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What is a competency based interview?

Many employers now use this form of interview to check whether you have the “competencies” they are looking for (e.g. teamwork, communication, problem solving, leadership, planning and organising etc.) and to ensure a more objective assessment of candidates.  They will have decided on the selection criteria for each job in advance, i.e. what skills, knowledge and experience is needed, and will then ask each applicant similar questions to gather evidence to determine whether or not they have the skills to do the job effectively.  Applicants are marked on a set scale, according to how well they have demonstrated that they have the competencies required.

It is unlikely that you will have done the job itself, but you may have demonstrated some, or all of the skills sought, in your university life, your social activities, your previous employment / work experience / voluntary work. The rationale for asking competency based questions is that this past performance and behaviour are the best predictors of future success in your chosen job.

What is competency?

In simple terms, a competence is about the way we do things or ‘behaviours’ we use.  If you are successful at ‘team working’ for example, you will do things in a certain way or demonstrate appropriate behaviour that will contribute to the effectiveness of the team working situation.  Competencies describe these behaviours and are the result of a mixture of skills, abilities and knowledge.  A competence brings all these things together.

The top 12 competencies as identified by employers (source: AGR – Association of Graduate Recruiters, Sept 2007) are:
Commitment and Drive Motivation and Enthusiasm Teamwork Oral Communication Flexibility and Adaptability Customer Focus	Problem Solving Managing your own learning and career Commercial Awareness Planning and Organisation Time Management Leadership

Principle (Why use competency based interviews)?

The past is an indication of the future (i.e. based on the principle that past behaviour predicts future behaviour).

• Skills are transferable.
• Gives an indication of ability/capability.

Choose the right example for each situation/question asked

It is recommended that you give recent examples (last 3 years if possible).  For each question, choose an example which best illustrates your competence in the area.  Examples can be taken from:

• Employment / Work Experience / Voluntary Work.
• Education (Academic Studies).
• Extra Curricular Activities (e.g. membership of societies/leisure interest)
• Personal / family circumstances.

Though examples can be given from any aspects of your life, do remember that the more relevant the better (e.g. employment situation may be more suitable than say, studies or personal situation).  Use examples that relate most appropriately to the role!

Try to give other examples rather than “Doing a group project at university” for a team-working situation.  Recruiters commented that 99% of candidates give this example – you will break the monotony of the interviewer(s) hearing similar answers.

Try not to use the same examples to demonstrate more than one competence – a range of examples is much more interesting to listen to!

Structure – How to answer competency based questions

The competency based interview is demanding and requires careful preparation.  For example, if the job requires you to “work closely with others to achieve an objective” (i.e. team work), one question might be:

“Tell me about an occasion when you have worked in a group.  What was the group’s objective and how did you contribute to this?”

You should prepare for questions by taking some time before the interview to think about the times when you have worked with others in a group either at work, at university or in other situations.There are some useful techniques to help you structure your answer to competency based questions as shown below (the technique regularly referred to by most employers is the STAR technique):

     The STAR Technique: – S = Situation   T = Task   A = Action   R = Result
     The SBO Technique:– S = Situation   B = Behaviour   O = Outcome
     The CAR Technique – C = Context   A = Action   R = Result

So for the question on team work above, your answer might be something like:

     “Last summer, as a Volunteer for a local charity, I worked with a group of six people, over a period of eight weeks to plan a fundraising event.  (Situation or Context) 

     As well as attending and contributing to weekly meetings my role was to contact local companies to ask them to donate prizes for a prize draw.  I also helped one of the other group members who was responsible for publicity distribute posters to local community centres as I have a car.  (Task and Action or Behaviour) 

     The charity event was a huge success.  As a team, we raised over £2,000 for the local hospital and although we were all very tired at the end of the day, we felt a huge sense of achievement”.  (Result or Outcome)

In this style of interview, questions are more detailed and probing than in the traditional approach and you will need evidence, ranging from the general through to very specific.  It is likely that the interviewer will challenge you on your opinions to test how well formulated they are.

Make sure you prepare several examples from different activities to illustrate each competence.  Don’t just rely on the examples you have provided in your application form as sometimes, employers may ask you to provide a different example.

Being familiar with a range of, and definition of, competencies will enable you to give better answers during the interview. 

The following are examples of behavioural indicators which the interviewer(s) will seek to confirm the candidate’s level of competency in “team working” and “communication”.

Team Working
Team working is about being able to work as part of a team and build relationships with other team members.  It is about enjoying the team aspects and being able to contribute effectively to team goals
Positive Behaviours	Negative Behaviours
Recognises strengths and weaknesses in others and self Is an enthusiastic contributor to the team cause Takes responsibility for a designated part of the project Enjoys working with others Dedicates time to understand the importance of good inter-team relationships Offers help to colleagues and recognises when this is needed Asks others for their views and positively accepts contributions and shares information	Doesn’t enjoy working as part of a team Pays little time/effort to getting on with and getting to know colleagues Unlikely to ask others for input/assistance Works alone wherever possible Fails to recognise skills within other team members

Communication
Ensure that the message is clear and understood
Positive Behaviours	Negative Behaviours
Self confidence in communicating style – communicates clearly and concisely Able to show evidence of relating to others easily Actively listens to others, asks questions if unsure and checks understanding Communicates with customers and seeks feedback on the services they receive Encourages a two-way exchange of information Tailors approach to suit audience	Lacks self-confidence, quiet or shy Lack of structure in communication, difficult to understand Does not ask questions if unsure or check for understanding

Your answers should therefore give specific action / tasks which are indicative of the positive rather than the negative behaviours of the above competencies.

The interviewer(s) may then use some probing questions to delve deeper into your insight and understanding of the situation and the way you perform your role (e.g. can you tell me what you mean by that…? Can you elaborate on that…? How did you feel at that time…?).

Your responses should be in the first person i.e. “I”.  Talk about what YOU did; avoid using “we”, “my team”, “the group” etc.

Some examples of competency based questions:

• Give an example of when you have had to explain something to someone.  How did you ensure they understood you?
• Give me an example where you had to influence someone to your point of view…
• Tell me about one of the toughest groups you have had to work with.  What made it difficult and what did you do?
• Can you give me an example of an occasion when you feel that you have provided a piece of good customer service?
• Can you tell me about a time when you have dealt with a customer who was unhappy with the service they received?
• Imagine that you have been appointed to one of (a bank’s) branches and you are serving one of our customers.  Tell me how you find out what the customer wants?
• What aspects of your work have involved working with others?
• Can you tell me about a situation where you have been part of a group working towards a specific goal?
• Describe a situation where you have planned and organised an event, project or activity, which involved a fixed deadline.  How successful was the result?

Strength based interviews

Some large graduate recruiters are now using “strength based interviews” in their graduate recruitment process.   As opposed to competencies can be defined as “what you CAN do”, strengths are “what you really ENJOY doing”.  The focus of these interviews is on exploring what you are good at rather than what you are capable of doing.  The benefit to an organisation is that this style of interview identifies successful candidates who will enjoy the role more and perform better as they are built for the role rather than have to adapt to fit it.

You can identify your strengths by asking yourself the following:

• What are you good at?
• What comes easily to you?
• What do you learn quickly?
• What did you find easiest to learn at school or university?
• What subjects do you most enjoy studying?
• What things give you energy?
• Describe a successful day you have had.
• When did you achieve something you were really proud of?
• What things are always left on your to-do list and not finished (these are probably weaknesses, things you dislike doing!)

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