Competency based questions

Competency based interviews are becoming increasingly popular as a way to predict a candidate’s future performance. Essentially a series of behavioural questions, the interviewer will ask you to demonstrate a skill using real life examples.

Answering competency based questions

We recommend the STAR technique, describing:
  • the Situation
  • the Task required as a result
  • the Action you took
  • the Result of that action
Be positive in your response but resist the temptation to embellish your achievements. If you can’t think of a good example straight away, ask the interviewer for a moment or two.
Here are some typical competency based questions:
  • How do you establish your priorities for the day?
  • Tell me about a time when you had to change a colleague's mind.
  • When did you last solve a problem with decisive action?
  • Can you give an example of when you had to multi-task to meet a deadline?
Remember to be yourself when answering competency questions; use real life examples and relate them to your experience, how you reacted or how it made you feel.