Senior Staff Officer

yelrhos2014

I have an upcoming interview for the role of SSO wuth the county council and I am hoping I can get some advice on the actuals of the role other than those highlighted in the job spec.

This is my second time interviewing for this role and I found the first interview difficult. Although I had met with an interview coach 3 times before the interview I left the interview feeling totally under prepared even though I had spent weeks reviewing the council's strategies, delivery plans and specifics of the role etc.

As with the standard process of thr council's I do not know what section the role relates to but I think if i had some further or inside knowledge of what the SSO does on a daily basis other than what is referenced on the spec it might strenghten my chances.

If anyone can advise in anyway I would be hugely appreciative.

Thanks.

Zipppy

hi
Have you been given details of specific competencies that you will be interviewed on? usually either in role advertisement or with offer of interview. Usual ones are Planning and Organisation. interpersonal understanding and communications. For senior staff officer role Leadership may be included as an SSO is a middle management / supervisor role.
The interview will be a competency based interview whereby the premise is that evidence of past work related behaviour is an indicator of future performance. ie you need to give examples from your past employment showing how you possess the requisite competencies and how you put these skills to good effect. Look up STAR interview process online.
You will only be asked specific questions on what you wrote on your application form (e.g. I see you worked at ? role..can you detail the process involved there? ) You should compile an example or 2 from past experience for each competency. Then when asked 'can you tell me how you organise your day' or 'Have you experience of leading a team' you should have a prepared example ready to rattle off.
As for county council you should know role of councillors (reserved functions) and role of executive (manager and staff) plus have knowledge of how local government is funded and recent local happenings at local govt level.
Maybe get familiar with what services are provided too and issues facing local authorities ( housing being the biggest but also funding, traffic, etc)
All this can be found online.
Don't forget your examples and know them inside out..best if examples have a positive outcome.(where what you did was effective in solving some issue)
And don't forget the old 'Dealing with a problem stsff member question' .. as a manager you should have an example that demonstrates you have skills to combat a disruptive staff or team member..
When's your interview?

Mr. WhiteT

Hi,

Wondering if anyone has any more info on this topic which they could share, perhaps examples of interview questions outside the competencies based Qs.

Thanks in advance!

Casarina1

Depending on the council and who is on the interview board plays a crucial role in my experience. Competency based interviews are becoming more popular but unfortunately some local authorities use long retired staff who are not au fait with competency based interviews and want to know what you know about the council.. So as well being prepared with your examples based on STAR you will also need to know what the budget of the council is, what the role of the councillors are, changes in local government and challenges affecting LAs. You may also be asked about the corporate plan, LECPs, SPCs, and so on.
Make sure to ask who is on the panel and whether it is competency based.
Best of luck with your interview.