Competency-based interviews can feel deceptively tricky. The questions aren’t asking what you know; they’re asking you to prove what you’ve done. Get this distinction right, and you’ll stand out regardless of the job, sector, or level you’re applying for.

What Are Competency-Based Questions?

Competency-based questions (also called behavioural or situational questions) ask you to draw on real experience to demonstrate a specific skill or quality. The logic is simple: the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour.

You’ll recognise them by their phrasing:

“Tell me about a time when…”
“Give me an example of…”
“Describe a situation where you…”
“How have you handled…?”

Common competencies tested include communication, teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, resilience, adaptability, and customer focus, though the exact list varies by organisation.

The Framework: STAR

The single most effective tool for answering competency questions is the STAR method:

Situation – Set the scene briefly. Where were you, and what was the context?
Task – What was your specific responsibility or challenge?
Action – What did you personally do? This is the meat of your answer.
Result – What happened as a result? Quantify if you can.

A good STAR answer is typically 90 to 120 seconds when spoken aloud: enough to be thorough, short enough to hold attention.

Breaking Down Each Part

Situation: Set the Scene, Don’t Tell a Novel

Keep this brief. Interviewers don’t need the full company history. Give just enough context for your answer to make sense.

Example: “I was working as part of a five-person project team with a deadline that had just been brought forward by two weeks.”*

One or two sentences are usually enough.

Task: Make Your Role Clear

This is where many candidates go wrong. If the situation involved a team, make it explicit what you were responsible for, not what we did collectively.

Example: “As the lead on client communications, it fell to me to manage expectations and keep the client updated throughout.”

Avoid the passive voice. Own your role.

Action: This Is Where You Win or Lose

Spend the most time here. Walk through the specific steps you took, the decisions you made, and why. Interviewers are listening for

Initiative: did you wait to be told, or did you act?
Reasoning: did you think through your approach?
Skill: does what you did actually demonstrate the competency being tested?

Be specific. “I improved communication”, tells an interviewer nothing. “I introduced a weekly email update to all stakeholders with a traffic-light status system”, tells them everything.

Result: Close the Loop

End with what happened. Concrete outcomes are best:

“The project was delivered on time, and the client extended the contract for a further year.”
“Staff turnover in the team reduced by 30% over the following six months.”
“The complaint was resolved the same day, and the customer left positive feedback.”

If you don’t have a measurable outcome, describe the qualitative impact: what changed, what was learned, what was avoided.

How to Prepare: Build a Story Bank

Before any interview, spend time building a bank of 6 to 10 strong examples from your experience. Each story should be versatile enough to cover multiple competencies depending on how you frame it.

Good source material includes:

– A time you solved a difficult problem under pressure

– A situation where you had to influence or persuade someone

– A project you led or played a key role in

– A moment you had to adapt quickly to change

– A time you received difficult feedback and acted on it

– A conflict or disagreement you navigated professionally

– An achievement you’re genuinely proud of

Map each story to the competencies on the job description. Most examples can be stretched to cover two or three different competencies with a small shift in emphasis.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Talking about we instead of I

Interviewers are assessing you. Collaborative examples are fine, but always clarify your individual contribution.

Choosing weak or irrelevant examples

If your example doesn’t clearly demonstrate the competency, move on and find a better one. Padding a weak story rarely helps.

Skipping the result

Ending on the action without a result leaves the answer feeling unfinished. Always land the plane.

Rambling through the situation

Context is important, but background detail eats into the time you need for your actions and results. Get to the point.

Being too vague

“I communicated effectively with the team” is not evidence. Name what you said, wrote, or did. Specificity is credibility.

When You Can’t Think of a Perfect Example

This happens to everyone. A few ways to handle it:

•  Use a near-miss. If you haven’t faced that exact situation, find the closest equivalent and be upfront: “I haven’t encountered that in quite those terms, but a similar situation I navigated was…”
• Use academic, voluntary, or personal examples. Especially valid for early-career candidates. Running a student society, organising a community event, or managing a freelance project all count.
• Reframe the scenario. Sometimes an example that seems to be about one competency is actually a stronger fit for what’s being asked. Look at the story from a different angle.

Final Tips

1- Practice out loud, not just in your head. Your answer will feel very different when spoken.

2-Time yourself. Aim for 90 to 120 seconds per answer.
Prepare for follow-ups. Interviewers may ask “What would you do differently?” or “What did you learn from that?” Have a genuine answer ready.

3- Be honest. You don’t need a perfect story. A genuine example with a messy middle and a thoughtful reflection is far more convincing than a polished but hollow one.

Competency-based interviews reward preparation. With a solid story bank, a clear structure, and enough practice to feel fluent rather than rehearsed, you’ll walk in ready for whatever they ask.

About TRBtalent

TRBtalent is a specialist recruitment partner dedicated to the Facilities Management sector. We move beyond traditional “post and pray” methods, with almost 2/3 of our successful placements coming from proactive outreach rather than passive job adverts. We believe in the quality of our matches, which is why we offer an industry-leading 12-month replacement guarantee. With transparent, competitive rates and a deep understanding of the FM landscape, we help independent firms compete for – and win – the best talent in the industry.

Find out more at trbtalent.com/fm