Competency-based interview questions allow interviewers to assess whether a candidate has the competencies required for a role. Competencies are the skills, behaviours and experiences that will enable you to perform successfully in a job. This style of interview is common across a lot of industries, so it is important to understand what a competency-based interview is, what sort of questions you could be asked, and how to prepare for them.
What is a competency-based interview?
In a competency-based interview, hiring managers will have a list of competencies that they are looking for. Each question will relate to these competencies, giving you the opportunity to demonstrate how you meet them. Your answers will be assessed against the competencies, to determine whether you are the right person for the job.
What skills are assessed?
The common skills that competency-based interview questions assess include teamwork, collaboration, communication, balancing your workload and handling competing priorities, overcoming challenges and problem solving. However, this is not a complete list and the experience that an interviewer is looking for will depend on the role.
Competency-based interview questions examples
The questions you’ll be asked during an interview will differ depending on the role. We have listed common competency-based interview questions below, as it is likely you will be asked a variation of some of these during your interview.
- Give an example of when you worked in a team
- Describe a time where you worked well under pressure
- Tell us about a challenge you have experienced in the workplace and how you overcame it
- What has been your biggest achievement?
- Tell us about a situation where you have handled conflict
- How do you stay up to date with the industry?
- Give an example of when you had to explain something complex to a coworker, client or customer. How did you do this?
- Describe a situation where you made a mistake and how you dealt with this.
- How do you maintain a positive working relationship with your colleagues?
- Give an example of how you solved a problem in a creative or innovative way
Preparing for competency-based interview questions
Competency-based interviews are designed to examine your previous work experience and the practical skills you have. When it comes to preparing for an interview like this, it is important to read the job advert carefully to gain a good understanding of the duties expected of the role.
Knowing what will be required of you in the job should give you a good idea of what questions they will ask you in the interview. For example, if the job description mentions that you will be working alongside others, then the chances are you will be asked to give examples of how you have worked well in a team or collaborated with colleagues to achieve a goal.
If the job advert talks about a fast-paced environment or managing a high volume of work, then prepare for questions about how you organise your time, handle conflicting deadlines or competing priorities.
In the run up to the interview, generate a list of examples from previous jobs, your studies and any other extra-curricular or volunteering experience that showcase how your experience matches what the company is looking for. It is best to have a variety of examples, rather than using the same one for several questions. It’s also a good idea to keep going over the examples you’d like to mention, so that you can easily bring them to mind and discuss them in the interview.
Structuring your interview answers
When it comes to answering competency-based questions, the STAR method is a good way of structuring your responses. The STAR method stands for:
Situation (or task)
Explain the situation you were in to give context to your answer. Keep this brief, only including the key details, for example: ‘I had to train my team on how to use a new till system’ or ‘I was given the responsibility of finding sponsors to generate extra money for my university sports team/society’.
Action
Give a clear overview of what you did to complete the task. For example: ‘I set aside 20 minutes with each colleague at a time that was convenient for them, to show them the new system using a spare till. I explained the new features and gave them time to practice using it, so they could ask me any questions and make sure they were happy with it. I supervised the first few times they served a customer using the new system and ensured I was available throughout the day in case of any issues.’
Make sure you cover everything you did to complete the task. Don’t leave a detail out because you think it is implied or common sense. A hiring manager can’t say you have experience of something unless you mention it, so be thorough when describing your actions.
Result
Describe the outcome of your action. For example: ‘After a couple of days of using the new system, everyone was confident in using it. The new tills were more efficient, meaning we could serve customers more quickly and reduce queueing times, improving our customer service overall.’
It may be that the result was not 100% positive. If this is the case, mention this and use it as an opportunity to show what you learned from the experience. Discuss what you would do differently in the future to avoid a similar outcome.
When talking about the result, make sure your description is clear and succinct. You need to go into enough detail to demonstrate how your actions impacted your team or company, showing that you understand the wider context of your responsibilities/role.
Top tip: Don’t embellish or exaggerate the responsibilities you’ve held in previous roles. Hiring managers will ask for references, so anything you say in an interview can be easily checked.
Why not practice putting your examples into the STAR format? You could generate some mock interview questions and ask a friend or family member to ask them, so you can familiarise yourself with the STAR method and practice your interview technique.
Looking for more advice on interviews? Take a look at our interview tips on the Unitemps Career Advice webpages.
Last updated on 10 July 2024
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