Competency-based interviewing

Competency-based interviewing is a method that will show you whether a candidate has the competencies to perform a role.

Since a candidate’s past performance is the best predictor of future performance, interviewers need to ask for examples of things the candidate has actually done that will demonstrate the key characteristics the firm needs.

Competency-based questions are directly linked to the essential functions of the role.

The major benefits of this type of interviewing are that these questions allow the candidate to relate their answer to a real life experience rather than giving a generic textbook answer. This enables the candidate to reveal the most relevant information in the context of the current job opportunity.

Example training course
The purpose of this course is to enable HR teams and interviewers to be clear about the competencies needed for any role and to enable them ask candidates searching questions to reveal candidates’ levels of competency.

Learning objectives
During the course participants will:

discuss competencies for roles
discuss the questions that will draw out those competencies
practise interviewing and being interviewed, so that they can see how effective the process is from both sides.

By the end of the course participants will be able to:

explain exactly what competency-based interviewing is and how to use it
identify the knowledge, skills, attitude and levels of competency that are required for any role
discriminate between candidates who talk a good story and those who really can-do
challenge and probe each candidate to identify strengths and weaknesses that demonstrate actual past performance
establish a candidate’s real past experience to help you predict future performance
use ‘Question Bank One’ – a large bank of questions that link directly to key competencies: these questions are tried and tested, and are useful as a template for all appointments (all delegates receive a copy of ‘Question Bank One’)
structure interviews to address the competencies you are seeking
recognise the types of questions to ask, when to ask them and how each question affects your candidate’s response
adopt a more objective approach and interview style
control personal bias when questioning a candidate
use the 4-stage feedback tool to give feedback to candidates.

Legal Firms we have worked with

Competency-based interviewing

Interested in Competency-based interview training?