COMPETENCY-BASED INTERVIEWS

Competency-based interviews (also called structured interviews) are interviews where each
question is designed to test one or more specific skills. The answer is then matched against
pre-decided criteria and marked accordingly. For example, the interviewers may want to test
the candidate's ability to deal with stress by asking first how the candidate generally handles
stress and then asking the candidate to provide an example of a situation where he worked
under pressure.

How do competency-based interviews differ from normal interviews?

Normal interviews (also called unstructured interviews) are essentially a

conversation where the interviewers ask a few questions that are relevant to what
they are looking for but without any specific aim in mind other than getting an overall
impression of you as an individual. Questions are fairly random and can sometimes
be quite open. For example, a question such as "What can you offer our company?"
is meant to gather general information about you but does not test any specific skill or
competency. In an unstructured interview, the candidate is judged on the general
impression that he/she leaves; the process is therefore likely to be more subjective.

Competency-based interviews (also called structured or behavioural

interviews) are more systematic, with each question targeting a specific skill or
competency. Candidates are asked questions relating to their behaviour in specific
circumstances, which they then need to back up with concrete examples. The
interviewers will then dig further into the examples by asking for specific explanations
about the candidate's behaviour or skills.

Which skills and competencies do competency-based interviews test?

The list of skills and competencies that can be tested varies depending on the post that you
are applying for. For example, for a Personal Assistant post, skills and competencies would
include communication skills; ability to organise and prioritise; and ability to work under
pressure. For a senior manager, skills and competencies may include an ability to influence
and negotiate; an ability to cope with stress and pressure; an ability to lead; and the capacity
to take calculated risks.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of the more common skills and competencies that you may be
asked to demonstrate:

Adaptability Management Delegation Leveraging diversity

Compliance External awareness Organisational
Communication Flexibility Resilience
Conflict Independence Risk taking
Creativity Influencing Sensitivity to others
Decisiveness Integrity Leadership Team work

What kind of competency-based interview questions can you be asked?

Although most questions tend to ask for examples of situations where you have demonstrated
specific skills, they can appear in different formats. Examples include:
 How do you ensure that you maintain good working relationships with your senior
colleagues?
 Give us an example of a situation where you had to deal with a conflict with an
internal or external client.
 How do you influence people in situations where there are conflicting agendas?
 Tell us about a situation where you made a decision and then changed your mind.

In many cases, the interviewers will start with general questions, which they will then follow up
with more specific example-based questions. So, for example:
 How do you manage upwards?
 Give us an example of a situation where you had a fundamental disagreement with
one of your superiors.

The key in answering all questions is that you are required to "demonstrate" that you have the
right skills by using examples based on your prior experience, and not just talk about the topic
in a theoretical and impersonal manner.
Preparing for a competency-based interview

Preparation is key. If you want to be able to answer all questions thrown at you without
having to think too much on the spot on the day of the interview; it requires several steps:
1. Make sure that you understand which skills and competencies will be tested. It
sounds obvious, but some person specifications can be a little vague and you will
need to do some thinking in order to ensure that the examples that you will be using
hit the spot. For example, your person specification may say that you need to have
"good communication skills in dealing with third parties". For someone who works in
customer service and is expected to handle complaints all day long, this will most
likely involve a mix of empathy/understanding as well as an ability to be assertive in a
nice way whenever required; however for someone applying for a commercial law
post, this will most likely involve an ability to explain complex matters in a simple way,
and not so much empathy. Understanding the requirements for the post, whether they
are stated explicitly or not in the person specification is therefore crucial.
2. Identify examples from your past experience which you can use to demonstrate that
you possess the skills and competencies that you are being asked to demonstrate.
You do not have to find hyper-complicated examples; in particular the outcome of the
story does not have to be extraordinary; what matters most is that the role you played
in reaching the outcome was substantial.
3. Learn to narrate the story using the STAR method. This means setting the scene,
explaining how you handled the situation by placing the emphasis on your role, and
detailing the outcome/result.

COMPETENCY-BASED INTERVIEWS -THE "STAR" APPROACH

The acronym STAR stands for

 Situation
 Task
 Action
 Result.

It is a universally recognised communication technique designed to enable you to provide a

meaningful and complete answer to questions asking for examples. At the same time, it has
the advantage of being simple enough to be applied easily.
Many interviewers will have been trained in using the STAR structure. Even if they have not,
they will recognise its value when they see it. The information will be given to them in a
structured manner and, as a result, they will become more receptive to the messages you are
trying to communicate.

Step 1 – Situation or Task

Describe the situation that you were confronted with or the task that needed to be
accomplished. With the STAR approach you need to set the context. Make it concise and
informative, concentrating solely on what is useful to the story. For example, if the question is
asking you to describe a situation where you had to deal with a difficult person, explain how
you came to meet that person and why they were being difficult. If the question is asking for
an example of teamwork, explain the task that you had to undertake as a team.

Step 2 – Action
This is the most important section of the STAR approach as it is where you will need to
demonstrate and highlight the skills and personal attributes that the question is testing. Now
that you have set the context of your story, you need to explain what you did. In doing so, you
will need to remember the following:
 Be personal, i.e. talk about you, not the rest of the team.
 Go into some detail. Do not assume that they will guess what you mean.
 Steer clear of technical information, unless it is crucial to your story.
 Explain what you did, how you did it, and why you did it.

What you did and how you did it

The interviewers will want to know how you reacted to the situation. This is where you can
start selling some important skills. For example, you may want to describe how you used the
team to achieve a particular objective and how you used your communication skills to keep
everyone updated on progress etc.
Why you did it
For example; when discussing a situation where you had to deal with conflict, many
candidates would simply say: “I told my colleague to calm down and explained to him what
the problem was”. However, it would not provide a good idea of what drove you to act in this
manner. How did you ask him to calm down? How did you explain the nature of the problem?
By highlighting the reasons behind your action, you would make a greater impact. For
example:
“I could sense that my colleague was irritated and I asked him gently to tell me what he felt
the problem was. By allowing him to vent his feelings and his anger, I gave him the
opportunity to calm down. I then explained to him my own point of view on the matter,
emphasising how important it was that we found a solution that suited us both."
This revised answer helps the interviewers understand what drove your actions and
reinforces the feeling that you are calculating the consequences of your actions, thus
retaining full control of the situation. It provides much more information about you as an
individual and is another reason why the STAR approach is so useful.

Step 3 – Result
Explain what happened eventually – how it all ended. Also, use the opportunity to describe
what you accomplished and what you learnt in that situation. This helps you make the answer
personal and enables you to highlight further skills.
This is probably the most crucial part of your answer. Interviewers want to know that you are
using a variety of generic skills in order to achieve your objectives. Therefore you must be
able to demonstrate in your answer that you are taking specific actions because you are
trying to achieve a specific objective and not simply by chance.