The interviewer asks “What are your strengths?”, the candidate says “I am a great team player” — and nothing has been checked. A competency-based interview replaces opinions with evidence — real situations from the candidate's work, taken apart step by step. Below: the competency profile, the questions, STAR and CARE probes, a 1–5 scale and a free competency interview kit that gives you questions and indicators for one competency and suggests a rating.
What is a competency-based interview?
A competency-based interview is a structured interview built from questions that collect behavioral examples, so you can assess the competencies the role needs. The interviewer asks the candidate for an example of a time they showed a particular competency, then asks follow-up questions until it is clear what the person actually did.
The logic is simple: what someone has really done in similar situations tells you far more about future performance than what they say they would do. That is why hypothetical questions — “What would you do if…?” — are on the list of questions to avoid.
Every question is tied to a job requirement, every candidate gets the same questions and criteria, and the results combine easily with other sources such as an assessment center. The cost: the interviewer needs training, notes and scoring take time, and the interview gets very long if you assess too many competencies at once.
The logic is simple: what someone has really done in similar situations tells you far more about future performance than what they say they would do. That is why hypothetical questions — “What would you do if…?” — are on the list of questions to avoid.
Every question is tied to a job requirement, every candidate gets the same questions and criteria, and the results combine easily with other sources such as an assessment center. The cost: the interviewer needs training, notes and scoring take time, and the interview gets very long if you assess too many competencies at once.
What is a competency — and what makes a good one?
A competency is a set of behaviors that separates strong performers from weak ones. Picture an iceberg: knowledge and skills are on the surface and easy to check; self-esteem, personal qualities and motives sit underneath and show up only in behavior. A competency interview reaches that lower part through real examples.
A competency you can interview for is simple, observable, measurable, does not overlap with others, separates high-quality work from low-quality work and is written in your organization's language. Each competency needs a short definition and two lists of behavioral indicators — what a strong person does and what a weak person does. Here is how that looks for one competency:
A competency you can interview for is simple, observable, measurable, does not overlap with others, separates high-quality work from low-quality work and is written in your organization's language. Each competency needs a short definition and two lists of behavioral indicators — what a strong person does and what a weak person does. Here is how that looks for one competency:
Achieving goals — achieves results by taking responsibility for own actions; acts purposefully, meets deadlines and overcomes obstacles.
Positive indicators: sets realistic deadlines and meets them · keeps going when obstacles appear · takes risks and responsibility in uncertain situations · owns mistakes and the consequences of decisions.
Negative indicators: misses set goals and deadlines · stops in front of obstacles · avoids responsibility when the outcome is unclear · blames others or circumstances for the results.
Step 1. Build the competency profile for the role
Do not copy a list from the internet — build it from your own people:
Before the first interview you should have a role profile, requirements based on real examples, behavioral indicators, a list of questions and a scorecard — see Interview Scorecard: How to Turn Hiring into Science, Not Roulette.
- Compare employees. Ask the manager to rank 8–10 people in the role from strongest to weakest. Take two strong employees and one weak one, and ask: “What do these two have in common in how they work — and how is the third one different?” For example: the strong pair always delivers on time; the third one keeps missing deadlines. Repeat across the group and you have a list of behaviors.
- Interview your top performers. Ask for two or three main achievements and two or three of the most difficult situations at work: their role, who else was involved, what problems they hit and what they did about them.
Before the first interview you should have a role profile, requirements based on real examples, behavioral indicators, a list of questions and a scorecard — see Interview Scorecard: How to Turn Hiring into Science, Not Roulette.
Step 2. Write competency-based interview questions
For each competency, prepare at least two questions: one positive and one negative. The template is simple:
- Positive: “Think of a situation when you [used the competency] and you [got a good result].”
- Negative: “Think of a situation when you [used the competency] and you [got a poor result].”
