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Competency based interviews are a very common interview format, especially popular in large companies with standardised interview processes.

## What is a competency based interview?

Competency based interviews require you to give examples from your past experience when you have demonstrated a particular skill (or competency). They often appear in the form of "Tell me about a time you..." questions.

In this article I’m going to reveal the strategy I use to make these interviews less of a memory challenge and more of a victory lap.
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In this article I’m going to reveal the strategy I use to make these interviews less of a memory challenge and more of a victory lap.
In this page we'll reveal the strategy used by many to make these interviews less of a memory challenge and more of a victory lap.


## What is the goal of a competency interview?

But first, let’s consider why this is considered to be a useful interview format:

1. Interview consistency. If you have to interview 10+ people for a role, being able to ask them all the exact same question makes them easier to compare at the decision making stage.
2. Past behaviour is a good indicator of future performance. If you can show evidence of good decision making, conflict resolution, customer service, problem solving etc, in your past, it is likely you’ll bring those traits to your next role.
3. Lower bias in questioning. If you ask a predefined set of questions, you reduce the risk of introducing unfair bias to the interview process. You give everyone an equal chance to showcase their experience.

So why do some hiring managers consider them to be less that useful?

1. Interview-induced amnesia. The stress and nerves of an interview can cause a candidate to completely freeze up when put on the spot (something I hope this article will prevent happening to you). I’ve seen people with years of experience in the service industry be unable to think of a single time they delivered good customer service.
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1. Interview-induced amnesia. The stress and nerves of an interview can cause a candidate to completely freeze up when put on the spot (something I hope this article will prevent happening to you). I’ve seen people with years of experience in the service industry be unable to think of a single time they delivered good customer service.
1. Interview-induced amnesia. The stress and nerves of an interview can cause a candidate to completely freeze up when put on the spot (something we hope this content will prevent happening to you). People with years of experience in the service industry can freeze and be unable to think of a single time they delivered good customer service.

2. They disproportionately disadvantage younger/less experienced candidates. These questions become easier to answer the more life and work experience you have. Some may argue that’s a good thing — that more experienced candidates are better and should be preferred. I don’t think it’s that simple, and I don’t think experienced candidates should get that kind of systematic head start in the hiring process.
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Too much?

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2. They disproportionately disadvantage younger/less experienced candidates. These questions become easier to answer the more life and work experience you have. Some may argue that’s a good thing — that more experienced candidates are better and should be preferred. I don’t think it’s that simple, and I don’t think experienced candidates should get that kind of systematic head start in the hiring process.
2. They disproportionately disadvantage younger/less experienced candidates. These questions become easier to answer the more life and work experience you have. Some may argue that’s a good thing — that more experienced candidates are better and should be preferred. At CodeYourFuture, we believe the opposite - our Software Engineers are as talented as any other professional. So we want to give you the tools to stand out.

3. They focus too much on past performance and not enough on future potential. When it comes to making junior engineering hires, hiring managers are hiring for potential and focusing so heavily on what a candidate has done in the past has limited scope for assessing what they might be able to achieve in the future.

## A winning strategy

So. How do we beat these interviews without memorising the answers to 100 possible questions? It’s a two step process:

1. Identify what the question is really asking you
2. Roll out your prepared answer for that underlying question

### Step 1: Identify what the question is really asking you

There are hundreds of possible competency questions that an interview may throw at you. Far too many to prepare answers for all of them, and this is what causes your mind to go blank.

But those hundreds of possibilities collapse down into just a handful of categories and one of your prepared real-life examples may provide a solid answer for _all_ of the questions under that category.

Let’s consider a few examples:

- “Can you provide an example of a time when you encountered a conflict within your team? How did you approach resolving it?”

- “Tell me about a challenging situation where you had a difference of opinion with a team member. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?”

- “Describe a time when you had to mediate a disagreement between two team members. What steps did you take to address the issue and ensure a resolution?”

- “Share an experience where you had to collaborate with a difficult team member. How did you manage the situation and maintain a productive working relationship?”

At first glance these might all appear to be different questions…but they’re not. The underlying question the interview is really asking you is:

**Tell me about a time you demonstrated conflict resolution skills**

That’s the _competency_ they are assessing (hence the name of the interview). The specifics of the question are largely just window dressing. If you have 2–3 prepared scenarios regarding conflict resolution and the times you have demonstrated it, you’ll always have an answer for the dozens of possible questions under that category.

Another example? Why not:

- “Tell me about a time when you actively contributed to the success of a team project. What was your role, and how did your contributions positively impact the outcome?”

