Competency-based interview questions: key examples

Are you applying for job positions and worried about the moment of the interviews? Do you work in the human resources department and have doubts about what to ask candidates? In either case, this post is for you. We are going to talk about competency-based interview questions. 

If you have ever gone through a job interview, you’ve probably faced the typical questions about your previous studies or professional experience. Well, in competency-based interviews they go one step further and use a structured approach to evaluate your skills and behaviors in specific situations. 

What should you know about competency-based interview questions? 

First of all, it’s important to understand that competencies are characteristics, knowledge, or skills that are useful in a specific job. For example, the ability to work in a team, problem-solving, or leadership are some of these competencies. 

In a competency-based interview, also known as a behavioral interview, the recruiter usually asks designed questions to learn how the candidate has behaved in specific situations. The ultimate goal is for the candidate to explain concrete, real examples where they had to put these competencies into practice. 

This way, employers can more effectively assess whether a candidate has the skills and competencies needed for the offered position. Additionally, it helps create a consistent question structure for all candidates, making the evaluation process fairer and more objective. 

Types of competency-based interview questions 

Before going over the most commonly used types of questions in a behavioral interview, it’s important that you know what the interviewer expects from you. Generally, the questions follow the STAR model: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. When employers place you in a particular scenario and ask you what you would do, they expect you to describe the situation presented, the tasks you took on, the actions you performed to solve the issue, and the results obtained.

Now yes, we share with you seven types of competency-based interview questions. Take note! 

Adaptability questions 

Adaptability questions, as the name suggests, aim to assess a candidate’s ability to adjust and remain productive in changing environments. This helps identify how the candidate has handled situations requiring flexibility or the ability to learn quickly. 

Here are some examples of adaptability questions: 

• Describe a situation where you faced an unexpected change at work. How did you adapt to that situation? 
• Tell me about a time when you had to learn a new skill or task in a short period. How did you approach it? 
• Tell me about an occasion when you faced a project with tight deadlines and multiple priorities. How did you organize your time and adapt to the pressure? 

Teamwork questions 

These questions are designed to understand the candidate’s ability to collaborate and work effectively with others to achieve common goals while overcoming differences. Some examples include: 

• Describe a project where you worked as part of a team. What was your role in the team, and how did you contribute to the project’s success? 
• Can you share an example of a situation where you had to resolve a conflict within a work team? 
• Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a team member. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome? 

Customer orientation questions 

These questions allow the interviewer to assess the candidate’s ability to focus on customer needs, communicate effectively, solve problems, and work to ensure customer satisfaction. Common questions include: 

• Can you share an example of a situation where you provided exceptional customer service? How did you identify and meet their needs? 
• Tell me about a situation where you had to convince a customer that what they were requesting was against their own interests. 
• Can you give me an example of how you turned a negative experience into a positive one for the customer? 
• What strategies do you use to build strong and trustworthy relationships with customers? 

Initiative and autonomy questions 

These questions seek specific examples of how the candidate has identified opportunities, acted without direct supervision, and made important decisions independently. For this, interviewers may ask questions such as: 

• Can you share an example of a situation where you took on a difficult challenge on your own? How did you approach it, and what results did you achieve? 
• How do you prioritize and manage your workload when you don’t have clear direction or direct supervision? 
• Tell me about a time when you identified an opportunity for improvement at work and took action to implement a change. 

Leadership questions 

Leadership questions are designed to analyze the candidate’s ability to lead, motivate, and guide others toward achieving common goals. In this case, the questions might be similar to these: 

• Describe a situation where you took on a leadership role in a project or team. How did you motivate and guide your teammates toward success? 
• Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision as a leader. How did you evaluate the available options, and how did you communicate your decision to the team? 
• How do you develop and support the professional growth and development of your team members? 

Verbal communication questions 

In most jobs, good verbal communication skills are necessary to convey information, ideas, and concepts effectively. Therefore, employers use these types of questions to assess verbal communication competencies: 

• Describe a situation where you had to communicate complex information to a client or colleague. How did you ensure your message was clear and understandable? 
• Tell me about a time when you had to deliver bad news to a client or colleague. How did you handle the situation, and what steps did you take to ensure effective communication? 
• How do you handle difficult questions or comments during a conversation or presentation? Can you give me an example of how you handled such a situation in the past? 

Responsibility questions 

Finally, responsibility questions aim to understand a candidate’s ability to take ownership, make important decisions, and be accountable for their actions. They include questions like the following: 

• Tell me about a situation where you had to take responsibility for a mistake. 
• How do you manage the tasks assigned to you to ensure they are completed on time and meet required standards? 
• Describe a time when you had to make a difficult decision at work and how it affected others. 

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