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Getting the best out of job interviews: A guide to competency-based questions

Posted: Mon 19th May 2025

8 min read

When you're hiring, it's not just about who looks good on paper. You need to know whether someone can actually do the job – and do it well within your team.

That's where competency-based interviews come into play. They give you a window into how a person handles real-life challenges, which is especially useful when you're considering candidates with limited direct experience but strong potential.

What are competency-based interviews?

Unlike traditional interviews – which often focus on a person's work history – competency-based interviews are designed to assess how someone behaves in specific situations.

The idea is to find out whether the candidate has the skills and attributes you're after – and whether they'll be a good fit for your team.

This approach is particularly useful when recruiting graduates or individuals making a career shift. They might not tick every box on your job spec in terms of experience, but they could have the right mindset and transferable skills to thrive in the role.

These interviews can help you explore a range of aspects:

How candidates respond under pressure
Whether they can bounce back from setbacks
Their style of resolving conflict
How well they adapt in changing situations
Time management and organisation
Setting targets and meeting deadlines
Strategic thinking
Ability to work independently
Commercial awareness
Team dynamics and cultural fit
Soft skills like leadership, work ethic and collaboration

To get the most from your candidates, ask questions that invite real reflection. Aim for responses that reveal how they've handled past situations, not just what they think you want to hear.

It's also important to set a relaxed tone. If they feel at ease, they're more likely to share genuine examples from their past work.

Ultimately, these interviews are there to help you see how a person's skills match the demands of your role – and whether they'd add to your team, not just blend in.

Ways to test skills (other than talking!)

You don't have to stick to questions you voice aloud. Practical, written tasks can also be part of the process. These can give you another way to see how a candidate might tackle challenges they'd face in the role.

For example, if you're hiring for a project manager, you might ask candidates to create a simple project timeline based on a scenario.

This gives you insight into their thinking and how they prioritise tasks – rather than relying solely on what they say in conversation.

How to run a competency-based interview

Give your candidates a fair shot by letting them know what to expect. If the role calls for it, they should bring a portfolio or examples of their work.

The stronger candidates will naturally draw on real experiences, showing how they've navigated tricky situations and managed their workload – and how they'll apply these lessons in your role.

When you're preparing your questions, start with your job description and person specification. Think of challenges the role is likely to throw up and build your questions around those. Keep them grounded in real-world examples.

Here are a few examples of the sort of questions you might ask:

How would you approach resolving a disagreement with a colleague?
Can you tell me about a time you managed a tight deadline under pressure?
Describe a situation where you overcame a major challenge.
How do you show appreciation to your team for a job well done?
What would your approach be to giving difficult feedback?
How would you manage letting someone go?
What's your style when it comes to leading a team?

Scoring responses fairly

To keep things objective, many businesses use a scoring system – say, 0 to 5 – for each question.

You should ask each candidate the same set of questions in the same order. This helps level the playing field, especially when you're comparing several interviewees.

With a structured scoring system, you're basing decisions on clearly defined criteria rather than gut feelings.

If you're assessing leadership skills, for example, you can score candidates based on their answers to a specific leadership-related question. This makes it much easier to compare like for like.

It also reduces bias. Instead of being swayed by personality or background, you're focusing on whether the person can do the job and work well with your team.

Look out for the STAR technique

Some candidates may respond using the STAR technique – and it's worth encouraging this. It's a handy method that helps candidates structure their answers with a focus on results.

STAR stands for:

Situation – What was the scenario?
Task – What were they responsible for?
Action – What did they do and why?
Result – What happened and what did they learn?

Answers structured this way tend to give you a more complete picture of the candidate's approach. It shows not just what they did, but how they think – and whether their style would suit your business.

Pros and cons of competency-based interviews

No hiring method is perfect and competency-based interviews are no exception. It's worth weighing up the strengths and weaknesses before you make them a central part of your process.

Advantages

You judge all candidates against the same criteria – which makes the process fairer.
Real-life examples help you assess how skills might apply to your role.
Candidates get a chance to shine, even if they don't have a long CV.

Drawbacks

Some candidates may over-prepare and give rehearsed, robotic answers.
Others might feel under pressure and struggle to give clear responses.
Answers can be vague if candidates aren't comfortable structuring their thoughts.
It may limit deeper discussions around motivations or future ambitions.

In short, you're best using competency-based interviews when the role asks for transferable skills rather than direct experience.

You might also them when you want to assess how someone might handle real challenges, rather than just talk about past job titles.

Final thoughts

For small businesses, every new hire matters. You don't always have the time or resources for a long recruitment process, but a well-run competency-based interview can go a long way in helping you spot the right person.

Done properly, it gives you a clearer picture of how someone might work within your business, handle pressure, and get the job done – not just whether they've done it before.

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Caroline BarbourIndeed