Competency Based Interviews are still here in 2025!

Have you been invited to a competency based or behaviour interview? Told you will be examined on behaviours or competencies? Or simply looking for brilliant competency and behaviour examples for your job application?

In this article, we provide you with your ultimate guide to competency based interview questions and answers. We list the most common competency based interview questions interviewers can ask and we talk about how to answer them.

We look in detail at some of the top competencies you are likely to be asked about in your interview including problem solving, planning and organising and many more.

What is a Competency Based Interview?

Competency Based Interviews have been around since the 1980s and are designed to bring fairness and objectivity to the recruitment process.

Here are three key ways in which competency based interviews differ from traditional ones.

1. A competency based interview is structured in format with all candidates asked the same questions in the same order. There will not be any opportunity for deviation from the pre-set list.
2. Questions will be competency based or behavioural and will ask you to give an example of a time when you performed a competency, task or skill successfully in the past. They will ask probing or follow on questions to gather evidence from you which supports your answer.
3. Your answers will be scored against a list of positive behaviours, strengths and expected keywords. Once you mention one of these they will score accordingly.

It might feel like a conversational encounter, but competency based interviews are in fact extremely structured. Each candidate is usually asked the same questions in the same order and with the same amount of time and prompting. This keeps the interview process fair to all candidates.

Many large and medium organisation use Competency Based Interviews as standard. Within Government or the Civil Service, the UN, Financial Institutions, the NHS, Insurance Companies, Law firms, you should expect competency based questions even if you are not told explicitly.

What Are Competency Based Interview Questions?

Competency based interview questions are phrased very specifically in such a way that you are encouraged to talk about a past experience, task or achievement. By giving an example of when you have demonstrated a particular competency, they hope to gain an insight into how you will perform when in the role.

Competency questions ask you to provide specific examples of how you dealt with a situation and usually start with:

• Tell me about a time when you….
• Give an example of a situation where….
• Describe a scenario….

While traditional interviews involve random open questioning, these interviews are more systematic, with each question targeting a specific competency.  The common aim is to use these specifically targeted competency questions to discover how well you match the requirements of the position.

In summary, whatever organisation, role or level you are being interviewed at you will be asked competency questions relating to some of these. Keep in mind the titles may vary slightly from one employer to another however the core skills and effective behaviours will be the same.

Our Top 10 Competency Based Interview Questions

Let’s get started with our top 10 competency based interview questions covering a range of the most common competencies. Take a moment and see how would you answer them:

1. Tell me about a time when you successfully conveyed your ideas to an individual or group so that they were able to understand and retain the message. (Communicating and Influencing Get answer)
2. Tell me about a time when you had to deliver bad news. What was the situation and what actions did you take? (Communication Get answer)
3. Describe for me a situation where you were required to gather a large amount of data, to analyse it objectively and to make a decision or a recommendation based on the results. (Effective Decision Making Get answer)
4. Talk me through a time when you had to implement challenging and measurable goals for your team. (Delivering at Pace/ Delivering Results Get answer)
5. Provide an example of a time when you did something exceptional. (Delivering at Pace Get answer)
6. Describe a situation when you were required to use your initiative to complete a complex task. (Initiative Get answer)
7. Give me an example of a time when you led a group of people to deliver a particularly difficult task. (Leadership Get answer)
8. Tell us about a time when you showed leadership. What did you learn from the experience? (Leadership Get answer)
9. Can you give me an example of a time when you have had to convince a person to do something that they were initially reluctant to do? (Communicating and Influencing Get answer)
10. Tell me about a time when you had to consider conflicting workloads, when planning a task or project. (Planning and Organising Get answer)

Civil Service Competency Based Interview Questions

The Civil Service success profiles framework includes 9 core behaviours as listed below. You will be expected to demonstrate effectiveness in usually 3-5 of these and the job description will outline which are relevant for your role.

You will be required either to provide a personal or behaviour statement on your application form which clearly demonstrates this competency. In your interview expect competency based questions exploring the relevant behaviour in depth.

Learn more about each of these behaviours and get relevant competency interview questions, answers, examples and sample statements.

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Developing Self and Others
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together

Communication Competency Interview Questions

Effective communication is one of the most common competencies required in almost all roles. Here are some common competency based questions with suggested anwer guides. To get detailed sample STAR answers click here.

