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Consulting and Advising

Advancing initiatives and mandates through consultation with client groups, relationship building, while ensuring alignment to corporate strategies.
Level 1. Demonstrates introductory understanding, directing people to the appropriate source for further information.

BEHAVIORS

  • Explains their own role and role of stakeholders.
  • Defines the organization’s priorities as they relate to their own area of work.
  • Identifies the impact of one’s own work (e.g., decisions, issues) on important others.
  • Listens to client needs and challenges.
  • Offers constructive feedback to current practices and processes.
  • Suggests improvements to current approaches.

QUESTIONS

  • Describe a situation where you sought input from stakeholders to resolve an issue.

Probing Questions

* What was the issue?

* How did you explain your role and what was expected of them?

* How did you assure them that you had their best interests at heart?

* What resolution action were you hoping to get their input and approval for?

* Did they take your advice and move forward with the resolution?

  • Describe a time you did not pay sufficient attention to the client's perspective on an issue.

Probing Questions

* What was the issue?

* What specific client information or opinion did you fail to give sufficient importance to?

* How did you come to realize that you had missed this particular aspect and the impact it should have had?

* How did you address the consequences of your actions?

* What was the result of those efforts?

Level 2. Applies the competency in common situations that present limited difficulties, working with a moderate level of guidance.

BEHAVIORS

  • Builds positive working relationships with clients.
  • Identifies the reciprocal impact of own work and organizational strategy.
  • Takes advantage of working knowledge of client group, structure, goals, and challenges.
  • Identifies ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests.
  • Adapts to client needs in recommending communication approaches.
  • Recommends approaches to address critical issues in the immediate and medium-term.
  • Identifies implications of own analysis (e.g., the potential impact on certain stakeholders).

QUESTIONS

  • Discuss a time you felt you went above and beyond the requirements in order to provide a better product to the client?

Probing Questions

* At what point could you have stopped and still satisfied the client?

* What made you take that extra step?

* Did the client recognize what you had done? Why?

* How did this change the client’s performance expectations?

* Were you professionally satisfied with what you did?

  • Tell us about a time when you provided that not only addressed the instant issue but also flagged potential future issues.

Probing Questions

* What issue was the primary piece of advice dealing with?

* What further information did you uncover that helped the client avoid future problems?

* How did you communicate this to the client? What was your approach?

* What action did the client take to eliminate the potential issue as a result of your advice?

* What impact did this have on your relationship with this client?

Level 3. Applies the competency in the full range of typical situations, requiring guidance in only the most complex or new situations.

BEHAVIORS

  • Identifies opportunities to create partnerships.
  • Builds a planned network of contacts to address a specific need.
  • Develops recommendations on various issues based on organizational context and priorities.
  • Influences alignment of business with corporate objectives.
  • Advises client groups, strategically influencing business outcomes.
  • Challenges assumptions in pushing clients to consider difficult issues that are in their best interests.
  • Evaluates emerging opportunities and risks to identify and articulate defensible options and recommendations.
  • Foresees longer-term implications of recommendations, positions, options, and approaches that are not readily apparent.

QUESTIONS

  • Give us an account of a time you pushed a client to deal with an issue that they would have preferred to avoid.

Probing Questions

* What was the issue? Why didn't they want to tackle it?

* What did you advise them to do?

* What did you do to convince them to deal with the issue?

* Why was this necessary?

* In hindsight was this the best way to go?

  • Describe a time when your appreciation for how the organization functions paid off for a client.

Probing Questions

* What was the situation?

* What organizational information helped you advise the client?

* How did you develop your recommendations?

* Did the client recognize how your insight influenced the proposed action?

* How did this impact the relationship between you and your client?

Level 4. Applies the competency in new or complex situations and advises others.

BEHAVIORS

  • Fosters opportunities to initiate new connections (including partnerships) that will facilitate the achievement of strategic goals.
  • Acts as a critical business partner at all stages of project development and execution.
  • Develops strategies for dealing with multi-dimensional issues (e.g., multi-lateral, national, and global).
  • Communicates a broad and rich understanding of the dynamic relationships, viewpoints, and agendas, both acknowledged and implicit, of key players and stakeholders.
  • Balances competing for priorities in making recommendations.
  • Identifies strategic opportunities for success as well as potential risks in conducting ongoing risk analysis.

QUESTIONS

  • Describe a situation where you dealt with a significant issue with many complex dimensions.

Probing Questions

* What was the issue? What made it so complex?

* What elements did you identify as important to consider in this situation?

* How did you ensure discussions with the client covered all of the different and inter-related aspects of the issue?

* What critical advice did you provide?

* How was that advice received? Was it acted upon?

  • Tell me about a time you needed to be especially conscious of the risk related elements of a client's issue and the potential for significant future risk.

Probing Questions

* What were the issue and their immediate risk assessment factors?

* How did you recognize the broader risk potential?

* How did you ensure discussions were strategic without losing sight of immediate problems?

* How did you change the approach to resolving the issue?

* What was the outcome?

Level 5. Develops new approaches and methods in the area. Is recognized as an expert within the organization.

BEHAVIORS

  • Builds partnerships with external vendors to leverage best practices.
  • Provides formal mentoring in building and maintaining strategic client relationships.
  • Identifies opportunities to advance strategic corporate initiatives.
  • Builds intellectual frameworks to provide a shared vision for highly disparate perspectives.
  • Provides guidance in analyzing and developing proposals and positions.
  • Looks beyond the horizon to identify new issues and address emerging trends (e.g., capitalizes on trends or takes action before issues escalate).

QUESTIONS

  • Discuss a time when you looked at what was evolving in a client's industry and provide strategic advice.

Probing Questions

* What trends did you see that could influence the organization's future success?

* What action did you take to convince the client to expand the view of the future?

* How did this influence the nature and type of advice that you provided?

* How did your vision compare to the client's vision? What happened over time?

* Did your advice prove fruitful?

  • Tell us about a time you had the opportunity to move the organization's strategic agenda forward.