Competency Based Interview Questions (With Answers)

A competency based interview asks you to prove a skill with a real example from your past. Instead of "What are your strengths?", you hear "Tell me about a time you handled a conflict with a colleague." The interviewer scores your answer against a set list of competencies, so the way you structure the story matters as much as the story itself.

This format is common in the UK, where the Civil Service uses it. Remote companies hiring across Europe may use it too, sometimes adding questions about written communication and working without supervision. This guide covers the STAR method, ten common competencies with example questions and answer outlines, and a table of what interviewers listen for.

The answer outlines use placeholders, not invented stories. Fill them with your own work.

Key takeaways

• Competency based interview questions ask for past behavior as evidence of future behavior. Prepare stories, not opinions.
• Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and spend most of your time on the Action part.
• Map 8 to 10 of your own stories to the competencies in the job description before the interview.
• For remote roles, expect questions on written communication, async ownership and self-management.
• Say "I", not "we", and end every answer with a measurable or observable result.

What is a competency based interview?

It is a structured interview. Every candidate gets the same questions, and each answer is scored against a defined skill or behavior. The core idea is simple: how you acted in the past is a useful signal for how you will act in the job.

The UK Civil Service is the best known example. Its Success Profiles framework assesses candidates on several elements, including behaviours, strengths, ability, experience and technical skills. The Civil Service behaviours guidance lists nine behaviours, such as Making Effective Decisions, Working Together and Delivering at Pace, and suggests candidates use the STAR method to describe what they did and what happened.

Private employers rarely publish their frameworks, but most use similar themes. Read the job description closely. The skills it repeats are usually the ones you will be scored on.

Why do employers use structured interviews?

Because research suggests they predict job performance well. A 2022 meta-analysis by Sackett, Zhang, Berry and Lievens in the Journal of Applied Psychology found structured interviews had the highest average validity of the selection methods it reviewed, as summarized by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. The same summary notes that results varied across studies, so no method is perfect.

For you, this has a practical meaning. The interviewer is often working from a scoring sheet. Vague, general answers score low even when the interviewer likes you. Specific, well-structured examples score high.

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How does the STAR method work?

STAR gives every answer the same shape, which makes it easy for the interviewer to score.

Situation

One or two sentences of context. Where were you, what was the team, what was at stake?

Task

What were you responsible for? Make your own role clear, separate from the team's.

Action

The steps you took, in order. This is where the score comes from, so give it about half your answer. Explain why you chose each step.

Result

What changed because of your actions? Use a number if you have one (time saved, revenue, tickets closed, error rate). If not, describe an observable outcome and what you learned.

Aim for about two minutes per answer. If the interviewer wants more detail, they will ask a follow-up.

What are the most common competency based interview questions?

Below are ten competencies you are likely to meet, each with one example question and an answer outline. Replace the brackets with your own facts.

1. Teamwork. "Tell me about a time you worked with a colleague whose style was different from yours." Outline: S [project and the colleague's role], T [what you both had to deliver], A [how you agreed on roles and resolved one specific disagreement], R [outcome and how you work together now].
2. Communication and influencing. "Describe a time you persuaded someone to change their mind." Outline: S [decision at stake], T [your view and why it mattered], A [evidence you gathered, how you framed it for that person], R [decision taken and its effect].
3. Problem solving. "Give an example of a complex problem you solved." Outline: S [the problem and who it affected], T [your part], A [how you found the root cause, options you weighed], R [fix and measurable result].
4. Decision making. "Tell me about a decision you made with incomplete information." Outline: S [context and deadline], T [the decision you owned], A [what data you had, what risk you accepted, who you consulted], R [result and what you would change].
5. Delivering results. "Describe a time you hit a tight deadline." Outline: S [deadline and why it was tight], T [your deliverable], A [how you prioritized, what you cut, how you flagged risk], R [delivered on time or not, and impact].
6. Adaptability. "Tell me about a time priorities changed suddenly." Outline: S [the change], T [what you had to drop or restart], A [how you replanned and communicated], R [outcome].
7. Leadership. "Give an example of leading without formal authority." Outline: S [team and goal], T [why you stepped up], A [how you set direction and got buy-in], R [what the group achieved].
8. Customer focus. "Describe a time you handled a difficult customer or stakeholder." Outline: S [the complaint or request], T [your responsibility], A [how you listened, what you offered, how you followed up], R [resolution and relationship after].
9. Developing yourself and others. "Tell me about something you learned quickly for a job." Outline: S [skill gap], T [why you needed it], A [how you learned and applied it], R [result, and whether you taught others].
10. Changing and improving. "Describe a process you improved." Outline: S [old process and its cost], T [your role], A [the change and how you tested it], R [before and after numbers].

