Learn how to answer common competency interview questions

Interviewers are relying more and more on competency questions to help them differentiate between competing candidates. But what are they exactly – and what’s the best way to approach them?

A lot of the information you provide on your CV is basically a series of facts. Information like your education and qualifications are vital to help employers select the most suitable candidate from a large pool. At the interview stage, however, facts aren’t enough. Competency questions – such as ‘Tell me about a time when you showed leadership?’. Or tell an interviewer about how you have put your skills and experience to good use in specific situations. Your answer gives you a chance to go beyond the facts and tell a powerful story.

Competency questions are a useful way to distinguish if you’re a good fit for their organisation. And to differentiate between different candidates with similar levels of skill and experience. That’s because no two stories – and no two storytellers – are the same. Stories are a powerful communication tool because they appeal to both the emotional and rational sides of the brain. They’re a chance for you to show more of your personality and establish a warmer connection with your interviewer. You can also use them to demonstrate more of what you’re capable of. Moreover, you can steer the interview in the direction that best showcases your suitability for the role.

What key areas (competencies) do interviewers ask about?

There’s a wide range of topics that you might be asked a competency question about. However, they tend to fall into a few predictable categories. For example, personal qualities, interpersonal skills and team behaviour, leadership and management, commercial and client skills, and problem-solving skills. Here are some typical competency questions you might be asked:

• ‘Tell us about a time when you had to deal with challenging feedback on your work’ 
• ‘Tell me about a time when you were able to resolve a conflict within your team’
• ‘Tell me about a time when you were able to help a team member who was struggling with moral issues’
• ‘Describe a situation where you were able to directly influence your company’s bottom line’
• ‘Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision and win over others in the process?’

You can often guess the questions you might be asked from the job description and your own CV. If you’re working with a recruitment consultant, make sure you ask for their advice too. Good ones will have met the client and know exactly what competencies the employer is looking for.

If you are interviewing for a role where you’ll be managing people for the first time, you can expect a question like: ‘Tell me about a time when you had to step in and show leadership in your team’. This gives you a chance to show that, even if you haven’t formally had to demonstrate a particular competency before, you already have the potential to do so.
If you are moving into a role where the ability to cope with significant time pressure is critical, you might be asked: ‘Tell us about a time when you had to juggle lots of conflicting deadlines’. If close team-working or client-facing skills are essential, you might be asked, ‘Tell us about a situation where you had to find a way to work with a colleague who you didn’t always get on with’, or ‘Tell me about a time when you went the extra mile to delight a customer’.

How to answer a competency question

Think of your answer to a competency question as a very focused kind of story. Any good story has a character we care about – that’s you. The character is set a challenge or finds themselves in a tricky situation. Then they have to go on a journey and take some actions to find the answer. Lastly, they gain a valuable life lesson in the process. For your big finish, focus on the positive outcome that you helped to achieve. Briefly say what you learned in the process.

To make your story more credible and relatable, add in a few specific details and anecdotal touches. But stay on point – don’t waffle. Don’t be afraid to show yourself in a less-than-perfect light at some points too: as in any good film, things tend to go worse for our hero before they get better. Seeing how you overcome these challenges – whether internal or external – adds to the power of the story.

Be a STAR storyteller

Another good way to remember how to structure your answer to a competency question is to follow the STAR system:

• SITUATION: Explain the context, your role, the potential challenge you and the organisation were facing. 
• TASK: What specific task were you given responsibility for, to help your company meet the challenge? 
• ACTION: What steps did you decide to take, and why? How were your actions received by stakeholders and co-workers? 
• RESULT: What was the outcome of your actions? What difference did you make? What did you learn?

Example answer to a competency based question:

Q: ‘Tell us about a time when you had to ‘manage up’

A: ‘When I first joined, my team had a recurring problem with getting new client reports signed off in time. I asked around the team and found out that every asset had to be personally approved by a particular director. This man was perceived to be quite intimidating. He was never very available, so we were constantly on the back foot with deadlines.

‘Working with colleagues, I did an audit of our existing approval processes, and identified all the potential risks and bottlenecks. It seemed to me that only certain reports really needed such a senior level of sign-off. Furthermore, empowering other managers to own approvals would help ease the pressure on the system. My line manager was so impressed she asked me to present my ideas to the senior team.

‘I was quite nervous to find myself presenting to the director himself. But as part of my proposal, I put the case that possible late delivery of reports to clients was a significant business risk. When I concluded the new approach, the executive – who wasn’t intimidating at all! – congratulated me on my efforts. He said he’d been looking for a way to delegate some of his responsibilities for a long time.

‘As a result, a modified version of my process was introduced almost immediately. Several team members have commented since on how the production process is now much more efficient and less pressured. I learnt from this experience that if you want to make positive change, it’s important to look beyond individual personalities. Then build a compelling case that everyone can get behind. And if you want to address a problem, people will listen to you more if you’ve got solutions too!’

It’s a good idea to think of a few competency scenarios that might come up ahead of an interview. Practise talking them through with a friend or partner – or even just in the mirror!