20 of March, 2025

Traditional interviews do not always accurately predict the performance of candidates in a selection process. That’s why more and more companies are adopting competency-based interviews.

If you still don’t know what these types of interviews are like or how to perform them to improve in personnel selection, here we bring you the answer. Also, we will give you some examples of questions you can include in your competency-based interview. Stay with us, we explain it in detail!

What is a competency-based interview?

A competency-based interview is a personnel selection tool that evaluates the skills and aptitudes of candidates for a job.

Unlike traditional interviews, which are usually based on general questions, competency-based interviews are based on specific and situational questions that seek concrete examples of the performance of candidates in the past. The goal is to predict how the candidates will behave in similar situations in the future.

The key competencies that are usually assessed are:

Work flexibility.
Teamwork.
Conflict resolution.
Leadership.
Work productivity.
Working under pressure.
Learning capacity.
Customer orientation.
Internal communication.

A well-designed competency-based interview is the best way to find the candidate that fits your culture and needs. By focusing on key skills rather than experience, it allows identification of each person’s potential for growth and development.

How to conduct a competency-based interview

If you want to get the most out of the competency-based interview, you should prepare your questionnaire in advance.

The first thing is to identify the key competencies for the position. Think of skills such as problem-solving or teamwork that are important for success in that position.

Then, prepare questions that allow you to evaluate these competencies. For this, you can opt for one of the three methods that we present below.

STAR method

The STAR method is very popular and effective in competency-based interviews. It consists of asking the candidate questions about a specific situation that they have experienced in the past, related to a key competency for the position.

Also, it should be said that the STAR method is broken down into four steps:

Situation: start by describing a specific situation that the candidate has previously faced.
Task: then, explain what the task or goal was that the candidate had to achieve in that situation.
Action: then, ask the candidate what specific actions they took to address the situation and achieve the task or goal.
Result: finally, ask the candidate to describe the results or achievements they obtained as a result of their actions.

For example, you can ask: “describe a situation in which you had to solve a complex problem in HR management. What was the situation? What task did you have to perform? What actions did you take? What was the result?”

Competency-based method

The competency-based method focuses on evaluating candidates based on specific competencies required for the position. First, identify the key competencies necessary for the job and then formulate questions that allow the candidates to demonstrate their experience in those specific areas.

For example, if one competency is teamwork, you could ask: “Can you provide an example in which you worked in a team to achieve a goal and how did you contribute to that success?”

Strength-based method

The strength-based method focuses on identifying the outstanding skills and qualities of candidates. Instead of focusing on past experiences, this technique seeks to understand the strengths and skills of the candidates.

You can ask questions like: “What do you believe are your main strengths and how have you applied them in your professional career?”, or “describe an achievement of which you are especially proud”.

During the competency-based interview, listen carefully to the answers and ask follow-up questions to get more details. Observe the candidate’s body language and enthusiasm. Evaluate whether their answers demonstrate the competencies you are looking for.

If you want to take this process to another level, you can also support yourself with a competency evaluation tool.

In the end, review your notes and rate the candidate on each competency. Consider hiring whoever has shown the best fit to the desired profile.

Types of questions in the competency-based interview

The questions in a competency-based interview can be of various types, each with a different objective. As an interviewer, you should choose questions that help you evaluate the key professional skills and competencies for the position.

These are the different types of questions you can ask:

Closed questions

Closed questions require short answers, such as “yes” or “no”. For example: “Do you consider yourself a results-oriented person?”. These questions are useful for obtaining specific information, but limit the candidate’s responses.

Open questions

Open questions give the candidate the opportunity to respond in more detail. For example: “can you tell me about a situation in which you had to resolve a conflict at work?”.

The answers to open questions allow you to evaluate skills such as communication and gain a better understanding of the candidate’s experience.

Provocative questions

Provocative questions challenge the candidate and ask them to think creatively. For example: “how could this position be different in five years?”.

The answers to these questions indicate how the candidate faces the unknown and solves complex problems.

Hypothetical questions

Hypothetical questions present fictional scenarios to the candidate and ask them to explain how they would respond. For example: “suppose your boss asks you to complete an important project in a short time. How would you prioritize your tasks to ensure you complete it on time?”.

The answers show the candidate’s planning and problem-solving capacity.

A combination of these types of questions will help you conduct a comprehensive competency-based interview of the skills and potential of your candidate.

Examples of competency-based interview questions

In this section, we explore examples of competency-based interview questions in nine crucial areas.

1. Work flexibility

Can you provide an example of a situation in which you had to adapt to an unexpected change in your work environment?
Can you give me an example of a situation in which you had to quickly adapt to a change in job responsibilities?

2. Teamwork

How do you contribute to maintaining a positive and collaborative work climate in your team?
Describe a time when you had to collaborate with people from different departments to achieve a common goal. What was your contribution?

3. Conflict resolution

Can you give me an example of a situation in which you successfully mediated in a conflict with customers?
How do you address conflict situations between colleagues to ensure an appropriate resolution?

4. Leadership

Tell me about a situation in which you assumed a leadership role. What actions did you take and what was the outcome?
How do you foster motivation and development in your team as a leader?

5. Work productivity

How do you prioritize your tasks to remain highly productive at your job?
Can you provide examples of how you improved efficiency in your previous role?

6. Working under pressure

How do you face tight deadlines and situations of high pressure at work?
Can you describe an occasion when you had to deal with a work crisis effectively?

7. Learning capacity

How do you keep up to date in your field or industry?
Can you share an experience in which you acquired new skills or knowledge quickly to face a work challenge?

8. Customer orientation

How do you ensure that the needs of customers are a priority in your work?
Can you give an example of how you handled a situation with an unhappy customer?

9. Verbal communication

How do you make sure your communication with customers is effective and clear?
Can you share an experience in which your verbal communication skill was crucial in problem solving?

By using these competency-based interview questions, you will be able to more completely evaluate the skills and aptitudes of candidates, which will help you make more informed hiring decisions and build a strong.

Software to facilitate competency-based interviews

To make competency-based interviews easier, you can use talent management software. For example, Sesame HR offers an applicant tracking system (ATS) that allows you to post job openings and receive candidate applications directly on the platform.

Don’t miss any details of the hiring process. Easily access all the information you need, from posting the job vacancy to onboarding the selected candidate.

Automated notifications and assignments will keep everyone involved in the hiring process informed of the interview results.

Like a profile, but it doesn’t fit right now? You can save interesting candidates for future hires.

Don’t miss the chance to implement this powerful recruitment tool in your HR department. Keep reading in our resources section for more information. We are your go-to HR software!

Professional with over 20 years of extensive experience in various areas of Human Resources (Recruitment, Training, Occupational Risk Prevention, and Personnel Management). Experience in the Management Department: Broad understanding of the company and HR.

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cristinamartin

HR Content Specialist

How to conduct competency-based interviews to predict candidate performance