Which remote competencies will a remote employer test?

Remote companies add questions about skills that matter more when nobody sits next to you. Expect at least one of these.

• Written communication. "Tell me about a time a written update prevented a problem." Outline: S [project and audience], T [what needed to be communicated], A [the format you chose, how you made it clear and scannable], R [what the reader did with it].
• Async ownership. "Describe a time you moved work forward across time zones without waiting for a meeting." Outline: S [team spread and blocker], T [your piece], A [how you documented context, made a decision or proposal, set a deadline for objections], R [time saved or outcome].
• Self-management. "How did you stay productive during a period with little oversight?" Outline: S [situation], T [goals you set yourself], A [your planning system, how you reported progress, how you handled a slip], R [what you delivered].

If you are interviewing with a company several hours behind you, async examples carry extra weight. Your written follow-up after the call is also a test, so keep it short and clear.

What does the interviewer listen for?

Use this table to check each of your stories before the interview.

How should you prepare for a competency based interview?

Start with the job description. Highlight each skill it mentions, then write one STAR story for each in short bullet points, not a script. Many stories can cover two competencies, so you rarely need more than eight to ten.

Practice out loud and time yourself. Cut long Situation sections. Check that every story uses "I" for your actions and ends with a result. Prepare one story where things went wrong and you learned from it, since interviewers often ask for one.

Your stories should match how you present yourself in your CV and LinkedIn profile. Our guide on how to position yourself for remote jobs helps you pick the themes to lead with. If you keep reaching interviews but not offers, read why you keep getting rejected for remote jobs for common causes.

A competency based interview is not always the best format for every role. Senior or creative roles often add a portfolio review, a case study or a work sample. Prepare for those too, and ask the recruiter what each stage involves.

FAQ

Are behavioural interview questions the same as competency based questions?

Mostly, yes. "Behavioural interview questions" (the UK spelling of the term) ask how you behaved in past situations, and a competency based interview groups those questions under named skills with a scoring guide. In practice the preparation is identical: build specific STAR stories around the skills listed in the job description.

How long should a STAR method answer be?

Aim for about two minutes. Keep the Situation and Task short, around a quarter of the answer combined. Spend about half on the Action, with clear steps and your reasons. Close with the Result in one or two sentences. If the interviewer wants more, they will ask a follow-up question.

Can I use examples from outside work?

Yes, when they show the competency well. The UK Civil Service guidance says examples can come from volunteering or hobbies, not only paid jobs. Work examples are usually stronger for experienced candidates, so use outside examples when you lack a relevant work story or when the example is clearly better.

What if I do not have a good example for a question?

Say so briefly, then offer the closest real example you have and explain how it relates. Do not invent a story; follow-up questions usually expose it. You can also describe what you would do, but a hypothetical answer scores lower than real evidence, so prepare widely beforehand.

The short version

A competency based interview scores you on evidence from your past, one skill at a time. Use the STAR method, put most of your answer into your own actions, and finish with a result. Prepare eight to ten stories mapped to the job description, plus remote examples on writing, async work and self-management. Then browse remote jobs open to people in Europe, including remote jobs in the UK, and check your take-home pay with the jobseeker calculator.

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