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Competency
based interviews
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Sometimes known as situational or behavioural interviews,

this style of interview is commonly used by UK businesses,
never more so than in the pharma sector when recruiting
pharmaceutical physicians. Delivering structured and specific
replies to competency based questions is crucial for success.

If a company needs a consistent base of capability Hiring the wrong person today is costly in terms of
for achieving improved performance and readiness recruiting and hiring costs and in lost productivity.
for leadership roles, they also need to select for Competencies predict performance better than
those same capabilities. experience, technical skills, aptitude or personality.

While skills and knowledge can be taught, there are Traditional (non-behavioral) interviews do not
varying opinions in the field about whether certain predict performance. Lucia and Lepsinger (1999)
attributes can be developed or whether employees state, “By clarifying what specific behaviors and
must be selected who already demonstrate the use practices make for employee effectiveness,
of those attributes. For example, many organisations competency models increase the likelihood ….
today define “flexibility” as a core requirement. of placing the right people into the right jobs.”

Can you teach people who are rigid in their behavior Organisational talent management today requires
to become “flexible?” Some would argue you can the alignment of multiple human resource functions
because people aren’t born flexible. It’s a learned including selection, development, performance
characteristic of behavior. However, the more pertin- management and succession management. The
ent question is, should the business have to teach it most effective way to align these functions for the
or should they select candidates who already benefit of the organisation and employees at all
demonstrate “flexibility” in the way needed by the levels is through use of competency models.
organisation?

As organizations evolve and create new strategic

plans to meet ever-changing business challenges,
they are also defining their ideal talent profile. Talent
profiles are future-focused, answering questions such
as, “What will we need people to be able to do to Competency based interviews
achieve our business goals in the next 3-5 years or
longer?” “What kind of leadership will we need to are based on the premise that
achieve the growth and profitability we are targeting?”
Talent profiles are based on competencies, so
past behaviour is a likely
interviews and the selection process must be aligned. predictor of future behaviour.
Organisations are moving or changing so fast, par-
ticularly in the pharma sector, that there is less time
than ever to hire “green” talent and develop those
employees to meet company expectations and fit
the company culture over several years.
Competency based interviews are based on
the premise that past behaviour is a likely
Applicants who ignore or
predictor of future behaviour. The interviewer
will seek examples of past behaviour that
provide him/her with concrete evidence that
gloss over competencies
you have the necessary competencies to
succeed in the job.
do so at their own peril. Be
The word ‘competency’ is widely used in
business to refer to the behaviours necessary
to achieve organisational goals. A competency
positive and see this as an
is something quantifiable and measurable.

Interview questions are carefully designed to

opportunity to communicate
probe specific skills, competencies and
characteristics which are relevant to job
success for the position in question. Typically, competencies that may not
questions will be structured in the format,
● Describe a situation when you ... be apparent from your CV.
● Give an example of a time when you ...

After providing examples, the interviewer may

delve deeper, prompting you for more detail.

Although each interview may vary in terms of

questions asked and competencies reviewed,
certain themes are frequently explored,

Individual competencies - your personal

attributes: flexibility, decisiveness, tenacity,
independence, risk taking, personal integrity
Sample competency questions
Managerial competencies - managing
other people: leadership, empowerment, Problem solving and judgment
strategic planning, corporate sensitivity,
project management, financial awareness How do you identify problems and find
solutions. Do you consider external and
Analytical competencies - decision making: internal factors before making decisions. Do
innovation, analytical skills, problem solving, you understand when a problem can be solved
knowing when to act, practical learning, without further involvement and when others
information assimilation, attention to detail need to help find a solution?

Interpersonal competencies - dealing

with other people: communication, impact, 1. Tell me about a time when you had to
persuasiveness, diplomacy, intuition, self- identify the underlying causes to a
awareness, negotiation, teamwork, openness problem.
2. Describe a time when you had to ana-
Motivational competencies - things that en- lyse a problem and generate a solution.
ergise you: resilience, challenge, motivation, 3. Tell me about a situation where you
achievement, initiative, focus on quality, drive had to solve a problem or make
for results a decision that required careful
thought. What did you do?