- “Describe a situation where you had to collaborate with a diverse group of individuals to achieve a common goal. How did you navigate different perspectives and ensure effective teamwork?”

- “Tell me about a time when you took the initiative to foster a collaborative environment within your team. What actions did you take to promote cooperation and enhance team dynamics?”

- “Tell me about a project where you had to work under tight deadlines. How did you collaborate with your team to ensure timely completion and manage the workload effectively?”

So what’s the underlying question here? What’s the competency being assessed by these questions?

It’s teamwork, right? When the questions are stacked up like this, it might seem trivial, but in the heat of an interview, you can get lost in the specifics of the question. And the underlying question?

**Tell me about a time you worked effectively within a team**

Have 2–3 scenarios prepared that address team working and you’ve covered an entire category (and by far the most commonly assessed one at that).

So what are the major categories and most commonly encountered underlying questions?

1. Team working: “_Tell me about a time you worked effectively within a team”_
2. Communication skills: “_Tell me about a time you had to communicate complex/difficult information to a specific audience_”
3. Problem solving: “_Tell me about a time you solved a complex problem_”
4. Customer service: “_Tell me about a time you delivered good customer service in a difficult situation?”_
5. Time management: _“Tell me about a time you had to organise your time effectively”_
6. Learning/Development: _“Tell me about a time you had to learn something new to complete a task/objective”_

There’s many more, but those are the ones that come up all the time in my experience. So your job is to have 2–3 prepared answers to these 6 underlying questions. Why 2–3? Because sometimes interviewers ask two questions from the same category and you don’t want to repeat yourself.
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There’s many more, but those are the ones that come up all the time in my experience. So your job is to have 2–3 prepared answers to these 6 underlying questions. Why 2–3? Because sometimes interviewers ask two questions from the same category and you don’t want to repeat yourself.
There’s many more, but those are the ones that come up all the time. So your job is to have 2–3 prepared answers to these 6 underlying questions. Why 2–3? Because sometimes interviewers ask two questions from the same category and you don’t want to repeat yourself.


### Step 2: Roll out your prepared answer for that underlying question

So now we have a dozen or more prepared answers to the underlying questions that we are expecting to be asked. How can we take our answers to the next level?

**Tip 1**: Use The STAR Method. The STAR method is like your trusty guide to acing competency interview questions. It’s all about breaking down your answer into four simple parts: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. First, you set the scene and talk about the Situation you faced. Then, you mention the Task or challenge you had to tackle. Next comes the exciting part — the Actions you took to tackle the challenge head-on. And finally, you wrap it up by sharing the Results you achieved. The STAR method helps you tell a compelling story that highlights your skills, problem-solving abilities, and the impact you made.

Let’s see the STAR method in action:

**“Tell me about a time you worked effectively within a team”**

And the answer:

**Situation:** I was part of a team in college working on a group project for our marketing class.

**Task:** Our task was to develop a comprehensive marketing campaign for a fictional product and present it to the class.

**Action:** To work effectively within the team, we divided the project into smaller tasks and assigned responsibilities based on each team member’s strengths. We held regular meetings to discuss our progress, share ideas, and address any challenges. I actively listened to my teammates, provided support when needed, and encouraged open communication. We also utilised collaborative tools to streamline our workflow and ensure everyone was on the same page.

**Result:** As a result of our effective teamwork, we were able to create a well-coordinated and impactful marketing campaign. Each team member played a crucial role in contributing their ideas and executing their assigned tasks. Our presentation received positive feedback from both our classmates and the professor. Working effectively as a team not only enhanced the quality of our project but also fostered a positive and supportive group dynamic.



That’s an answer worthy of a gold STAR — if I do say so myself.
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That’s an answer worthy of a gold STAR — if I do say so myself.
That’s an answer worthy of a gold STAR.


**Tip 2**: “Tailor” your answer. Where possible, select the prepared answer in your collection to best fit the _specific_ question being asked. If you have been asked a conflict resolution question about a co-worker, it is better to pick a scenario about a co-worker than, for example a conflict resolution involving a customer — another reason to have at least 2 answers for each category.

