positive, behavioural examples for each area of your life.

Biographical: evidence of your ability to do a particular job might include experience of living abroad, familiarity with a particular environment or lifestyle, or proven flexibility in living patterns.

Technical: measurable expertise, including specific qualifications, degrees, certificates, training programmes or experience in a particular area.

Behavioural: gathering evidence from friends, family and self analysis will help you take yourself apart ready for re-assembly according to a particular job specification. This exercise works both ways. It can help you persuade an interviewer that you are suitable

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for a particular job, but may also help you check in advance whether that job is suitable for you.

The following are examples of the most frequently used criteria and some typical questions:

Drive and Motivation

Q Tell me about a time when you worked hard but felt a great sense of achievement.

A When planning permission for the new office development was turned down, I carried out another round of consultation and I drew up new plans. At the third attempt, amended plans were accepted and the offices were built.

Communication and Negotiating Skill

Q Do you think problems are solved by better communication?

A During the strike I talked to the staff about what they really wanted. It turned out they were more worried about redundancy than pay. I got management to give them the facts on the threat from our nearest rival and they agreed to a productivity deal.

Interpersonal Skills

Q What unpopular decisions have you made?

A I believe that the benefits of unpopular decisions have to be sold to the people they affect, otherwise they won't work. Recently the tea lady retired and we were going to install a machine on every floor. I called a staff meeting first and discovered people were already grumbling about the system being too impersonal. So we asked them what would work and they voted for a small coffee bar.

Energy

Q Give an example of when you did more than was required.

A When we set up the first self learning groups for employees to develop their business skills, I joined the first three groups myself and went to every meeting to show my commitment.

Honesty/lntegrity

Q Are you trustworthy?

A My current line manager now leaves me to oversee both payroll and purchasing, at the recent audit our department had the lowest number of discrepancies.

Coping with Stress

Q How do you handle stress?

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A I work well under stress and I'm good at switching off completely when I need to. In my last job I ran stress management classes for some of the junior executives.

Effort/Initiative

Q Tell me about a project you started.

A Our turnover was falling so I organised a monthly training update programme for the sales staff.

Problem Solving

Q Can you think of a time when you solved a problem where others had failed?

A I was moved to the overseas office to manage a difficult but creative team who didn't want management imposed on them. I solved the problem by making it a two way process, they were to train me in their system at the same time that I was teaching them the new procedures.

Efficiency

Q What's your attitude to efficiency versus staff satisfaction?

A I don't believe there's a conflict. If the system works smoothly it's better for everyone. But if the system isn't user friendly, that in itself leads to resentment and more inefficiency.

Leadership

Q Do you see yourself as a leader or a follower?

A There are always people I can learn from. But when I am in a position of responsibility I enjoy taking the lead. Although this will be my first big promotion, I was elected chairman of the PTA at my children's school three years ago and built up the fund raising committee to raise money for a new swimming pool.

This perfect employee could probably take over from Richard Branson, but you don't have to come up with a real example for every heading yourself. See which ones you find examples for most easily. That in itself will tell you quite a lot - about yourself and your ideal job.

It's hard work but if you don't do it in advance, you'll be hard put to come up with anything convincing in the five to ten seconds you get in interview to describe how you dealt with a difficult employee or improved sales figures.

Good Answers to Common Interview Questions

There are certain questions that the vast majority of interviewers like to use. Interviewers want to know about the decisions you have taken to get you where you are in your career, why you are looking for a new job, and why you believe you should work for them.

But whatever question is asked in the end, remember to provide examples whenever possible . Claims are nothing if they are not substantiated. Examples make a much stronger impact in the

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mind of the interviewer than generalised statements or opinions that you may make about yourself. Almost all interviewers will ask some of these questions:

So, tell me about yourself.

Many interviewers like to begin by asking this question. The open-ended nature of the question means that you could potentially answer it in any number of ways. So start by checking how much information the interviewer wants: ''Is there any part of my CV that you would like me to focus on?'' The interviewer's response should hopefully direct you to the areas that he or she is most interested in.

Even if the interviewer does not give you any further guidance, you should avoid talking about your family, hobbies and interests outside of work, or goals in life. After all, if you want to convince the interviewer that you are the right person for the job, you should focus on the skills that are needed to fill the vacancy - unless the interviewer specifically asks you to talk about any of those areas.