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Self-management, self-motivation and Personal and career objectives

self-knowledge
Employers will invest heavily in your training
Do you always strive to achieve a standard of and development and want to ensure that
excellence, use initiative at the appropriate your objectives don’t conflict with theirs.
time and show persistence in pursuing goals?
Accurate self-assessment skills will allow you 1. What are your short and long-term
to be objective and critical in evaluating your goals?
strengths and weaknesses. 2. When and why did you establish
these goals and how are you pre-
1. Tell me about a time when you acted paring yourself to achieve them?
over and above the expectations of 3. What are the most important things
your role. you are seeking in a career?
2. How would you describe yourself?
3. How do you think a close friend who
knows you well would describe you?

Ability, competence and achievement Adaptability

Designed to discover what inspires you and How quickly and how positively will you adapt
motivates you to achieve and whether you to changes in work practices, work roles and
are a loner or a team person. work environments and the general flux of the
modern workplace? How do you manage or
1. What two or three accomplishments avoid stress?
have given you the most satisfaction?
Why? 1. Tell me about a time when you changed
2. Describe a time when you led or your priorities to meet others’
motivated others. expectations.
3. What do you feel qualifies you for this 2. Describe a time when you altered your
position? own behaviour to fit the situation.
4. Tell me about a time when you dealt 3. Tell me about a time when you had to
with a problem in your organisation. change your point of view or your plans
What did you do? What would you to take into account new information or
now do differently? changing priorities.

Conflict management and ethics Administrative skills

How do you behave in a crisis? What does it These are generally checking that you work
take to shake your poise or self-confidence? effectively, understand generic workplace
What approach do you take to problem routines and haveexperience of common office
solving? software and administration systems.

1. Tell me about a significant crisis you 1. Tell me how you organise your work and
have faced. schedule your time.
2. Tell me about a difficult customer or a 2. Tell me about computer software
customer complaint that you have applications you are familiar with and
dealt with. your experience in using them.
3. How did you resolve conflict in the 3. Tell me about your experience of managing
team you were part of? How could you a budget. What went well?
have resolved it differently? What didn’t go well and why?
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Problem solving and decision making Client focus

What’s your problem-solving style? Do you 1. Give an example of how you provided
manage your activities to minimise or avoid service to a client/stakeholder beyond
them? How do you behave in a crisis? their expectations. How did you identify
the need? How did you respond
1. Tell me about a difficult decision that 2. Tell me about a time when you had to
you have made. deal with a client/stakeholder issue.
2. What significant problems have you
faced in the last year? 3. Describe a situation in which you acted
3. How do you work under pressure? as an advocate within your organisation
4. Tell me about a time when you had to for stakeholders’ needs and where
make a quick decision. What were the organisational resistance needed to be
circumstances and what did you do? overcome.

Communication Teamwork

Are you an active listener, do you really listen Employers need people who are socially
and do you hear what is actually said. Are competent. The desire to build and maintain
you able to read the non-verbal messages relationships in and beyond the workplace is
that others communicate? Do you communicate critical. Many workplaces function on the
in an engaging and convincing manner? basis of project teams.

1. Describe a situation you were 1. Tell me about a time when you worked
involved in that required a multidi- successfully as a member of a team.
mensional communication strategy. 2. Describe a situation where you were
2. Give an example of a difficult or successful in getting people to work
sensitive situation that required together effectively.
diplomatic communication? 3. Describe a situation in which you were
3. Tell me about a time when you really a member (not a leader) of a team and
had to pay attention to what someone conflict arose within the team. What did
else was saying, actively seeking to you do? What would you do
understand their message. differently?

