{"id":139,"date":"2022-03-15T17:38:16","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T17:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thejobstudio.co.uk\/?p=139"},"modified":"2023-09-09T09:28:34","modified_gmt":"2023-09-09T08:28:34","slug":"how-to-answer-competency-interview-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thejobstudio.co.uk\/interview-advice\/how-to-answer-competency-interview-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"How to answer competency-based interview questions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Although there has been a recent shift towards the use of strengths-based interviews, competency-based interviews remain incredibly popular with employers. You never know what questions will come up, so in this post I'll share my top tips for how to answer competency based questions in an interview. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are competency-based interviews?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A competency based interview (sometimes referred to as a behavioural based interview) requires a candidate to give examples of past situations and experiences in order to evidence pre-determined competencies an employer is looking for. These competencies tend to focus on skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Competency interviews are based on the assumption that past behaviour is the best predicator of future behaviour. Typical competency-based questions commonly start with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Tell me about a time when\u2026\u2019<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Describe a situation in which\nyou\u2026\u2019<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Give an example of\u2026\u2019<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may have come across questions like these in written application forms, and the good news is that your approach for how to answer competency based questions is broadly the same verbally at interview as it should be when applying in writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to know how to nail a competency based interview? The key is to anticipate what questions might be asked. This is a lot easier than it sounds, especially when you know what to look for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you know which competencies are important?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Competency based interview questions are based around the skills, experience, knowledge and other attributes the employer has said they are looking for. These can often be found under a \u2018Person Specification\u2019 or \u2018Essential Selection Criteria\u2019 heading in the job description, but they may also be found in the job advert. If you can\u2019t find the competencies look for phrases such as \u2018We are looking for someone with\u2026\u2019 or \u2018Our ideal candidate will have\u2026.\u2019; the list that follows this heading or phrase is what you need to focus on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can\u2019t find anything like this or are interviewing outside of a typical recruitment process use job profiles<\/a>. Find the job profile that closely matches the one you\u2019re interviewing for and find a list of typical skills required.<\/p>\n\n\n

Prepare for interview success<\/h3>
Nail your next interview with the Job Interview Bundle. It includes a 9-page interview answer workbook, list of 50 common interview questions, STAR technique guide and much more!\n<\/div>Buy now<\/a><\/div>\"\"<\/div>\n\n\n

What are the most important competencies to evidence?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Although the questions asked in a competency based interview will depend on the role you\u2019ve applied for, according to research by NACE<\/a> the top 10 competencies employers look for are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Leadership
2. Ability to work in a team
3. Communication skills (written)
4. Strong work ethic
5. Initiative
6. Analytical\/qualitative skills
7. Flexibility\/adaptability
8. Technical skills
9. Interpersonal skills
10. Computer skills<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to answer competency-based interview questions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are a few different frameworks you can use when deciding how to answer competency based questions. One of the most popular ways to structure your answers is to use STAR: <\/p>\n\n\n

Situation<\/h4><\/div>
Where were you? What was your role?<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

Task<\/h4><\/div>
What needed to be done? What was the project\u2019s goal? What were you aiming for? What was your objective?<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

Action<\/h4><\/div>
What did YOU do? How did YOU do it? What were YOUR actions? <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

Result<\/h4><\/div>
What was the outcome? How did you know you had been successful? What did you learn from the experience?<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you find the STAR framework difficult to remember you can use<\/em> <\/em>CAR<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>instead (Context, Action,\nResult). Just combine the \u2018Situation\u2019 and \u2018Task\u2019 in STAR into \u2018Context\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top tips for answering competency based interview questions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n