## A bonus tip

But what if you can’t tailor your answer or if the question is too specific to use any of your pre-prepared answers? Here’s my secret tip…Offer an alternative question and answer that instead. To continue with the conflict resolution with a co-worker example, let’s say I’ve never quarrelled with a co-worker, or at least, I don’t have an answer ready for that, but I do have a conflict resolution scenario with a customer ready to go…ask the interviewer if you can answer _that_ question instead — and then answer it. Not only does it sidestep awkward silences, it shows adaptability, flexibility and gives you an opportunity to showcase your experience in a different way. I’ve done this in many interview situations, and nobody has ever pulled me up on it or refused to let me answer my alternative question.
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I agree this is a good strategy but I think it's important to highlight that you should tell the interviewer you are answering a slightly different question. I know you've said that but I think it would be good to emphasise it more because I have had so many people answering different questions to the one I've asked in interviews which can often be a sign or poor listening skills.

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But what if you can’t tailor your answer or if the question is too specific to use any of your pre-prepared answers? Here’s my secret tip…Offer an alternative question and answer that instead. To continue with the conflict resolution with a co-worker example, let’s say I’ve never quarrelled with a co-worker, or at least, I don’t have an answer ready for that, but I do have a conflict resolution scenario with a customer ready to go…ask the interviewer if you can answer _that_ question instead — and then answer it. Not only does it sidestep awkward silences, it shows adaptability, flexibility and gives you an opportunity to showcase your experience in a different way. I’ve done this in many interview situations, and nobody has ever pulled me up on it or refused to let me answer my alternative question.
But what if you can’t tailor your answer or if the question is too specific to use any of your pre-prepared answers? Here’s the secret tip… Offer an alternative question and answer that instead. To continue with the conflict resolution with a co-worker example, let’s say I’ve never quarrelled with a co-worker, or at least, I don’t have an answer ready for that, but I do have a conflict resolution scenario with a customer ready to go…ask the interviewer if you can answer _that_ question instead — and then answer it. Not only does it sidestep awkward silences, it shows adaptability, flexibility and gives you an opportunity to showcase your experience in a different way. You are still giving an example of the competency they are evaluating..


So to finish up — let’s look at how that alternative question exchange might look like:

**Interviewer:** “Can you provide an example of a time when you encountered a conflict within your team? How did you approach resolving it?”

**Candidate:** “Hmm…nothing is immediately springing to mind right now, but perhaps I can tell you about a time when I had to resolve a conflict with a customer instead? — during my last role <and insert your STAR pre-prepared answer here>”

And if you do find yourself completely stuck for an answer — don’t panic, just say “nothing is coming to my mind right now, perhaps we can continue with the next question and if an answer pops into my head later, we can circle back”. It happens to everyone.
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Many hiring managers claim that they know whether a candidate is a good fit for a role within the first 5 minutes of an interview. It takes me a little longer than that, but more than one candidate has run aground trying to navigate the first question I ask in every single interview I conduct.
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Many hiring managers claim that they know whether a candidate is a good fit for a role within the first 5 minutes of an interview. It takes me a little longer than that, but more than one candidate has run aground trying to navigate the first question I ask in every single interview I conduct.
Many hiring managers claim that they know whether a candidate is a good fit for a role within the first 5 minutes of an interview. It usually takes a little longer than that, but more than one candidate has run aground trying to navigate the first question most interviewers ask in the interview.


*Can you tell me a little about yourself?*

Many simple things conceal hidden depths, and judging by the occasional startled, or even panicked expressions of the candidates I have interviewed, this question is no different.
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Many simple things conceal hidden depths, and judging by the occasional startled, or even panicked expressions of the candidates I have interviewed, this question is no different.
Many simple things conceal hidden depths, and judging by the occasional startled, or even panicked expressions of the candidates, this question is no different.


Before we discuss what constitutes a "good" answer to this question, let's consider why I ask it in every interview — from interns to senior engineering leaders.
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Before we discuss what constitutes a "good" answer to this question, let's consider why I ask it in every interview — from interns to senior engineering leaders.
Before we discuss what constitutes a "good" answer to this question, let's consider why it iis asked in every interview — from interns to senior engineering leaders.


1. **It breaks the ice.** Interviews are stressful, particularly for the candidates and giving the candidate a chance to speak about something they should know a lot about (themselves) often has a visibly calming effect.
2. **It hands control of the interview to the candidate** by allowing the candidate to tell me what they think are the most important aspects of themselves. Most candidates will use this opportunity to speak about their career or qualifications and their suitability for the role, but sometimes a candidate will also choose to talk about their families or their non-work passions.
3. **It's a completely open ended question.** No other question offers the same scope for a candidate to demonstrate their communication skills, their personality and their time-management.
4. **It opens a conversation, not an interrogation.** While this is always my first question, my second question differs from candidate to candidate, because it is driven by their answer to the first. It is not unusual for me to get 30 minutes through that first interview without needing to reach for my prepared questions. And a conversation will always convey more information than an examination.
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4. **It opens a conversation, not an interrogation.** While this is always my first question, my second question differs from candidate to candidate, because it is driven by their answer to the first. It is not unusual for me to get 30 minutes through that first interview without needing to reach for my prepared questions. And a conversation will always convey more information than an examination.
4. **It opens a conversation, not an interrogation.** While this is mostly the first question, the second question can be driven by your answer to the first. A conversation will always convey more information than an examination.