• Give an example of a time when you had to communicate complex information to a group of people.
• Tell me about a time you had to explain a challenging idea to someone. How did you ensure they understood?
• Describe a situation where your communication skills helped resolve a problem or misunderstanding.
• Give an example of when you had to influence others to adopt your approach or idea.
• Tell me about a time you had to deliver difficult or sensitive information.

How to Answer Guide:

For all of these equations, a strong clear example is required using the STAR or IPAR structure.

Good communication involves a range of core skills and in your answer show how you actively listened, stayed calm, and clarified key points without assigning blame. Describe your use of diplomacy, open dialogue, and ensuring both sides felt heard. End with the resolution and how it improved working relationships or prevented future issue

Describe how you prepared, chose the right setting, and delivered the message with empathy and professionalism. Focus on your tone, body language, and support offered. Finish by showing how you maintained trust, handled follow-up questions, and kept communication open.

Achieving Results Competency Interview Questions

Another top competency they may examine you on in an interview and here are some common competency based questions you may encounter.

• Talk us through a project you delivered which had multiple challenges you had to overcome.
• Tell me about a time when you had to meet a tight deadline. What steps did you follow and why?
• Describe a situation where you had to overcome obstacles to achieve a goal.
• Give an example of a time you were given a task outside your normal responsibilities. How did you handle it?
• Tell me about a time when you had to prioritise. How did you stay on track and deliver results?

How to Answer Guide:

Structure your answer using the STAR technique, clearly outlining how you handled competing priorities, stayed organised, and ensured high standards. Describe any tools, systems, or techniques that helped you stay focused and meet deadlines. Emphasise your calm approach in challenging moments and how you consistently followed through to achieve results.

Illustrate how you responded swiftly to new demands, independently gathered the information you needed, and confidently owned the task. Demonstrate your proactive mindset, eagerness to learn, and willingness to step outside your typical responsibilities. Conclude by sharing the successful outcome and what it revealed about your adaptability and commitment.

Coping with Pressure Competency Interview Questions

For may roles how you deal with stress and how you cope with pressure will be assessed and here are some common competency based questions you may encounter.

• Tell me about a time when you were under significant pressure. How did you manage it?
• Describe a time when unexpected problems disrupted your work. What did you do?
• Give an example of when you had to deliver results while managing personal or team stress.
• Have you ever made a mistake under pressure? How did you handle it?

How to Answer Guide:

Use the STAR or IPAR method to organise your response. Set the scene by explaining the pressure—whether it involved tight timelines, conflicting priorities, or a high-stakes situation. Highlight how you remained composed, effectively managed your workload, and applied strategies like planning ahead or asking for help when needed.

Show how you kept your concentration, managed stress, and prevented burnout. Conclude by explaining the result of your actions, focusing on the positive outcome and how the experience improved your ability to handle future pressure with confidence and resilience.

Managing Conflict Competency Interview Questions

Here are a small selection of competency based interview questions related to Managing Conflict taken from the InterviewGold online training system.

How would you answer?

• Tell me about a time when you successfully resolved a conflict.
• Give us an example of a time when you experienced a conflict of interest.
• Describe a time when you had to manage conflict in your team or among your colleagues. How did you approach this situation and how did you resolve it?
• Talk through a time when you resolved a disagreement between members of your team or between teams or departments.
• Give an exampe of a time when a customer service issue escalated into a conflict. How did you resolve it?
• Describe a situation where a member of staff had different ways of working or different ideas about how best to achieve an outcome.

How to Answer Guide:

Put into simple terms, Managing Conflict includes the ability to identify and deal with clashes between people and/or agendas efficiently, sensibly and reasonably. Interviewers ask these questions because they want to find out about your own ability to manage conflicts and your general interpersonal skills

Use the STAR formula to structure your answer for maximum effectiveness, Choose a strong example which shows how you dealt with conflict successfully.

Remember conflicts can take place in all aspects of work and between any members of the team. A disagreement could occur between colleagues, departments or managers and it could be about anything from the best way to work on a new project to deciding to recruit more team members.

Differences of opinion and clashing perspectives can lead to disagreements both in and out of the workplace. When people are working closely together, it is inevitable that conflicts will happen. Furthermore, it is important to prospective employers that you can manage these disagreements effectively and fairly.

Problem Solving Competency Based Interview Questions

Problem Solving is a competency which is in demand from pretty much all employers. It refers to the act of effectively finding solutions to problems and successfully implementing them.

Here are a small selection of competency based interview questions related to Problem Solving taken from the InterviewGold online training system. How would you answer?

