Competency-based Interview Questions

Introduction• Resilience and tenacity
Competency-based interviews (also called structured• Risk taking
interviews) are interviews where each question is• Sensitivity to others
designed to test one or more specific skills. The• Team work
answer is then matched against pre-decided criteriaHow competency-based interview questions are
and marked accordingly. For example, the interviewersmarked
may want to test the candidate's ability to deal withBefore the interview, the interviewers will have
stress by asking first how the candidate generallydetermined which type of answers would score
handles stress and then asking the candidate topositive points and which types of answers would
provide an example of a situation where he workedcount against the candidates. For example, for
under pressure.questions such as "Describe a time when you had to
How do competency-based interviews differ fromdeal with pressure", the positive and negative indicators
normal interviews?may be as follows:
Normal interviews (also called unstructured interviews)Positive indicators
are essentially a conversation where the interviewers• Demonstrates a positive approach towards
ask a few questions that are relevant to what theythe problem.
are looking for but without any specific aim in mind• Considers the wider need of the situation
other than getting an overall impression of you as ansituation
individual. Questions are fairly random and can• Recognises his own limitations
sometimes be quite open. For example, a question• Is able to compromise
such as "What can you offer our company?" is meant• Is willing to seek help when necessary
to gather general information about you but does not• Uses effective strategies to deal with
test any specific skill or competency. In an unstructuredpressure/stress
interview, the candidate is judged on the generalNegative indicators
impression that he/she leaves and are therefore likely• Perceives challenges as problems
to be more subjective.• Attempts unsuccessfully to deal with the
Competency-based interviews (also called structuredsituation alone
or behavioural interviews) are more systematic, with• Used inappropriate strategies to deal with
each question targetting a specific skill or competency.pressure/stress
Candidates are asked questions relating to theirIn some cases, negative indicators are divided into two
behaviour in specific circumstances, which they thenfurther sections: minor negative indicators, i.e. those
need to back up with concrete examples. Thewhich are negative but which don't matter so much;
interviewers will then dig further into the examples byand decisive negative indicators i.e. those for which
asking for specific explanations about the candidate'sthey won't forgive you e.g. not asking for help when
behaviour or skills.needed.
Which skills and competencies do competency-basedMarks are then allocated depending on the extent to
interviews test?which the candidate's answer matches those negative
The list of skills and competencies that can be testedand positive indicators. Here is an example of a
varies depending on the post that you are applying for.marking schedule for the table above:
For example, for a Personal Assistant post, skills and0 No evidence No evidence reported
competencies would include communication skills; ability1 Poor Little evidence of positive indicators.
to organise and prioritise; and ability to work underMostly negative indicators, many decisive
pressure. For a senior manager, skills and2 Areas for concern Limited number of positive
competencies may include an ability to influence andindicators.
negotiate; an ability to cope with stress and pressure;Many negative indicators, one or more decisive.
an ability to lead; and the capacity to take calculated3 Satisfactory Satisfactory display of positive
risks.indicators.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of the more commonSome negative indicators but none decisive.
skills and competencies that you may be asked to4 Good to excellent
demonstrate:Strong display of positive indicators
Skills and competencies for competency-basedIf the interviewers feel that there are areas that you
interviewshave failed to address, they may help you along by
• Adaptabilityprobing appropriately. For example, in answering the
• Compliancequestion above "Describe an example of a time when
• Communicationyou had to deal with pressure", if you focussed on
• Conflict managementhow you dealt with the practical angle of the problem
• Creativity and Innovationbut you forgot to discuss how you managed your
• Decisivenessstress during and after the event, the interviewers
• Delegationmay prompt you with a further question such as "How
• External awarenessdid you handle the stress at the time?". This would give
• Flexibilityyou an opportunity to present a full picture of your
• Independencebehaviour.
• InfluencingThis is where the marking can become subjective.
• IntegrityIndeed, if an interviewer likes you, he may be more
• Leadershiptempted to prompt you and push you along than if he
• Leveraging diversityhas bad vibes about you.
• Organisational awareness