Competency interviews
Unlike a conversational interview, a competency interview is scripted. The questions are designed to draw out evidence of how you work, and answers are marked against criteria set in advance.
What is being assessed
The competencies depend on the role. Most fall into three groups:
- Analytical: decision-making, problem-solving, innovation and attention to detail. "Tell me about a time when you identified a new approach to a problem."
- Interpersonal: collaboration and working in project teams. "Describe a situation where you got people to work together."
- Motivational: drive, initiative and results focus. "When did you work the hardest and feel the greatest sense of achievement?"
Common competencies include adaptability, communication, conflict management, decisiveness, influencing, integrity, leadership, resilience, results orientation and teamwork.
How to prepare
- Work out which competencies the role is likely to assess, and the questions that test them.
- Go through your work and personal history for examples that demonstrate each one.
- Practise answering with those examples, using the STAR technique.
The STAR technique
Set the scene in a sentence.
What you needed to achieve.
What you did, specifically.
The outcome. The part that matters most.
A structured answer shows how you work through a problem, so the panel can picture how you would perform in their team.
How answers are marked
For a question like "Describe a time when you had to deal with pressure", a positive answer takes a constructive approach and considers the wider needs of the situation. A negative one treats challenges only as problems, or tries and fails to handle everything alone.
Want to practise with a recruiter?
Cirrus Elevate, our interview coaching service, offers one-to-one preparation and mock interviews with feedback.
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