We are often asked by clients, ‘what questions do I need to ask a candidate in an interview’?

Clients are always clear on the competency they require, but more and more are asking for guidance on the behavioural and situational interview questions to ask. The below article covers the most commonly used competency, behavioural and situational interview questions in job interviews today, that will help both employers and candidates prepare for stellar interview.

Interviews are an important element in the recruitment process. Behavioural, competency and situational interview questions help you determine a candidate’s suitability for the job you are recruiting for. They give an employer an understanding of each candidate’s experience and approach to work, while providing a fair way to compare the behaviours and skills of multiple candidates and make the right choice.

So, what is the difference between a behaviour and a competency?

Competency interview questions are asked to assess the specific skills and knowledge a candidate possesses that are relevant for the job. Behavioural interview questions are asked to understand the way a candidate works and their potential team fit. Competency is based on the key criteria and job description for the specific role, whereas behaviour is based on the employer’s values and ways of operating.

How are these interview questions similar?

Both types of interview questions usually begin with, “Tell me about a time when…” or “Give me an example of an occasion when…” That’s because both these styles of interview questions are based on the idea that past behaviour can predict future action. In other words, they use a candidate’s previous acts as an indicator of how they are likely to perform in future. They assume that past conduct is a good signal of future performance.

Being a STAR with the answers

The STAR technique is a common formula that candidates use to frame their answer to behavioural or competency questions. STAR is the acronym for:

        Situation (the candidate describes a situation they were in)
        Task (they tell you what they decided to do)
        Action (they describe the action they took) and
        Result (they tell you what happened as a result of their actions).

When an employer asks questions, they are looking for past experiences that demonstrate whether the candidate has the criteria they are looking for - examples of the behaviours or skills the candidate is highlighting in each example, and assessing if those will lead to success in the role and team? 

Candidates are asked to describe the specific actions they took and quantify their achievements as a probe to ensure they genuinely possess the level of skill or behaviour claimed. A well-prepared candidate who is motivated and enthusiastic about your role will conduct extensive research and study the job description beforehand to ensure they share examples of specific and relevant work, volunteering or academic study experiences that demonstrate what the interviewer is looking for.

Furthermore, behaviours and competencies are quantifiable. By sharing real-life examples, each candidate should be able to also share the measurable outcome of their actions. This is an essential part to moving the candidate forward.

Behavioural interview questions

Behavioural interview questions are asked to establish what motivates and drives a candidate, how they think and act, and how they approach their work. There is no right or wrong answers to behavioural questions as a candidate responds with their story of how they did something and why. It is an opportunity to assess if a candidate has the working style and character traits required to align with the culture, values and goals of the company and if they are a good fit.

The interviewer should look for examples of past behaviour that demonstrate their working style and personal attributes. 

Examples of behavioural interview questions

Common behavioural interview questions include:

• Give an example of a time when you have been part of a group working toward a specific goal. What was your role in the group?
• What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example of when you have had to use this approach with a difficult client or colleague;
• Describe something you have done that was new for your employer that improved the performance of your team or the value of the work done;
• Give an example of something you tried in your job that didn’t work. How did you learn from it?
• Tell me about a time you knew you were right, but still had to follow guidelines;
• Talk me through a time when you had to work towards a challenging and ambitious objective;
• Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond for a client;
• Give an example of when attention to detail was vital and how you completed the task accurately.
•  

Competency interview questions

Competency based interview questions should be customised to the candidate’s group of skills, knowledge and level of competency required to be successful for the particular role being offered. For example, core competencies could include hard skills such as analytical, financial and technical, or soft skills such as problem solving, communication and time management.

While behavioural based questions have no right or wrong answers, competency based interview questions allow an employer to assess the skills, expertise and abilities of the candidate and determine if they are at the level of proficiency required to succeed in the role. interviewers will usually isolated key competencies that they believe suitable employees should possess and tailor questions to focus on those skills. When considering how to answer competency based questions, candidates should not talk in board terms, be too general or use their imagination when replying, but rather use real life scenarios.

Like behavioural questions, in competency based interviews look for previous demonstrable evidence of the candidate’s technical and soft skills. Then the interviewer can determine if the level of their skills and know-how is appropriate for the job. Answers to these questions need to be clear and specific.

Examples of competency interview questions

• Common competency interview questions include:
• Describe a time when the cause of a problem was not immediately apparent;
• Describe a situation which required the use of your creativity;
• Describe a time when you were required to use your analytical skills to make an informed decision;
• Provide an example of when you used effective time management to achieve success;
• Describe a time you’ve revealed meaningful insights from a large volume of data
• On time pressured assignments, how have you made sure that the job is done within budget?
• Describe a time when you’ve led a team through a period of change.
  

You may also have heard of situational interview questions, where questions are asked to determine a candidate’s approach to a hypothetical scenario and how they are likely to handle it. Once again, these are tailored to situations that the candidate is likely to encounter if they are placed into the job being offered.

Rather than using past real-life actions as an indicator of future behaviour, situational interview questions ask the candidate to describe how they think they might handle a certain situation in future.

For example, if problem solving is crucial to success in the role, the interviewer could describe a common problem and ask the candidate how they would handle it. The answer will usually be given in general terms, but you can ask the candidate to go into further detail if required.

Examples of situational interview questions

Common situational interview questions include:

• What would you do if a disgruntled client approached you. How would you solve the matter?
• What would you do if a disgruntled colleague approached you. How would you solve the matter?
• You know that a colleague has made a mistake at work, but as far as you’re aware, only you have spotted it. What do you do?
• A senior manager asks you to move forward the deadline on a project. How do you proceed?
• You are faced with conflicting deadlines. What do you do?
• You need information from a colleague or contractor to proceed with a time-sensitive task, but they are slow to respond. How do you proceed?

10 General Competency Questions to Consider:

Interviewers need to brainstorm questions specific to the role they are interviewing for. These may be helpful in starting the process:-

1.      Communication

Tell us about a time you had to adjust your communication approach to suit a particular audience;

2. Decision Making
Give an example of a time when you had to make a difficult decision;

3.      Leadership

Describe a situation when you assumed the role as a leader. Were there any challenges and how did you address them?

4.      Results
Give me an example of a time when you believed you were successful;

5.      Teamwork
Describe a situation in which you were working as part of a team. How did you make a contribution;

6.      Trustworthiness
Would you report on a colleague who you knew was taking money from the company illegally;

7.      Responsibility

Describe a situation when you were responsible for the completion of a [task];

8.      Commercial Awareness

Describe a situation when you had to use commercial awareness in this particular role;

9.      Professional Development
Describe a period where you enhanced your skills effectively;

10.  Technical Skills
Describe a situation when you have used [technical skill] in your work.

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