- performed effectively under pressure;
- resolved a conflict with a colleague;
- had to make a responsible decision without enough information;
- failed to complete a project on time;
- dealt with an angry customer;
- made the wrong decision.
How to conduct a competency-based interview
The interview has three parts.
- Introduction. Purpose, format and length; warn that you may interrupt for details, will take notes and keep everything confidential.
- Competency research. Open with “What were your goals this year?”, then take each competency in turn.
- Conclusion. Answer the candidate's questions and explain the next steps.
- a specific situation, not “usually I…”;
- from professional life;
- recent — up to two years old;
- completed, so there is a result;
- one where the candidate personally took part — “I”, not “we”.
STAR and CARE: follow-up questions that get to the truth
The first answer is almost never enough. Two techniques structure the follow-ups.
STAR checks that the example is complete:
Adapt action questions to the competency. For communication — negotiation, complaints, motivating others — ask “What did you say? How did they react?” For thinking — decisions, priorities, analysis — ask “How did you gather information? What other options were there?”
STAR checks that the example is complete:
- S — Situation. What was the context?
- T — Task. “What was the most important thing for you to achieve?”
- A — Action. The most valuable part. “What exactly did you do? What exactly did you say?”
- R — Result. “How did it all end?” If the answer is “everything worked out”, ask: “What were the final agreements?” Ask carefully — if the candidate senses only success is judged, the story gets embellished.
Adapt action questions to the competency. For communication — negotiation, complaints, motivating others — ask “What did you say? How did they react?” For thinking — decisions, priorities, analysis — ask “How did you gather information? What other options were there?”
When the candidate drifts, bring them back to specifics:
- Vague action — “I convinced the client.” Ask: “What exactly did you say? How did you argue?”
- Generalization — “In such situations I always try to find arguments…” Ask: “What arguments did you find in this particular case?”
- “We” instead of “I” — “We talked to the client and he agreed.” Ask: “What did you personally do — you, not your colleagues?”
To close each competency, confirm it. Ask for a direct self-assessment — “What qualities helped you cope with this task?” — or use the third-party question above. Then: “You said you succeeded because you [quality]. Give me an example of another situation when you had to use this quality.” One example can be luck; two are a pattern. And keep asking “Why?” and “What else?”
How to score a competency-based interview
Scoring is a separate step, done after the interview, in four moves: observe → describe → classify → evaluate.
- Observe and describe. Write down the candidate's own words and vivid non-verbal reactions. No value judgments: “he is a true leader” is a conclusion, not evidence.
- Classify each piece of behavior under a competency as positive or negative. “I thought through the difficulties in advance and allowed extra time” — planning, positive. “He spoke about his colleague with irritation” — interpersonal understanding, negative.
- Evaluate — counting not only how many indicators you saw but how strongly they showed.
- 5 — Skill level. All indicators, including in complex, unusual situations.
- 4 — Strength. Most indicators, no negative behavior.
- 3 — Acceptable level. Positive prevails, no obvious negatives; copes with typical tasks.
- 2 — Needs development. Shows fewer than half of the indicators, or more negative behavior than positive.
- 1 — Obvious weakness. Negative behavior clearly prevails; there are vivid negative examples.
Common competency-based interview mistakes
Questions to avoid:
The biggest one: accepting the first answer. A rehearsed story holds or falls apart in the details.
- Closed — “Did you meet the deadline?” gives you yes or no, not behavior.
- Leading — “You surely involved the team, right?” tells the candidate the right answer.
- Either-or — “Did you escalate or solve it yourself?” limits the answer to your two options.
- Multiple — three questions in one sentence; the candidate answers the easiest.
- Hypothetical — “What would you do if…?” gets you theory, not experience.
The biggest one: accepting the first answer. A rehearsed story holds or falls apart in the details.
The full method — profiling from top performers, the question bank, CARE and STAR, note-taking, checking whether a candidate is telling the truth and assessment exercises — is in the Competency-Based Interview course.
