List of Competency Based Interview Questions in UK 2022 Update
– Competency Based Interview Questions –
Competency-based interviews (also known as structured, behavioural, or situational interviews) are designed to test one or more skills or competencies. This is how it works.
Competency-based Interview Questions
Questions that are often asked during a competency-based interview are aimed at testing multiple skills and you will need to answer in the actual event which skills are tested and which is dependent majorly on the job you’re interviewing for and the sector you’ll be working in.
Expect questions opening with ‘Tell us about a time when you…’, ‘Give an example of…’ or ‘Describe how you…’
We may ask competency questions of you at the interview, including:
1. Describe a situation in which you led a team
2. Give an example of a time you handled conflict in the workplace
3. How do you maintain good working relationships with your colleagues?
4. Tell me about a big decision you’ve made recently. How did you go about it?
5. What has been your biggest achievement to date?
6. Describe a project where you had to use different leadership styles to reach your goal
More Information
7. Tell me about a time when your communication skills improved in a situation
8. How do you cope with adversity?
9. Give me an example of a challenge you faced in the workplace and tell me how you overcame it
10. Tell me about a time when you showed integrity and professionalism
11. How do you influence people in a situation with conflicting agendas?
12. Give an example of a situation where you solved a problem in a creative way
13. Tell me about a time that you decided and then changed your mind
14. Describe a situation where you were asked to do something that you’d never attempted previously
15. Tell me about a time when you achieved success, even when the odds were stacked against you.
More Details
Competency interviews work on the principle that past behaviour is the best indicator of future performance.
They can be used by employers across all sectors, but are particularly favoured by large graduate recruiters, who may use them as part of an assessment centre.
They’re quite different from normal or unstructured interviews, which normally are more informal. In an arranged interview, recruiters most time ask a set of random, open-ended questions that are related to the job, such as ‘what can you do for the company?’ to get a full impression of who you are.
A competency-based interview is more systematic, and each question targets a skill needed for the job.
Primary Competencies Regularly Sought After by Employers Comprise the Following;
1. adaptability
2. communication
3. commercial awareness
4. conflict resolution
5. decisiveness
6. independence
7. flexibility
8. leadership
9. problem-solving
10. organization
11. teamwork.
READ ALSO:
- How to Get a Job at Apple
- Nigerian Navy Recruitment Application
- What Can you do with an Economics Degree
Ways to Answer Competency Questions
Using the STAR (situation, task, action, and result) method to arrange your answers is a useful way to communicate relevant points clearly and concisely. For any answer you give to a question, include the following element:
1. Situation/Task – Describe the task that needed to be completed or the situation they confronted you with. For example, ‘I led a group of colleagues in a team presentation to potential clients.
2. Action – Explain what you did and how and why you did it. For example, ‘We presented to around 20 big industry players hoping to win their business.
I delegated sections of the presentation to each team member and we discussed our ideas in a series of meetings. After extensive research and practice sessions, our group presentation went off without a hitch.
3. The result – Describe the outcome of your actions. For example, ‘because of this hard work and team effort, we won the business of 15 clients’.
Where possible, try to relate your answers to the role that you’re interviewing for. While your responses to the interview questions are pre-prepared, try to avoid sounding like you’re reading from a script.
Preparing for an Interview
The key to providing successful answers to competency questions is preparation, and the good news is that competency-based interviews are relatively easy to prepare for.
Firstly, it’s essential that you read and understand the job advert. Next, from the job description or person specification.
Also, pick out the main competencies that the employer is looking for and think of examples of when and how you’ve shown each of these.
Try to draw upon a variety of experiences from your studies, previous employment, or any work experience you’ve undertaken.
Familiarise yourself with the STAR approach to answering questions and practice your responses with a friend or family member.
You could also make an appointment with your university careers service to practise your technique at a mock competency interview.
FAQs about Competency Based Interview Questions
Below are FAQs about Competency Based Interview Questions. Please, kindly examine the answers.
1. What are the most common competency based interview questions?
Competency-based interview questions
1. Describe a situation in which you led a team.
2. Give an example of a time you handled conflict in the workplace.
3. How do you maintain good working relationships with your colleagues?
4. Tell me about a big decision you’ve made recently. …
5. What has been your biggest achievement to date?
2. How do you handle competency based interview questions?
How to answer competency based interview questions
1. Preparation. As with any interview, preparation is key. …
2. Rehearse your answers. …
3. Pay attention to the interviewer. …
4. Try to anticipate questions before they are asked. …
5. Be yourself.
3. What is an interviewer looking for in competency based questions?
Competency questions focus on finding specific skills that are important to that job, says Katherine Burik, founder of The Interview Doctor.
If employers are asking these questions the question is related to the job, the boss, or the company.
4. What is the star technique in interviewing?
The STAR method is a structured manner of responding to a behavioural-based interview question by discussing the specific situation, task, action, and result of the situation you are describing.
More FAQs about Competency Based Interview Questions
5. Can you take notes into a competency based interview?
It’s also important to give yourself time to evaluate what they are telling you. Take notes. Competency based interviews are in-depth.
Also, interviewers sometimes disagree on what they remember was said, so be sure to take full and accurate notes.
6. How do you answer competency-based questions with no experience?
If you have no industry experience, you can answer this question by briefly describing other jobs you’ve had up to that point.
If there are transferable skills between previous jobs and the position you’re applying for, you can structure your question around these similarities.
7. How long should a competency-based interview last?
one hour
This type of interview question tests candidates on their career motivation and commitment to career. A typical competency-based interview will last for one hour.
At most major firms, competency interviews will also be standardised. All applicants can expect to be asked identical questions.
8. What are the three domains of competence?
In particular, the chapter considers issues of construct definition and identifies three important domains of competence cognitive, intrapersonal and interpersonal.
Subscribe below with your email address to be the first to be notified of related materials. Thanks for reading through.
CSN Team.
