Competency-based interviews: What you need to know

Interviews can be nerve-wracking at the best of times…

But what happens when you arrive at the interview, feeling fully prepared, and the hiring manager decides to move the goalposts? You might be familiar with certain interview types, for example telephone interviews or group interviews, but have you ever heard of competency-based interviews?

Here’s a quick guide on what you need to know to ace the next competency-based interview that comes up:

What is a competency-based interview?

A competency-based interview is meant to test exactly that: your competence. So, where some interviewers may be more interested in your experience or previous qualifications, what a competency-based interviewer really wants to know is whether you have the right skills to take the position on.

Why would an employer use a competency-based interview?

Often they are used when previous experience in an industry is not seen as essential, for example an entry-level or graduate position.

They may also be used to practically test how candidates would react in given situations. So rather than concerning themselves with past achievements, they place emphasis on predicting how an individual would behave in a certain scenario.

The tasks could range from oral and written communication to planning, organisation and problem-solving.

What are key competencies?

Skills that employers look for when recruiting. Some key competencies include:

• Teamwork
• Responsibility
• Communication skills
• Decision making
• Leadership
• Problem-solving
• Organisation
• Goal orientation

Competency based questions and answers

Although the type of question you are asked will depend entirely upon the role and industry you’re applying for, there are some common themes which run through competency-based interview questions.

Some examples include:

Tell me a time when…

Can you think of an example of how/when…

Describe a way in which you…

Essentially, what the interviewer is looking for are practical examples of some key competencies, i.e. ‘describe a way in which you demonstrated excellent leadership’.

Your examples can be from a previous job, they could draw from your education or even relate to an extra-curricular pastime, such as sports teams or groups you may be a part of.

Five key competency questions: revealed

How to answer competency-based interview questions

Firstly, pick out some of the key competencies stated in the job description and think of some examples for each one.

If they’re looking for someone with excellent teamwork and leadership skills, think of a scenario in which you’ve demonstrated this. As well as workplace situations, consider, for example, a group presentation you’ve undertaken at school, a university society you were a member of, or even being captain of your five-a-side football team.