How to Succeed in Competency-Based Interviews

What Are Competency-Based Interviews?

Competency-based interviews are created to allow candidates to explain and showcase all of the experiences and particular competencies gained through their previous work. Competency-based interviews differ from formal interviews by being structured differently and offering flexible questions regarding their previous experience and how they’ve tackled challenging situations.

Competency-based interviews will help candidates uncover their personality traits and qualities. They are sometimes known as situational and behavioural interviews and are individually tailored to the role candidates apply for so that the questions remain tightly related to situations and challenges likely to encounter in that specific role.

This type of interview questions gives a broader picture to hiring managers. It offers evidence of the candidate’s competencies, which helps employers better understand the skills and expertise and their particular skill set. The competency framework is then designed to be appropriate for the role’s duties and level of the role.

How to Answer Competency-Based Questions

Competency-based questions are entirely focused on the abilities and key competencies of candidates applying for a role. Employers will identify the competencies most valuable to their organisation and the specific job role candidates apply for. The job description and the adverts often list the required qualities and key skills for a role, such as leadership skills, communication skills and organisational skills. Candidates must highlight core competencies that match the requirements to show their suitability for the job.

It is essential to come up with unique answers based on your experiences and skill set as a candidate, but one of the tips you can use when structuring your answers is the STAR technique, which we will read more about.

Find Out What Competencies The Employer is Looking For

Despite the hundreds of applications received daily, recruiters often need help finding candidates with the right skills for their open positions. To improve your chances of getting competency interviews, you must discover what skills the employers are looking for and how you can better present them on your resume.

Going into the interview with a positive attitude is rooted in good preparation, and thinking of answers to questions in advance is an excellent opportunity to showcase confidence and why you are the right person for the job. Knowing how to answer competency questions will be the differentiating factor in whether you will or won’t get the job.

Structure Your Responses Using the STAR Method

Competency-based interview questions often start by asking candidates to describe certain situations or provide an example of a time they’ve solved a challenge. These questions will require showing core competencies like conflict management, teamwork and communication skills.

The best way to prepare for these questions is by using the STAR method to help you structure your answers:

Situation – provide a brief description of the background of the situation and how you’ve managed to handle it
Task – explain your responsibilities about a specific task, how you have handled performing all the daily tasks, and what the outcome
Action – Talk about what you did that helped you perform all of your duties and what you’ve learned in the process
Result – Describe the outcome as a result of your outcomes

It is a good idea to think of multiple examples that showcase your abilities, core competency and analytical thinking to help you stand out as a candidate. Practice your answers for every skill and ability while following the STAR structure. This can help you stay on topic and keep your answers focused on your skills and experiences.

Identify Relevant Experiences

Employers are looking for candidates whose qualifications will best align with their criteria for the job position. The hiring managers will review the resumes to survey the relevant skills and experiences that make them eligible for a position. When applying for jobs, the relevant expertise allows candidates to showcase their qualifications regardless of their professional background.

The relevant experience is your professional experience that makes candidates eligible for the job. When included in the resume, the relevant experience can help employers get in-depth information and knowledge about what the candidates contribute to the organisation, even if some candidates need experience in a specific industry.

Highlight Achievements

You may think your job title is the only factor determining your employability. However, the achievements and responsibilities each job title carries are much more important when outlining the relevant experiences on your resume.

The achievements are what you’ve produced and had a lasting impact on the company or a client. It is also how your personality helped fulfil and positively impact a particular role. Here, you can mention some things you’ve built, created, designed or even initiated. An achievement will be unique to your experience, allowing employers to understand what you can deliver, which is why it is essential to highlight your strengths.

Be Honest

Being interviewed can be a stressful experience; however, being prepared can help alleviate that stress. It’s important to be mindful of both your words and body language. To show the best version of yourself in an interview, prepare your answers before the interview. Show the hiring managers who you are by being honest and telling the truth while also showing your key competencies.

It is crucial to come across as authentic, but remember not to dive deep into every detail about yourself. A competency-based interview is still professional, so avoid pouring all possible information irrelevant to the job you are applying for.

Success With Competency-Based Interviews with Olive Recruit

The key to successful competency-based interviews is preparation, and the good news is that our team at Olive Recruit can help you best prepare for your following interview.

Our amazing team of experienced recruiters can help you familiarise yourself with the STAR approach and answer all your questions while preparing for your interview.