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Competency-Based Interviews

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38 views2 pages

Competency-Based Interviews

Uploaded by

Ja Phe Ti
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Competency-based interviews

Taking your existing experience as an indicator of future performance, competency-based


interviews allow recruiters to easily compare lots of candidates

What is a competency-based interview?


Also known as structured, behavioural or situational interviews they are designed to test one or
more skills or competencies. The interviewer has a list of set questions, each focusing on a
specific skill, and your answers will be compared against pre-determined criteria and marked
accordingly.
Working on the principle that past behaviour is the best indicator of future performance,
competency interviews can be used by employers across all sectors but are particularly favoured
by large graduate recruiters, who may use them as part of an assessment centre. 
They differ from normal or unstructured interviews, which tend to be more informal. In
unstructured interviews recruiters often ask a set of random, open-ended questions relevant to the
job, such as 'what can you do for the company?' and 'why did you apply for the job?' to get an
overall impression of who you are. A competency-based interview is more systematic and each
question targets a skill needed for the job.
Key competencies regularly sought after by employers include:
 adaptability
 commercial awareness
 communication
 conflict resolution
 decisiveness
 independence
 flexibility
 leadership
 problem solving
 organisation
 resilience
 teamwork.
Competency-based interview questions
Questions asked during a competency-based interview aim to test a variety of skills and you'll
need to answer in the context of actual events. The skills tested will depend largely on the job
you're interviewing for and the sector you'll be working in.
Expect questions opening with 'Tell us about a time when you…', 'Give an example of…' or
'Describe how you…'
Competency questions you may be asked at interview include:
 Describe a situation in which you led a team.
 Give an example of a time you handled conflict in the workplace.
 How do you maintain good working relationships with your colleagues?
 Tell me about a big decision you've made recently. How did you go about it?
 What has been your biggest achievement to date?
 Describe a project where you had to use different leadership styles to reach your goal.
 Tell me about a time when your communication skills improved a situation.
 How do you cope in adversity?
 Give me an example of a challenge you faced in the workplace and tell me how you
overcame it.
 Tell me about a time when you showed integrity and professionalism.
 How do you influence people in a situation with conflicting agendas?
 Give an example of a situation where you solved a problem in a creative way.
 Tell me about a time that you made a decision and then changed your mind.
 Describe a situation where you were asked to do something that you'd never attempted
previously.
 Tell me about a time when you achieved success even when the odds were stacked
against you.
How to answer competency questions
Using the STAR (situation, task, action and result) method to structure your answers is a useful
way to communicate important points clearly and concisely. For every answer you give identify
the:
 Situation/task - describe the task that needed to be completed or the situation you were
confronted with. For example, 'I led a group of colleagues in a team presentation to
potential clients'.
 Action - Explain what you did and how and why you did it. For example, 'We presented
to around 20 big industry players in the hope of winning their business. I delegated
sections of the presentation to each team member and we discussed our ideas in a series
of meetings. After extensive research and practise sessions our group presentation went
off without a hitch'.
 Result - Describe the outcome of your actions. For example, 'As a result of this hard
work and team effort we won the business of 15 clients'.
Where possible, try to relate your answers to the role that you're interviewing for. While your
responses to the interview questions are pre-prepared try to avoid sounding like you're reading
from a script.
Don't attempt to wing it by thinking on your feet, as the quality of your answers will suffer. Also,
avoid embellishing the truth at all costs - any lies or invented examples can be easily checked.
Preparing for a competency-based interview
The key to providing successful answers to competency questions is preparation, and the good
news is that this is relatively easy to do. Firstly, it's essential that you read and understand the job
advert. Next, from the job description or person specification pick out the main competencies
that the employer is looking for and think of examples of when and how you've demonstrated
each of these. Try to draw on a variety of experiences from your studies, previous employment
or any work experience you've undertaken.
Familiarise yourself with the STAR approach to answering questions and practise your responses with a
friend or family member. You could also make an appointment with your university careers service to
practise your technique at a mock competency interview.

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