I hope you can see just how powerful a tool this simple question can be. So why does it go wrong so often? Why is this question, more than any other, the one that sinks a candidate's chances? There are three fatal mistakes/problems that I've seen come up time and again.
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I hope you can see just how powerful a tool this simple question can be. So why does it go wrong so often? Why is this question, more than any other, the one that sinks a candidate's chances? There are three fatal mistakes/problems that I've seen come up time and again.
Can see just how powerful a tool this simple question can be. So why does it go wrong so often? Why is this question, more than any other, the one that sinks a candidate's chances? There are three fatal mistakes/problems that I've seen come up time and again.


## Three fatal mistakes

### 1. The all-too-brief answer

Whether as a result of no preparation, a nerves-induced brain freeze, or just poor communication skills, many unsuccessful candidates have attempted to answer this question in the form of a tweet — and a pre-2017 140 character tweet at that.

*"I'm Jack, I'm a software engineer and I'm here to interview for the role of senior software engineer with your company"* (118 chars) is boring, gives me nothing I can follow up on and is all information I already know. As I outline above — this is an important question. Give it some effort.

### 2. The NeverEnding Story answer

This is far less common than a too-brief answer, but it has happened from time-to-time. I had one recent interview where the candidate spent 35 minutes answering this question — on a 45 minute call. He detailed every role he'd ever had and every project he'd ever been involved in. My co-interviewer faked a schedule clash to justify dropping off the call halfway through — if only I'd thought of that first. Be selective in what you choose to highlight.
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This is far less common than a too-brief answer, but it has happened from time-to-time. I had one recent interview where the candidate spent 35 minutes answering this question — on a 45 minute call. He detailed every role he'd ever had and every project he'd ever been involved in. My co-interviewer faked a schedule clash to justify dropping off the call halfway through — if only I'd thought of that first. Be selective in what you choose to highlight.
This is far less common than a too-brief answer, but it has happened from time-to-time. One of our volunteers had a recent interview where the candidate spent 35 minutes answering this question — on a 45 minute call. He detailed every role he'd ever had and every project he'd ever been involved in. Be selective in what you choose to highlight.


### 3. The incoherent answer

This interview question offers insight into how the candidate communicates, for good and for bad. Modern software development is as much about good communication as it is about programming language syntax and design patterns — more so, even. When a candidate rambles aimlessly, hops from point to point, abandons sentences mid-way through, or is generally unintelligible, that's a bad start to an interview. And ultimately, that's how I will assume you're going to communicate whenever I ask for a project status update or how your weekend was.
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This interview question offers insight into how the candidate communicates, for good and for bad. Modern software development is as much about good communication as it is about programming language syntax and design patterns — more so, even. When a candidate rambles aimlessly, hops from point to point, abandons sentences mid-way through, or is generally unintelligible, that's a bad start to an interview. And ultimately, that's how I will assume you're going to communicate whenever I ask for a project status update or how your weekend was.
This interview question offers insight into how the candidate communicates, for good and for bad. Modern software development is as much about good communication as it is about programming language syntax and design patterns — more so, even. When a candidate rambles aimlessly, hops from point to point, abandons sentences mid-way through, or is generally unintelligible, that's a bad start to an interview. And ultimately, that's how many interviewers will assume you're going to communicate whenever you are asked for a project status update or how your weekend was.


## The solution

Now the good news is, all of these problems can be avoided with one simple hack: **Prepare an answer.**

This question (or the many variants of it) is certainly the most common interview question by a wide margin. Having a prepared answer for it is essential.

So what does a good answer to this look like? Well…that depends on you. Your best answer to this question is the one that presents you in the best possible light — but the colour of that light is individual to you.