To prepare for this question, look at the job advert. What skills and qualities does the advert talk about? If it says that they are looking for 'a head teacher with excellent planning and problem solving skills', then be prepared to talk about your planning and problem solving skills in your initial response.

As an example, consider the following excerpt from a job advert:

Growing London-based accountancy firm is looking to open a regional office in Birmingham . We are looking for an office manager to set up an office and recruit a team of secretarial staff to support eight accountants .

A candidate might then respond along the lines of the following: ''As you can see from my CV, I have six years' experience of office management from two companies - the most recent of which has been for a law firm, so I have plenty of experience working for demanding and highly motivated professional services staff. In my current job, I look after all of the office functions - from the computer, photocopying and telephone systems, to managing a team of three secretaries to ensure that the solicitors get the support that they need. Shall I go on?''

What does your day-to-day job involve?

Rather than giving a blow-by-blow account of what you do in a typical day, you should be selective in your response. Try to include in your answer the sorts of tasks that you would be doing if you were to be offered the job.

What do you like/enjoy in your work? What do you most like about your job?

Your tactic for responding to this question should be very similar to that for dealing with the previous question about your day-to-day job. Again, think about the main responsibilities - such as meeting prospective customers, writing proposals, and presenting at meetings - in the job that you are being interviewed for. Then incorporate these into your reply.

What motivates you?

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Ideally, you should be able to tell the interviewer that you are most motivated when you are helping the organisation to achieve its goals. If, for example, you were being interviewed by an aggressive American investment bank, they might like to hear you talk about your financial motivations: ''I get a real kick out of negotiating good deals with clients that will bring revenue into the company and make me a wealthy person in the process.'' Then proceed to give a concrete example of when you have negotiated a good deal.

Or if you were being interviewed by a not-for-profit organisation: ''I like to know that my work is making a difference.'' Again, continue by giving an example of when you have done something worthwhile.

What frustrates you about your current job? What do you most dislike about your work?

An interviewer will not believe you if you say that you enjoy every single moment of your job. A good trick is to talk about inefficient systems, unwieldy processes or bureaucracy. However, when you do give your example, either allude to the fact that it is entirely out of your control or that you have tried to improve the situation but have good reasons for not being able to change it. It would be even better if you can say that the situation is currently being fixed due to your efforts.

How would you describe your current company?

Some interviewers have it in their minds that a candidate that knocks a current or previous employer could be a troublemaker. It may not be fair or right - but if you want the job, you should ideally be able to give the impression that you enjoy working at your current company, but that there are just one or two aspects of your interviewer's organisation that are even more attractive.

What do you know about this company?

This question should never be a problem if you have done your research. Your aim in answering the question should be to show that you have done some reading or speaking to colleagues, then finish by providing a short example of a skill or some aspect of your previous experience that ties in to the organisation's needs.

Answering Difficult Interview Questions

Skilled interviewers know that they should put candidates at their ease and get them to talk about how they have used their skills and experience in the past. Unfortunately, many managers are asked to interview without having ever been trained. It is these unskilled interviewers who could ask you all sorts of weird questions.

Some questions can't possibly tell the interviewer anything about your ability to do the job - but obviously the interviewer thinks that it is a good question. So you have no choice really but to have a shot at responding briefly to the question, then trying to turn the question to your advantage to show off some skill. Some questions you just shouldn't be asked in interviews:

Do you read much? What was the last book you read?

Don't be caught lying - if you are going to say that you have read a key business book, then be ready to answer technical questions about the content of the book. However, few interviewers will

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expect you to have read a business book. Just be ready to discuss the plot or contents of a book that you have read. Ideally, the book should have improved you in at least some small way.

For example: ''The book talks about the plight of the servant classes in turn-of-the-century China . It's a very humbling description of the effects of poverty and injustice.''

What was the last film you saw?

It does not matter what the last film you saw was. Just be prepared to talk briefly about the plot and why you saw it.

After naming the film, for instance: ''. . . which was a big budget action adventure movie. I watch all sorts of things from independent French films to romantic comedies, but on this occasion I wanted something escapist to watch.''