• Tell me about an occasion when you went out of your way or spent a significant amount of time analysing the cause of a particularly complicated problem. How did you proceed and what was the result?
• Tell me about a time when you had to apply technical or specialist knowledge in order to solve a problem.
• Can you describe a time when you have been proactive in finding a solution to a problem encountered by your customers.
• Talk us through a time when you noticed something going wrong with a task or project, perhaps an early indication that it just would not work. How did you deal with this issue so as to keep the activity on track?
• Describe a time when you came up with an innovative solution to a problem that had been around for some time and nobody else could solve.
• Outline a situation when you realised that a significant mistake had been made that could have derailed a project being delivered on time and describe how you resolved it successfully.

How to Answer Guide:

Use the STAR formula to structure your answer and choose a recent relevant example clearly demonstrating your problem solving skills. Here are some tips to make your answer powerful.

Problem solving means being proactive and positive and your answer must reflect this. It is best to show that you are aware of and look for issues constantly, you don’t shy away and wait for instructions or worse wait until the problem gets bigger before you do something about it.

In your answer, show that you can recognise a problem, analysing it objectively using your experience, initiative and intelligence. Problem solving involves developing and implementing solutions having considered a variety of alternatives and options along with comparing the risks and benefits of each option as well as their impact. At all times you must apply clear pre-set procedures or policies as per your department or organisation.

Planning and Organising Competency Based Interview Questions

Here are a small selection of competency based interview questions related to Planning and Organising taken from the InterviewGold online training system. How would you answer?

• Give an example which shows your ability to manage your own time and objectives.
• Describe a time when you have used your organisational skills effectively to complete an important activity. What did you learn from the experience?
• Outline a scenario where you hit a tight deadline which required real disciple in terms of your time management.
• Describe  time when you achieved your goals on time even though you were given additional tasks or where obstacles were put in your way. How did you prioritised them.
• Talk me through a time when you had multiple projects to manage, all with demanding deadlines. How did you do and what particular challenges did this present?

Discover the most likely Planning and Organising questions they can ask and get brilliant answers created for you by our powerful Answer Builder.

How to Answer Guide:

Again Use the STAR formula to structure your answer and  here are some tips to make your answer powerful.

In your answer clearly detail how with proper planning, organisation and prioritisation, you can get more done while saving your team and department both time and money.

Mention how planning involves having an objective in mind with a clear vision of the end result and how you will get there. As well as having the final goal in mind, planning will often require setting regular objectives or milestones which can help to track and evaluate your progress. With planning, you may choose to set up an action plan if it is a specific project. Alternatively, it may suit you to have a schedule or timetable with deadlines so that you can manage your time well.

Organising follows on from planning, by knowing your objectives and how to meet them through planning and prioritising. This can help you to maintain focus on your goals and ensure you can manage all of your responsibilities, activities and commitments effectively. Organising can cover simple aspects such as keeping your workflow logical through to establishing and managing tasks and project teams.

Prioritising enables you to focus on the most important and urgent tasks. When there are multiple deadlines and activities to plan and organise, you need to prioritise where your focus should lie.

Competency Based Interview Questions for Managers

Are you seeking a role in management or a leadership post? It can be very exciting to get moving up the career ladder and to have the extra responsibility for perhaps managing a team for the first time or taking on a larger group. However, you have to get past the interview and you should expect questions exploring your readiness to succeed in the promotion.

For example, how would you answer these common competency based interview questions for management or leadership posts:

• Give us an example which shows that you can inspire and motivate a team to get the very best performance from them.  (Leadership Get answer)
• Tell me about a time you helped someone develop new skills. What approach did you use to get them up to the required level of performance how successful would you say you were? (Leadership Get answer)
• Talk through a situation where you had to develop a solution to a complex problem which could not be resolved by using existing methods. (Problem Solving Get answer)
• Tell me about a time you had to persuade your team to implement an unpopular policy or procedure. (Communicating and Influencing Get answer)
• Describe a recent situation when you worked across departments successfully. (Seeing the Big Picture Get answer)
• Lead us through an example which shows your ability to manage resources effectively. (Managing a Quality Service Get answer)
• Tell me more about your ability to initiate change and give an example when this resulted in an improvement. (Changing and Improving Get answer)

When answering you need to show the positive behaviours that will score highest including an ability to promote diversity and inclusion, being open to the views of others, to take them on board with respect, being able to inspire, share a vision and ultimately motivate your team to deliver their goals, overcoming challenges.