As an example — my best answer to his question will be very different to that offered by an early career developer, because while I might want to present myself as a grizzled veteran who is a "safe pair of hands", an early career developer may want to project enthusiasm and a passion for learning new things.
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As an example — my best answer to his question will be very different to that offered by an early career developer, because while I might want to present myself as a grizzled veteran who is a "safe pair of hands", an early career developer may want to project enthusiasm and a passion for learning new things.
As an example from a CYF volunteer: "My best answer to his question will be very different to that offered by an early career developer, because while I might want to present myself as a grizzled veteran who is a "safe pair of hands", an early career developer may want to project enthusiasm and a passion for learning new things."


## Guidelines for your answer

**Length:** 1-2 minutes is a nice length, but you can go up to 3 or 4 if you have enough relevant things to talk about — for example, a long career that you want to summarise.

**Topics to touch on:**

- Your experience, e.g. *"I've got x years of experience in backend development"*
- Your most recent role, e.g. *"I've been doing cool stuff at this company for the last x years"*
- Why you are interested in this role, e.g. *"I'm currently looking for a new role that will offer me opportunities to develop in areas x, y, and z"*

**Topics to avoid:**

- Criticism of yourself — this isn't the time to tell me you suck at paperwork (true story)
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- Criticism of yourself — this isn't the time to tell me you suck at paperwork (true story)
- Criticism of yourself — this isn't the time to tell them you suck at paperwork (true story)

- Inappropriate personal information — I don't need to know that you have a bad relationship with your family (true story)
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- Inappropriate personal information — I don't need to know that you have a bad relationship with your family (true story)
- Inappropriate personal information — the interviewer doesn't need to know that you have a bad relationship with your family (true story)

- Badmouthing current/past employer — don't do this; no matter how eloquently you describe your past employer's faults, there's a little voice in the back of my head wondering if you were the problem (many true stories)
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- Badmouthing current/past employer — don't do this; no matter how eloquently you describe your past employer's faults, there's a little voice in the back of my head wondering if you were the problem (many true stories)
- Badmouthing current/past employer — don't do this; no matter how eloquently you describe your past employer's faults, there's a little voice in the back of the interviewer wondering if you were the problem (many true stories)


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Another answer that puts me off that I've seen a lot here is if a candidate goes straight in for the hard sell, "I am Natalie and I'd be great for this job because of X,Y,Z". No harm in highlighting all your great skills and experience but I didn't ask "Why should we hire you".

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Yes, great idea!

## Examples

So that's all theory — what might this answer look like in practice? Below I've drafted a few brief (but not too brief) answers to this question that I might have asked at various points in my career.
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So that's all theory — what might this answer look like in practice? Below I've drafted a few brief (but not too brief) answers to this question that I might have asked at various points in my career.
So that's all theory — what might this answer look like in practice? Below are a few brief (but not too brief) answers to this question that this volunteer might have asked at various points in my career.


### Early career James

I'm James, and I'm a recent graduate from Aston University in Electronic Engineering and Computer Science. As part of my degree I did a 12 month industrial placement with Service Birmingham as a .NET developer working on management information systems for Adult Education Providers. During my final year, I was the Aston University nominee for the City of Birmingham Silver Jubilee Engineering Award that recognises the best engineering student across all the universities in Birmingham. Right now I'm looking for graduate roles that will enable me to grow and strengthen my skills as a software developer.

### Mid career James

I'm James, and I'm a mid-level software engineer with 4 years of experience, working primarily in .NET development roles in the local government sector. My most recent role was with Service Birmingham, who are responsible for Birmingham City Council's ICT provision. As part of that role I lead the development of the City Council's Public Consultation Database, which was launched last year. Right now I am looking for a role that offers new challenges — in particular I would like to broaden my horizons beyond the .NET stack and make use of my knowledge of data science and machine learning.

### Current career James

I'm James and I'm an experienced engineer and engineering leader with 17 years of experience across the public, private and academic sectors. My most recent role has been as a CTO of an ad-tech startup, where I lead a team of X engineers. Our software has been rolled out worldwide to Xm people and has been trusted by major brands such as BigCo and BiggerCo, but my wider career has seen me touch on a number of individual contributor and management roles, across software development, data science and artificial intelligence research. I'm currently looking for a role where someone will pay me to sit on a beach and drink cocktails (call me!).

---

I hope this has been useful. It might seem like a lot of effort for what is, after all, just one of many questions you will be facing in your interview. But remember: **you only get one shot at a first impression. Make it a good one.**
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I hope this has been useful. It might seem like a lot of effort for what is, after all, just one of many questions you will be facing in your interview. But remember: **you only get one shot at a first impression. Make it a good one.**
It might seem like a lot of effort for what is, after all, just one of many questions you will be facing in your interview. But remember: **you only get one shot at a first impression. Make it a good one.**

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