Competency-based interview questions ask you to describe a real time you used a skill the job needs, usually starting "Tell me about a time when..." or "Give an example of...". The interviewer is not after your opinion of how you would act; they want evidence from what you actually did. The best answers pick one specific situation, explain what you personally did, and finish with a clear result. Prepare six to eight short stories from your experience and you can adapt them to almost any question.

Why employers use them

Competency questions are popular in the UK, especially in the public sector, the NHS, banks and large employers, because past behaviour is a reasonable guide to future behaviour and every candidate can be scored against the same criteria. The UK Civil Service calls its version "behaviours" as part of its Success Profiles, but the questions work the same way.

Interviewers usually score each answer against the skills listed in the job description or person specification. So the first step is to read those documents and list the competencies they mention.

Questions by competency

Teamwork

Tell me about a time you worked in a team to reach a difficult goal.
Describe a time you disagreed with a colleague. How did you handle it?
Give an example of when you helped a teammate who was struggling.

What they look for: your part in the team, not just the team's result; listening; sharing credit.

Communication

Tell me about a time you had to explain something complicated to someone without your background.
Describe a time you had to deliver bad news.
Give an example of a time you persuaded someone to change their mind.

What they look for: adapting to the audience, checking understanding, staying calm.

Problem-solving

Tell me about a problem you solved in a new or unusual way.
Describe a time something went wrong. What did you do?
Give an example of a decision you made with incomplete information.

What they look for: how you worked out the cause, the options you weighed, and what you learned.

Leadership and initiative

Tell me about a time you took the lead without being asked.
Describe a time you motivated others.
Give an example of an improvement you suggested and put in place.

What they look for: ownership, bringing people with you, and a result you can point to. You do not need a manager's title to have a good example.

Customer focus

Tell me about a time you dealt with an unhappy customer.
Describe a time you went beyond what was expected for a customer.

What they look for: understanding what the customer needed, fixing the problem, and preventing it happening again.

Organisation and managing pressure

Tell me about a time you had several deadlines at once.
Describe a time you were under real pressure. How did you cope?

What they look for: how you prioritised, what you said to the people affected, and whether you still delivered.

Adaptability

Tell me about a time your plans changed at the last minute.
Describe a time you had to learn something new quickly.

What they look for: a positive, practical response and how quickly you got back on track.

How to structure your answer

Most interviewers expect a story with four parts, often called the STAR method:

Part	What to say	How long
Situation	Where you were and what was going on, in one or two sentences	Short
Task	What you had to achieve, or the problem you owned	Short
Action	What you did, step by step, using "I" not "we"	The longest part
Result	What happened, with a number if you have one, and what you learned	Clear and specific

A short example for "Tell me about a time you dealt with an unhappy customer":

Situation: A regular customer complained that their order had arrived late for the third time. Task: I needed to keep the account and stop it happening again. Action: I called them the same day, apologised, and offered a refund on delivery. I then traced the delays to one courier route, switched it to a different service and set up a check on their next three orders myself. Result: The next orders arrived on time, the customer placed a larger order the following month, and we moved two other accounts on that route as well.

How to prepare

List the competencies from the job description and person specification.
Write one story for each, using STAR, from work, study, volunteering or anything you have done. Many stories cover two or three competencies.
Add a number to each result where you can: time saved, money, customers, a rating.
Practise out loud. Aim for about two minutes per answer. Longer usually means too much Situation and not enough Action.
Prepare one "it went wrong" story. Interviewers often ask about a mistake. Choose a real one, keep the focus on what you did to fix it and what you changed afterwards.

Common mistakes

Answering with what you would do instead of what you did.
Saying "we" all the way through, so the interviewer cannot tell what you did.
Picking an example with no clear result.
Using the same story for every question.
Forgetting to say what you learned.

Frequently asked questions

What is a competency-based interview? An interview where most questions ask for real examples of skills the job needs, such as teamwork or problem-solving. Each answer is usually scored against set criteria, so every candidate is judged the same way.

How long should my answers be? About one and a half to two minutes. Spend most of that time on the actions you took.

Can I use examples from outside work? Yes, especially early in your career. Examples from study, volunteering, sport or caring responsibilities are fine if they show the skill clearly.

What if I can't think of an example? Say so briefly, then offer the closest situation you have, or explain how you would apply a similar experience. A thoughtful, honest answer scores better than a made-up one.

Are competency questions the same as behavioural questions? Yes. "Behavioural", "competency-based" and, in the Civil Service, "behaviour" questions all ask for evidence of how you acted in a real situation.

Getting the interview starts with your CV, so read how to make an ATS-friendly resume as well.

Competency-Based Interview Questions: Examples, What Interviewers Look For and How to Answer