The InterviewGold online training system is designed to give you competency based interview questions and answers relevant to your level from starter up to Senior Manager. It includes template interview answers for all the core competencies which you can use to help create your own winning answers.

How to Answer Competency Based Interview Questions Like a Pro

For so many candidates these competency based, behavioural or situational interview questions can pose real challenges. However, the good news is that giving top answers is a skill that can be learnt.

The key to a great interview answer lies in a combination of choosing a good example to talk about and bringing proper structure to it.

1. Use the STAR or IPAR Structure

Most competency based and behavioural based interview questions require you to give an example of a situation with which you have been involved. This sounds straightforward however it is very easy to give a long rambling answer resulting in a low score. The key to an effective and top scoring competency interview answer lies in its structure and there are two standard formulas we recommend:

1. The STAR technique = This method is also referred to as the CAR or PAR technique and gives a logical process to create and deliver your answer. Learn more about the STAR Method here.

2. The iPAR technique = Similar to the STAR technique and is favoured by us as it brings greater focus on using a powerful introduction summarising the achievement. We suggest always answering in the first person using ‘I’ rather than ‘we’, even if your example refers to a team effort. The interviewers want to hear about what you did and if you constantly use ‘we’ it could weaken your answer. While we favour the iPAR technique, feel free to use whichever you are most familiar and comfortable with.

2. Choose Strong, Relevant Examples For Each Competency

So firstly, when preparing your competency based interview answers, we suggest choosing examples based on real experiences you have had. Avoid the temptation to invent or embellish and most importantly do not use a template answer from a book or online as you run the risk of being caught out by probing questions.

The situation you talk through in your answer must be relevant to the competency being explored. So for example if they ask about Communication, your example must demonstrate your skills when communicating, be it to an individual or group, verbally or in writing but it must be focussed.

In addition, it must be sufficiently complex and detailed to show that you understand what is required in the target role, that you possess the relevant core competency and can use it effectively in a variety of scenarios.

Your answers will be scored and these will depend on the extent of your preparation. Use the job description or advertisement to know the essential competencies required and for each prepare examples of situations where you used these skills to achieve a successful outcome.

How do I Prepare For a Competency Base Interview?

Yes, competency based interview can be a challenge and many clients we coach struggle with getting their answers right. Having said that with proper preparation, success will come.

Here are our top tips to help you breeze through your competency interview.

1. Analyse the Requirements: Start by thoroughly reading the job description and identifying the key competencies required, such as teamwork, leadership, communication, or problem-solving.
2. Review Your Experience: Once you know what they’re looking for, reflect on your past experiences where you demonstrated those behaviours successfully.
3. Choose Your Examples: Preparing for a competency-based interview involves more than just reviewing your CV—it requires a strategic approach to showcasing your skills through real-life examples.
4. Use STAR or IPAR Formula: Structure your answers using the STAR method—describe the Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This helps you stay focused and ensures your responses are clear and relevant. Practice your answers aloud to build confidence and fluency.
5. Tailor Your Examples: Research the organisation and understand their values, as your examples should align with their culture and goals. Tailor each story to show not just what you did, but how you did it and the impact it had.

Finally, bring a positive mindset. Competency-based interviews are your opportunity to prove your value through real results—be honest, confident, and ready to tell your professional story with purpose.

Top Tip: InterviewGold makes your preparation really easy. Learn more about how it works here.

Sample Competency Based Interview Answer – Use This as a Guide

One of the most common competencies is Achieving Results, also known as Delivering Results or Delivering at Pace, the latter used in Civil Service roles. Here is a sample interview answer to a question relating to that competency for a middle management post using the STAR formula mentioned above.

Note the use of “I” throughout and note too the use of a powerful lead sentence which summarises the achievement and sets up the rest of the answer to come. This is a great selling tool and designed to get the attention of the interviewer.

Remember to tell it like a story, as this will better engage the interviewer.

Answer Any Competency Interview Question With 100% Confidence

Are you struggling with competency or behavioural based interviews? Getting tongue tied, going blank and unsure how to answer correctly? Perhaps you are doing ok in the interview room but just not getting jobs?

Whatever your situation, preparation is vital and to be more precise the ‘right’ preparation is key. With the InterviewGold online training system your interview preparation is done for you and you have access to a comprehensive range of interview questions, answers and advice all tailored to your target job.

Just enter your target job and employer and it will show you the interview questions most likely to arise in your actual interview. Plus it will create expert STAR sample answers all fully personalised to you and proven to help you win the job offer in your very next interview.