Competency-Based Interview
A competency-based interview is an interview built around the specific competencies a role requires, where the candidate gives concrete examples of past situations and each competency is assessed against defined criteria.
Definition
A competency-based interview starts from a list of competencies identified for the role, such as communication, problem solving, teamwork, planning or customer focus. For each competency, the interviewer asks the candidate to describe real situations in which they showed it, and probes for what they did, why, and with what result. The examples are the evidence.
To prepare one, choose four to six competencies from the job profile, write a main question and follow-up questions for each, and define what weak, acceptable and strong evidence looks like. Candidates are often invited to structure their answer with the STAR method (situation, task, action, result). Each competency is scored separately, then the scores are compared with what the role needs.
The approach makes the evaluation relevant, because it is tied to what the job really demands, and comparable between candidates. It is close to the behavioural interview, with a focus on a defined competency framework. Pitfalls include choosing too many competencies, accepting vague or hypothetical answers, and favouring candidates who simply tell their stories well. Ask for specifics.
Key points
- Built on a short list of competencies taken from the real requirements of the role.
- The candidate gives concrete examples of past situations, not general opinions.
- Each competency is scored separately against predefined criteria.
- Follow-up questions get to what the person did, not what the team did.
- Four to six competencies are enough: more makes the interview shallow.
Example
For a project manager role, the team selects planning, stakeholder management and handling setbacks. For planning, the interviewer asks: “Tell me about a project where the deadline was tight. What did you do, and what was the result?” They follow up on the decisions the candidate personally made, then score the answer against the guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a competency-based and a behavioural interview?
They are very close. A behavioural interview asks about past behaviour in general. A competency-based interview ties each question to a specific competency of a framework defined for the role, and scores each one.
How do I choose the competencies?
Start from the job description and talk to the manager and to people who do the job well. Keep the competencies that most separate good from average performance in that role, and describe each one in observable terms.
What if a candidate has no experience of a situation?
Ask for a similar situation from studies, volunteering or personal life, or move to a hypothetical question and note that the evidence is weaker. This matters especially for junior candidates.
Related terms
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