What are competency based questions ? How do I answer them properly?

"Give us an example of a time when.. " or "Tell me about a time when.."

These questions are designed to test specific skills or competencies; interviewers want to know to how you act in certain situations and how well you will fit in..

You have to show that you have the right skills by using real life examples; don't answer these questions in a theoretical or an impersonal way!

Use a wide variety of examples from your previous experiences , university, extra-curricular activities , etc.

Competencies depend on the role and company, so do your research before hand; check the firm's website and the job description, for the key competencies, skills or qualities for that role.

Some key competencies:
- Leadership: you led a team
- Teamwork: you worked with a team
- Risk taking: you took a risk, you learnt something new
-Conflict management: you managed conflict
- Problem solving: you solved a problem
- Creativity & innovation: you developed an innovative solution, you did things differently/ you changed a process
- Resilience & Tenacity: you failed at something, you missed a deadline- what did you learn and how did you handle it
- Decision making: you made an important decision
- Pressure / stress management: you worked under pressure or had a tight deadline

Think about your examples well enough before hand and have at least 2 example per competency!!

Try not to lie , embellishments will be quickly found out because you will be asked follow up questions.. It's normally difficult to keep up with lies, especially in interviews cos #pressure. (well unless you have worked on your lie so well that you're ready for anything. But we don't promote lying)

Last but not least remember to use the STAR Approach in answering these questions.
(Situation, Task, Action, Result)

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You can also leave a comment for more resources or help on how to answer certain competency based questions!