If you were an animal, what would you be?

The interviewer has probably read a 'pop psychology' book claiming that candidates can be rated based on the types of animals they would describe themselves as. This is a ridiculous question as there is no link between job performance and types of animals.

Unfortunately, you need to play along with this amateur Freud. Select a suitably noble animal such as a lion, eagle, wolf, etc. and go on to relate how its characteristics relate to your ability to do the job. For example, you could argue that an elephant can 'cope with a heavy workload' or that a Labrador 'picks up skills quickly'. Resist the temptation to choose an animal with comical or sinister qualities such as a kangaroo or a snake.

Tell me a story

Ideally, you should tell a story about your career, including examples of the skills that the interviewer is looking for. Perhaps first ask, ''Can I tell you the story of my career?''

However, if the interviewer insists that you tell a story about something outside work, try to tell a story about something that you have achieved - whether it is learning a musical instrument, to designing an extension for your house.

If you could meet anyone living or dead, who would it be?

Pick someone who has characteristics or skills that would be desirable in the job you are applying for - such as a notable business leader. However, resist citing the really well known business gurus such as Tom Peters or Warren Bennis - as that could make you sound clichéd. Politicians can also be risky choices if you do not know the political leanings of your interviewer. Also steer clear of poets, humanitarians or artists - unless you can argue that they have traits that you would use for this particular job.

All of us have personality defects. What is yours?

A personality defect is a very strong term. Perhaps you could begin your answer by saying: ''I wouldn't say that I have anything as strong as a personality defect. However, I do have areas that I know I could improve on. For example . . .''

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And then continue as if you had been asked to list your weaknesses.

Getting Personal: Tough Interview Questions

Responding to questions that ask you to rate yourself or to evaluate yourself as others see you need to be handled with some subtlety. When talking about what you bring to an employer, there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, so tread carefully. Similarly, when talking about your negative points and weaknesses, very little separates the sufficiently honest candidate from the foolishly honest candidate.

What is your greatest strength?

From your analysis of the job advert and job description, you will by now have figured out the key skills or competencies that are required for this particular role. So answering the question should be a breeze. Talk about one of these key skills, and, to hammer your point home, offer a brief example of how you have used the skill at work.

And what is your greatest weakness?

If you get asked about your strengths, you will get asked about your weaknesses or development needs. However, candidates who are unable to come up with any weaknesses at all are often viewed with suspicion - are you claiming to be an angel of perfection? Instead, try to:

Think about a couple of minor weaknesses that show that you are not perfect. Be ready to describe what actions or activity you are taking to improve or develop

yourself.

For example: ''I know that I can very quickly get frustrated when people don't make decisions. However, now that I am aware of it, I try to remember that colleagues may need time to think something through before giving me an answer.''

What are your three biggest strengths and three biggest weaknesses?

Just a variation on the basic strengths and weaknesses question. It pays to plan ahead to have at least three or four strengths up your sleeve and a similar number of weaknesses, in case the interviewer insists on a certain number.

How would your colleagues/team/boss describe you?

Although you may be tempted to present a rounded picture of how your colleagues see you - you should try to get away with treating this question as if you had been asked, ''What would your colleagues say are your strengths?'' There is no benefit in mentioning weaknesses unless the interviewer specifically asks for them.

What unique skills would you bring to our company?

A tricky question, as the interviewer is effectively asking you what you have that the other candidates do not have. If you know that you have some technical skills that very few candidates have, this is your opportunity to talk about them. However, if you are not sure that you have any skills that are unique to you and no one else, you could try a different approach - talk about the fact that you possess a combination of skills and determination that, taken together, are unique.

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Would you say that you have good influencing skills?

Of course say: ''yes''. However, it is very easy to talk in abstract terms about how good you are at influencing and persuading others. Treat this like a competency-based question and continue by providing an example as proof of your skill.

How good are you at handling conflict?

Likewise, give an example as if you had been asked a competency-based question.

How do you take personal criticism?

You need to show the interviewer that you can take constructive criticism without taking offence or reacting defensively to it. ''As long as the criticism is fair and constructive, I try to listen to it, thank them for their candid feedback, and modify my future behaviour accordingly.''

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