Organisational awareness
Results orientation
1. Describe the culture of your or-
ganisation and give an example of 1. Tell me about a time when you set and
how you work within this culture to achieved a goal.
achieve a goal. 2. Tell me about a time when you improved
2. Describe the things you consider and the way things were typically done on the
the steps you take in assessing the job.
viability of a new idea or initiative. 3. Describe something you have done to im-
3. Tell me about a time when you used prove the performance of your work unit.
your knowledge of the organisation to
get what you needed.
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Influencing, persuading and negotiating Leadership and people management

You may have strong verbal skills but can Do you lead by example? Do you create an
you influence another person to change their environment that empowers success in
thinking or take some action – perhaps a others? Can you build relationships inside
colleague follows your advice or a client and outside of the organisation? Are you
decides to buy a service or product. At capable of creating a realistic vision, setting
management level have you the skills to challenging but achievable goals and
negotiate and involve rather than confront and establishing a learning environment?
coerce? Do you act ethically?

1. Tell me about a time when you were 1. Describe a situation that best
able to change another’s viewpoint shows
significantly. your ability to get things done through
2. Tell me about a time when you were other people.
asked to do something that 2. Tell me about the last time you were
you disagreed with. unsuccessful in getting someone to
3. Tell me about a person or event that follow your lead. What did you do?
has been influential in your personal 3. Have you ever needed to motivate a
development. team? What action did you take?

Preparing for competency based questions

It’s essential to prepare thoroughly. Formulate responses to these typical

competency questions by writing down specific
Applicants who ignore or gloss over competencies and different examples of past behaviour that
do so at their own peril. Be positive and see this as describe the SITUATION that you faced, the
an opportunity to communicate competencies that ACTION that you took and the OUTCOME that
may not be apparent from your CV. resulted from your action.

● Obtain the job description and see which S ituation

competencies are key for the job.
A ction
● Ask your recruitment consultant about the
competencies the client is looking for.
O utcome
● Look at the company’s web site. Have they
posted organisational core competencies or This format will help formulate your response
values that represent behaviors they expect. in a way that you can deliver at interview with
● Seek a contact in the industry and ask to the information the interviewer is seeking about
share competencies necessary for his/her your past behaviour, your learning and how you
position or describe their work and deduce you might act in the future.
competencies necessary to achieve outcomes.
● Speak with someone who understands trends in Remember that the focus should be on you
their field and have them help you project the even if the situation involved a group,
competencies. interviewers will want to know what was your
● Write out your accomplishments. Include your specific role in achieving the desired result.
failures with what you learned in the process
Include as many details as you can remember
to help bring the stories to life.
Competencies - Organisational benefits

Competency based HR systems help ensure

that the people who are recruited have the
potential to succeed. It’s been estimated that
the wrong hire costs 1.5 times that person’s
annual salary. And that doesn’t measure the
frustration of an individual trying to succeed
in the wrong job.

Competency based systems can also be used

to provide appropriate development to help
employees realise their potential and to provide
appraisal, feedback and coaching to improve
productivity. In addition, competencies provide
employees with an objective, defined target for
development and realistic career goals.

Competencies become operational only if

defined by behaviors, so interviewers, candidates,
managers and employees can apply the model in
the work setting. A behavioral description is a
statement of the observable actions that indicate
the presence of an underlying competency.

Competencies - Individual benefits

Competencies can be the basis of individual A validated competency model is an

selection and career development. Showing objective way to integrate and ensure
appropriate competencies can help candidates fairness of talent management initiatives
to get a job and position employees for future within the organisation.
opportunities.

Demonstrating a desire to improve related com- In short, knowing and demonstrating

petencies generates development on the job and competencies provide substantial benefits
makes performance management meaningful. to individuals who want to be seen as
qualified and valued accordingly.
Competencies are increasingly being used to select
and develop leaders and for succession manage-
ment. Competency based internal selection makes
career mobility across functions easier and helps
individuals overcome any discriminatory practices
in the organisation. It means career opportunities
are based less on educational achievement or on
previous positions and more on the knowledge,
skills and attributes that have been demonstrated
and are needed in new roles.

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