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Competency Based Interview - Everything you need to know about Competency Based Interviews
By Annette Lewis
Background to Competency Based Interviews
A Competency Based Interview is a technique used by recruiters and employers to determine how well matched a job applicant is to a particular position. The core concept involves each applicant being asked the same questions in order to determine how skilled they are.
You may also see Competency Based Interviews referred to as a Situational, Behavioural or Structured Interviews.
About Competencies
To understand Competency Based Interviews, it is essential to know what a competency is.
In simple terms a competency refers to the particular skill or ability required to complete a task effectively.
For example, Communication is a core competency and is a skill required in many positions and at all levels. Whether drafting reports, giving presentations or imparting information in a meeting communication is vital to the successfully completion of tasks and responsibilities.
The most common competencies include:
- Communication
- Decision Making
- Initiative
- Leadership
- Negotiation Skills
- Persuasiveness
- Problem Solving
- Planning and Organisation
- Relationship Building
- Teamwork
- Time Management
Structure of a Competency Based Interview
The length of a competency Based Interview can vary depending on the level of the position being recruited. Some can last 20 minutes while others can last up to 1 hour. It is unusual for any interview to last longer than this as both the candidate and interviewer can become tired with the effect that the interview is less effective.
All candidates will be asked the same set of questions in the same order with the answers being compared to a pre-set answer or list of keywords. Each answer will be scored accordingly and those candidates with the highest scores are most likely to succeed and win the job offer.
About Competency Based Interview Questions
Competency Based Interview questions will most often be Behavioural. These questions are phrased in a specific way which require the interviewee to talk about their behaviour during a situation or when completing a task.
These questions seek to discover how effective the job-seeker was in a past situation and from this it is likely that they will act similarly in the future. For example here is a simple Competency Based Question relating to Communication:
Q: Please tell me about a time when you communicated effectively.
As you can see the interviewer is looking for an example of a situation in which the candidate used their communication skills effectively. It is not necessarily asking for a work based situation and they key is the word ‘effectively’.
An interviewer may probe further into an answer by asking what the candidate was thinking or why they acted the way they did.
Sample Competency Based Interview Questions
Here are some sample Competency Based Interview questions. As you see the format is similar in many ways with most questions starting with:
Tell me about a time..
Talk me through a situation…
Describe a situation…
Q:Tell me about a time when you successfully conveyed your ideas to an individual or group so that they were able to understand and retain the message. (Communication)
Q:Talk me through a situation where you used your communication skills effectively resulting in a success for you and your employer. (Communication)
Q:Describe a situation where you used your communication skills to achieve a successful outcome against significant odds. (Communication)
Q: Give me an example of a time when you led a group of people to deliver a particularly difficult task. (Leadership)
Q: Tell us about a time when you showed leadership. What did you learn from the experience? (Leadership)
Q: Can you give me an example of a time when you have had to convince a person to do something that they were initially reluctant to do? (Persuading)
Q: Tell me about a time you had to persuade your team to implement an unpopular policy or procedure. (Persuading)
Q: Tell me about a time when you had to consider conflicting workloads, when planning a task or project. (Planning and Organising)
Q: Talk through a situation where you had to develop a solution to a complex problem which could not be resolved by using existing methods. (Problem Solving)
Be Prepared For Competency Based Interviews
Even if your invite does not specifically state that your interview will be Competency Based it is wise to prepare in advance. It is thought that indicate that almost 40% of organisations are using Competency Based Interviewing as part of their recruitment process.
It may be that an employer will combine traditional interview questions with Competency Based questions so as to get a complete picture of the candidate’s ability.
The key is to think about examples of situations which demonstrate your key skills and be ready to talk through these in a clear logical manner. There are a number of formulas to use which will help structure your answer whether the STAR approach or the iPAR technique.
Answers to Competency Based Interview Questions
The key to success in Competency Based Interviews is to prepare properly and with InterviewGOLD™ your interview preparation is done for you.
- Easy to use online interview system
- 500 Competency Based Questions
- Detailed Answer Guides to every question
- Excel in Competency Based and Behavioural Interviews
- Communicate easily and naturally
- Beat the competition and get the job
About the Author
Annette Lewis is an accredited interviewer and has recruited for many organisations within Healthcare, Education, Customer Services and Banking.
